ABSTRACT
Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is an anionic surface active agent used as an emulsifi er in many pharmaceutic vehicles, cosmetics, foaming dentifrices, and foods, and it is the sodium salt of lauryl sulfate that conforms to the formula: CH3(CH2)10CH2OSO3Na (1). The action of SLS on surface tension is putatively the cause of its irritancy, and its great capacity for altering the stratum corneum (SC) makes it useful to enhance penetration of other substances in patch tests and in animal assays.
