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If you ever decide to peep at the labels on your shampoos or body washes, it's likely you'll come across the ingredient sodium cocoyl isethionate. It plays a crucial role in our beloved shower time rituals (shampooing, face cleansing, etc.) and is known for creating the foamy lather we love to indulge in.
Meet the Expert
- Dr. Blair Murphy-Rose is a board-certified cosmetic and medical dermatologist in NYC.
- Dr. Jeannette Graf is a board-certified dermatologist and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
- Vince Spinnato is a cosmetic chemist and skincare developer.
Sodium cocoyl isethionate provides skincare benefits and serves as a fantastic alternative to harsher, drying cleansers (like sulfates). We spoke with NYC-based dermatologists, Dr. Blair Murphy-Rose and Dr. Jeannette Graf and cosmetic chemist and skincare developer, Vince Spinnato to learn more about the ingredient. Keep reading for all its benefits and how to incorporate it into your daily routine.
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Type of Ingredient: Surfactant
Main Benefits: Creates a rich lather, gently lifts away dirt and grime, and hydrates.
Who Should Use It: In general, it's great for all skin types, particularly those with sensitive or dry skin since it's not as harsh as other surfactants.
How Often Can You Use It: It can be used daily, but should be used twice at most for hair care, cleansing, and body products.
Works well with: Emollients and humectants to help support the skin barrier.
Don't Use With: Other harsh surfactants or skin irritants to retain its maximum benefits.
What Is Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate?
According to Graf, sodium cocoyl isethionate is a fine white powder that's derived from coconut oil. "It's a sodium salt that's known to be gentle on the skin," she says. The process of creating it, explains Spinnato, includes mixing a natural sulfonic acid called isethionic acid with the fatty acids that naturally occur in coconut oil. Most commonly, you'll find the ingredient listed on the back of your shampoos, body washes, cleansers, and bars of soap since it's considered to be a surfactant.
"Surfactants are used as cleansing agents because they mix well with both oils and water," explains Murphy-Rose. The ingredient can mix with oils to lift dirt off the face, helping to rinse away any residue leftover from the day. "In particular, sodium cocoyl isethionate is a gentle surfactant so it has a reduced risk of skin irritation," says Murphy-Rose. Other surfactants (like sulfates) tend to be harsh on the skin, stripping it of its natural oils and compromising the skin barrier. However, this particular surfactant isn't like that. In fact, Murphy-Rose mentions that it may help leave the skin feeling smooth and moisturized without stripping the skin whatsoever.
"It also a good emulsifier, foaming effectively to allow a rich lather while cleansing," says Graf. "It's used in products as an emulsifier because it reduces surface tension, which helps remove oil and dirt from the skin." With each pump or squeeze, the ingredient helps lower the surface tension of water, which is what makes the cleanser lather and spread easier. In other words, sodium cocoyl isethionate is what makes the product lather so luxuriously when you apply it.
Benefits of Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate for Skin
Sodium cocoyl isethionate offers benefits for nearly all skin types, particularly those with sensitive or dry skin types. Some of these benefits include:
- Produces a silky lather: Due to the fact that it's a surfactant, sodium cocoyl isethionate lowers the surface tension of the water, allowing the product to spread easier across the face. "In hair care products, it gently cleanses hair while removing excess oil to reduce tangles and frizz, as well as allow the products to lather," says Graf.
- Adding hydration and moisture: According to Spinnato, sodium cocoyl isethionate exhibits a high foaming ability producing a stable, rich, and velvety lather that does not dehydrate the skin. Instead of drying out the skin like other surfactants, it'll leave your skin feeling hydrated and moisturized sans any irritation, redness, or dryness.
- Gently lifting away dirt, oil, and another build-up: By bonding water and oil, sodium cocoyl isethionate has the ability to help get rid of any makeup residue, dirt, or grime that's been sitting on your face, body, or scalp all day. "This means that it is an agent that helps remove the dirt and oils with the emulsification of the product," says Graf.
- Preventing damage to the skin barrier: Unlike other harsher surfactants, sodium cocoyl isethionate is kinder on the skin. In return, explains Graf, it cleanses the skin gently without damaging the moisture barrier or taking away any hydration.
Side Effects of Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
As of now, there are no known side effects associated with using sodium cocoyl isethionate. However, if you have a coconut allergy, you should steer clear of the ingredient. "Since sodium cocoyl isethionate is derived from coconut oil, it should be avoided by anyone who has a coconut allergy," says Murphy-Rose. Another thing to note: If you overuse the ingredient, it may be drying, particularly for those with natural or thicker textured hair types. "It may strip the hair of its natural oils if you use it too often on dryer hair types, so make sure to proceed with caution," explains Spinnato.
How To Use It
Due to its gentle nature, sodium cocoyl isethionante can be used every single day. "For a body wash, opt to use it twice a day," explains Murphy-Rose. "If it's a cleanser, you should only be using it two times a day at maximum."
Before using it, make sure the bottle has no more than 50% SCI, advises Graf, as it can be drying. The ingredient arrives within shampoos, body washes, cleansers, and soap bars, so incorporating it into your routine is truly an effortless product that'll reap major rewards.
The Best Products With Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
This non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic body cleanser is a favorite of Dr. Murphy-Rose. "It contains five nourishing ingredients that cleanse the skin without drying it out, maintaining the skin's natural moisture barrier without stripping it of protective oils or emollients," she says. "The cleansing bar is also free of sulfates, parabens, and harsh surfactants, which allows it to nourish the skin without causing irritation or dryness."
"This is one of my favorite products with sodium cocoyl isethionate," says Dr. Graf. "It is a gentle and effective shampoo for daily use."
This cleanser is fragrance-free, ph-balanced, and a top recommendation of Dr. Murphy-Rose. "It effectively removes makeup, dirt, and oil, leaving skin soft and supple without feeling tight or dry (which are known for being signs of irritation)," she says. "And, the whipped texture forms into a cream when mixed with water."
Swipe on just a tad of this all-natural deodorant for armpits that smell like a mixture of vanilla and coconut. Trust us—don't sleep on this one!
If your hair is in need of a bit of TLC, grab this Carol's Daughter Shower Milk. It contains good-for-your hair ingredients and is said to help strengthen, repair, and hydrate dry strands.
