Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is one of the most common anionic surfactants in cleaning products, personal care, and industrial formulations. In auto-detailing products it serves as a wetting agent and foaming surfactant at low concentrations (typically <5%). At the concentrations used in car-care products (<5%), SLS contributes to the cleaning action without driving hazard classification at the mixture level. The ingredient-level aquatic toxicity (LC50 fish 1–10 mg/L per Griot's SDS §12) is real but does not manifest as a mixture-level H4xx code when diluted in the final product formula. Readily biodegradable. Not bioaccumulative. Often confused with sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), which is the ethoxylated form with a milder skin-irritation profile.