CLEANSER
TEA-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate
- cleanser
A strong detergent used mainly in clarifying and deep-cleansing shampoos.
- products in our library
- 50
- of researched products
- 1%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #15
- most common in
- Shampoo
- in water
- Water-soluble
At a glance
Four named levels, read from this ingredient’s chemical class, its charge, its solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have. More dots means more of the property named — never “better”.
How much of it is left on hair between washes.
What it takes to get it off the hair again.
How much oil it strips, as a class.
The foam the class is known for, not a measured volume.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Low | 1 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses clean | 5 of 5 |
| Cleansing strength | Not recorded | not recorded |
| Lather | Modest | 2 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What TEA-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
A milder detergent class, used where a formula avoids sulfates.
Water alone removes it, so it does not accumulate between washes.
The mechanism behind every wash: oil pulled off the hair and rinsed away.
Charge
Negatively charged, like the hair surface itself — so it is repelled rather than attracted, rinses away cleanly, and is the charge most detergents carry.
Solubility
Rinses out with water alone — it does not accumulate on hair between washes.
Where it appears
Where it appears
One row per product category in our library: how many products list it, what share of that category that is, and where it typically sits on the label.
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Shampoo
42 products
|
secondary · #15 | |
Leave-in
4 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Conditioner
3 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Mask / treatment
1 product
|
secondary · #23 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 42 | 5% | 15 | 8 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 4 | 1% | 14 | 13 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 3 | 0% | 17 | 17 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 1 | 0% | 23 | 23 | secondary |
No product-type differences have been researched yet — the reading below is computed from where it sits on the labels in our library.
Position footprint
Every listing in our library, by position on the label.
| Positions | Zone | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Leading | 0 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 1 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 25 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 32 |
| 26+ | Trace | 1 |
How to read this
US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order.
So position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
Who should pay attention
Conditional formulation guidance, scoped to a hair condition and to the positions where it is meaningful. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, and not a conclusion about you.
Cleansing is what lifts deposited films off the strand. How completely depends on which detergent it is and how high on the list it sits.
Every detergent removes some sebum along with the product it is there to wash out. Which detergent it is matters more than that there is one.
Read from this ingredient’s chemical class. Where we have researched the ingredient itself, that reading replaces the class one.
Why it matters to shoppers
What this ingredient is evidence of, what it is not evidence of, and what our own method can and cannot tell you.
- a product that actually cleans
- a rinse-clean feel
- a routine that does not build up
- an exact safety score — we do not publish one, for any ingredient
- how a finished product performs by itself — that is the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle — label position never converts into a number
- a secondary cleanser, listed below the main ingredients in our shampoos
- it was on the label of every product we counted — we read printed ingredient lists, not marketing copy
- that a product is right or wrong for you
We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
Commonly paired with
Ingredients that appear alongside this one most often in our library. Near-universal ingredients are excluded — they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Dimethiconol · 50
- Sodium Chloride · 41
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine · 40
- Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride · 38
- Glycol Distearate · 31
- Disodium EDTA · 30
- Carbomer · 27
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate · 25
- PPG-9 · 23
- PEG-45m · 22
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to smooth the surface, keep the formula stable, and clean and build foam.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
TIGI Bed Head · Shampoo
Down N' Dirty Clarifying Detox Shampoo for Cleansing
#8 on the label · $0.74/oz
Mielle · Shampoo
Lavender Lychee Scalp Moisturizing Shampoo
#10 on the label · $1.17/oz
Head & Shoulders · Shampoo
Head & Shoulders Sulfate Free Shea Butter Shampoo
#11 on the label · $0.56/oz
Suave · Shampoo
Moroccan Infusion Shine Shampoo
#11 on the label · $0.19/oz
Aussie · Shampoo
Aussie Miracle Repairer Shampoo with Aloe
#13 on the label · $0.30/oz
Aussie · Shampoo
Miracle Coils with Macadamia Nut Oil Shampoo
#13 on the label · $0.57/oz
Dove · Leave-in
Beauty Kids' 2-in-1 Detangler & Refresher Spray for Coils, Curls & Waves
#13 on the label · $0.87/oz
Dove · Shampoo
Dove Beauty UV Repair & Glow Shampoo - Damage Therapy
#13 on the label · $0.42/oz
Dove · Shampoo
Dove Men+Care Fresh and Clean 2-in-1 Shampoo + Conditioner
#13 on the label · $0.73/oz
Dove Men+Care · Shampoo
Dove Men+Care Fresh & Clean 2-in-1 Fortifying Shampoo + Conditioner
#13 on the label · $0.57/oz
Pantene · Shampoo
Pro-V Miracles Extreme Damage Shampoo
#13 on the label · $0.74/oz
Pantene · Shampoo
Pro-V Radiant Color Shine Shampoo
#13 on the label · $0.48/oz
See all 50 products in the library that list TEA-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
TEA-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate
- CAS 27323-41-7
- PubChem 33782
- tea-dodecylbenzenesulfonate
For your hair?
Whether TEA-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate matters for your hair depends on your hair.
50 products in our library list itWhat this ingredient does, and where it sits on the labels we have researched.
A verdict on any product that contains it, and never a safety grade.
We do not physically test your hair. Everything above is read from the ingredient lists in our library and from published references — the consultation is what turns it into a plan.
References
Sourced Backed by a manufacturer or regulatory source.
This ingredient
- Manufacturer or regulatory PubChem — Compound identity: CID 33782, CAS 27323-41-7, C24H45NO6S · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library — 50 of 3889 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are named levels read from an ingredient’s chemical class, charge, solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have — never a score.
- US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
- The prominence bands (leading, supporting, secondary) are the same ones the product pages use to read a single label, applied here to the median position across a category.
- We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
- Identifiers and references appear only when a published source is attached to this entry; where none is, the row is simply absent rather than filled in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-08-28. Product-page methodology: the product library.