The Sirius Effect:

The self-care industry was growing even before the COVID pandemic. By raising consumer awareness for their health. The growth has been spurred in part by popular vloggers who often review skincare products. These videos are viewed by millions of people the world over, generating demand for new, innovative products and skincare concepts, as well as increasing demand for products with less plastic packaging and “fewer chemicals”.  Sirius, with our extensive catalog of sustainably-produced, environmentally-friendly products, is ideally positioned to help you make the most of this trend – and help the planet while you’re at it.

Despite the growing recognition that everything is chemistry, the (misguided) demand for “fewer chemicals” in personal care products remains strong, and one of the principle bogeymen that people love to hate is SLES, sodium laureth sulfate. As anionic surfactants go, it is highly effective and excellent at solubilizing fats and hydrophobic compounds, which makes it great for things like shampoos and cleaners. Unfortunately for the personal care industry, SLES is also used in industrial cleaners, and this usage has people taking umbrage that their hair and skin should be treated the same way as a concrete floor.

This is understandable, but we should avoid looking at single ingredients to judge a formulation. On its own, SLES can clean away more oil than is required and dry out the skin. However, it is the complete formulation that determines the product’s effect on the skin and hair. Other ingredients, such as co-surfactants can help to protect and moisturize the skin.

How does a consumer judge a products safety and ecological impact? Certification logos can help make an informed choice. However, COSMOS, one of many certification bodies for natural and organic personal care products, will not certify products containing SLES, because the production involves an ethoxylation process.

Their reasoning stems from a time when bio-ethoxylate was not available on the market and all SLES was made using petrochemical ingredients. Sirius has developed a SLES with 100% natural ingredients. Since then, safety measures have also improved to allow safer production. So it should be about time to update COSMOS’ regulation to allow plant-based ethoxylates, such as Sirius’s Ethoxybrite SLES  and Ethoxybrite EFA’s. Our products are entirely plant-based, so they can be used in ecologically certified hand soap and other liquid detergents. Our manufacturing is certified according to ISO9001, 14001, 15001, OHSAS 18001 (occupational health and safety) and SA8000 (social accountability).

When creating end products that are plastic free, a solid surfactant is often needed. Or when making a formulation for sensitive skin, for example baby shampoo products, a surfactant might be preferred that is intrinsically milder to the skin. For these reasons, Sirius has been working to expand our product portfolio with a range of mild surfactants, aimed at personal care products.

One example of such an ingredient is sodium cocoyl isethionate. This is a surfactant that functions similarly to SLES, but it is a solid, meaning that it can be pressed into bars, creating shampoo bars and bar soaps and bath bombs and therefore eliminating the need for plastic bottles.  Another exciting new product is sodium cocoyl glutamate, which is a surfactant where the hydrophilic end is an amino acid. This makes an exceptionally gentle cleanser for sensitive skin. It is available as a solid or a solution in water.

Curious?

Ask us for samples to test in your formulations! We want to hear your opinion on these new mild surfactants.

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