Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate (70%) - India

Brief Overview

SLES 70% is a versatile anionic surfactant widely used in liquid shampoos, dishwashing formulations, and other products. This concentrated substance, with effective cleaning and emulsifying properties, is suitable for viscosity adjustment and serves as an emulsifier in emulsion polymerization.

Manufacturing Process

SLES is produced on the basis of lauryl alcohol (dodecanol), which in turn is obtained from vegetable lauric oils. Laurin oils can be extracted from palm kernel oils or coconut oil. Palm kernel oils account for about 80% of the fatty alcohols and surfactants produced from them, while the remaining 20% are attributed to coconut oil.The manufacturing process is as follows:
- Dodecanol is obtained by hydrogenating the fatty acids and fatty acid esters from palm kernel and coconut oil and then working up the reaction mixture.
- SLES is produced by reacting dodecanol with ethylene oxide. The number of oxyethylene units is usually about 2.
- Sulphur trioxide is then used for sulphation.
- A by-product of this process is 1,4-dioxane, which is harmful to health. The end product with two oxyethylene units, sodium 2-(2-dodecyloxyethoxy)ethyl sulphate, is considered irritating to the skin and eyes.

Personal care applications:
Liquid shampoos, bubble baths, shower gels, and handwashing agents, owing to its outstanding cleaning, emulsifying, wetting, densifying, and foaming attributes. In toothpaste production, it is chosen for its effective foaming and ease of dilution with salts.

Household cleaning products:
SLES 70% is a key ingredient in the production of liquid detergents, dishwashing detergents, and similar items, valued for its excellent cleaning and foaming properties.

Industrial cleaning purposes:
SLES 70% serves as an industrial cleaner across various sectors such as plating, leather, textile, printing, and dyeing.