Need You Be Sulfate Free?

Green is the new black. It sometimes seems as if organic is a new status symbol, and with the launch of Loreal's new EverPure hair care line, now even the mass market is in the game. It's no surprise then that the debate over sulfates seems like it's nearing hysteria. Is your shampoo causing your hair to fall out, giving you cancer, or causing birth-defects in your unborn children? Will you even be able to have children if your husband's body wash has Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in it?

Sulfates (specifically Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate) are ingredients commonly used as detergents, foaming agents or emulsifiers in shampoos, body washes, facial cleansers, even toothpaste. The debate rages over claims that they cause everything from birth defects to cancer. How can you tell fact from fiction?

The fact is, where application to the skin is concerned, sulfates have been proven safe for everyone except those that are allergic to them. Like most contact allergies, sulfate allergies usually manifest as an itchy rash or hives, and will subside a few days after you've stopped using the offending product.

The truth is, most of the studies that I found supporting the argument that sulfates are dangerous involved administering unusually high concentrations of the sulfates and prolonging exposure. In one instance an animal study discovered that sulfates can cause cataracts. This result was produced using high levels of the ingredient, applying it repeatedly, and leaving it on indefinitely. Beauty and personal care products that contain sulfates have much lower concentrations than those tested, and when combined with a short exposure time (you put it on, then rinse it off) the danger is very limited.

There is some evidence that sulfates can deposit onto the hair shaft and do damage, but this is in no way a conclusion. The CIR panel (the common authority in reviewing all ingredients not reviewed by the FDA) has found both sodium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate safe for use in cosmetics. They both carry a low to moderate risk, according to CIR. Just to point it out, several widely available organic lines (such as Giovanni, Kiss My Face and Avalon Organics) have sulfate-free shampoos that carry just as high of a risk, due to the fact that they use natural ingredients like cocamidopropyl betadine, which has allergy, immunotoxicity, and contamination concerns.

What does this all mean? If you want to err on the safe side, and find a sulfate-free formula that you like just as much as your old product, then sure, switch. If, on the other hand, you're suffering for the loss of your old sudsy, you're probably not going to die young from using it.