Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is one of the ingredients you’ll find listed on your shampoo bottle. However, unless you’re a chemist, you likely don’t know what it is. The chemical is found in many cleaning and beauty products, but it’s frequently misunderstood. Urban myths have linked it to cancer, skin irritation, eye damage and more. Science may tell a different story.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regards SLS as safe as a food additive. Regarding its use in cosmetics and body products, the safety assessment study of SLS, published in 1983 in the International Journal of Toxicology (the most recent assessment), found that it’s not harmful if used briefly and rinsed from the skin, as with shampoos and soaps. The report says that products that stay on the skin longer shouldn’t exceed 1 percent concentration of SLS. However, the same assessment did suggest some possible, albeit minimal, risk to humans using SLS. For example, some tests found that continuous skin exposure to SLS could cause mild to moderate irritation in animals.

Nevertheless, the assessment concluded that SLS is safe in formulations used in cosmetics and personal care products. Because many of these products are designed to be rinsed off after short applications, the risks are minimal. According to most research, SLS is an irritant but not a carcinogen. Studies have shown no link between the use of SLS and increased cancer risk. According to a 2015 study, SLS is safe for use in household cleaning products.

The Ophthalmologist: Clinical and Therapeutic Journal is an open access, peer – reviewed, academic journal which has a wide range of fields which creates a platform for the authors to publish a relatively reliable source of information on recent technology, review articles, original articles etc. and provides free online access to the researchers worldwide. Submit manuscript to at below attachment

https://www.pulsus.com/submissions/ophthalmologist-clinical-therapeutic-journal.html