Is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Safe For Baby
What Is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
Benefits Of Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate For Babies
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Usage On Baby Products
What Is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate?
Sodium lauroyl lactylate is an emulsifier that is classified as natural and food grade [1]. They help ingredients that naturally don’t mix, combine easier. For instance, water and oil do not combine well together. Water usually settles at a container’s bottom since it is heavy, while oil will stay afloat due to its lightness. But, when an emulsifier is added, the two will mix.
Is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Safe For Baby? Emulsifiers are a class of surfactants. Surfactants reduce the surface tension which allows an easy combination of ingredients [2]. Both water and coconut oil are frequent ingredients in creams, lotions, and soaps. The use of sodium lauroyl lactylate is a safe emulsifier that is used in many products, including baby products.
Thickening agents make mixtures more viscous so the liquids do not split easily. Emulsifiers like SLS and sodium lauroyl lactylate bind ingredients together so they can be used in food and baby personal care products like shampoos, creams, lotions, and conditioners [3].
The safety of your personal care product is obvious when it is made of ingredients classified as natural and food grade. Sodium stearoyl lactylate comes from the sodium salt of stearic acid and lactic acid. Sodium lauroyl lactylate comes from the sodium salt of lactic acid and lauric acid’s esterification. Both emulsifiers are preferred choices for the top of the line natural products and provide maximum moisturization. Sodium lauroyl lactylate is, however, a better foaming agent than sodium stearoyl lactylate.
Surfactants like sodium lauroyl lactylate and sodium stearoyl lactylate continue to be a profitable commodity for global suppliers. The dynamics between China and the United States are a factor that determines the continued growth of this commodity. However, Americas Personal Care Marketing Manager, Arnoldo Fonseca, considers other factors such as the availability of surfactants, currency adjustments, and the consolidation of certain companies formulating surfactants.
Some people predict a softer demand for surfactants as consumers shift to personal care products and laundry detergents with lower active contents and pods. However, there are emerging and established markets that prefer products with ingredients that are free from sulfates [4].
When parents read the ingredient sodium lauroyl lactylate on the label of their baby products, it’s understandable that they would ask “what is sodium lauroyl lactylate” and more importantly “is sodium lauroyl lactylate safe for baby?” After all, it’s a very chemical sounding name.
Sodium lauroyl lactylate and sodium stearoyl lactylate are both surfactants and emulsifiers. The basic ingredient for sodium lauroyl lactylate is derived from coconut oil. As a lactylate, it has the ability to easily penetrate the skin. Because of this, it is effective in providing moisture and extends the release of fragrance. It also has anti-microbial properties effective in fighting acne when used as an ingredient in body wash, cleansers, and shampoos.
Is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Safe For Baby
What Is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
Benefits Of Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate For Babies
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Usage On Baby Products
Is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Safe For Baby – Looking At The Regulations
Lactylates such as sodium lauroyl lactylate are approved by the Food and Drug Administration as ingredients for cosmetics and as biodegradable and non-toxic food additives. Its versatility allows a variety of applications both for food and non-food. There are different labeling requirements when it comes to using lactylates. As a food ingredient, it is included in the food labeling requirement of the Food Chemicals Codes of the United States [5].
The European Union requires its labeling to depend on applicable regulations. Lactylates in the EU are usually labeled as sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium stearoyl lactylate or lactylic esters of fatty acids. These lactylates are used in food products like chewing gum, icing, sugar confectioneries, and frozen desserts to name a few. The FDA has also approved them for use in cellophane, paper, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products for shaving creams, lipsticks, lotions, and shampoos. It is also used in essential oils and as a cosmetic ingredient.
C.J. Patterson Company developed the lactylates in the 1950s as an alternative to an ingredient used to keep the bread from becoming stale. Sodium lauroyl lactylate was approved by the FDA as a food additive in 1961. Lactylates were made using the ester of lactic acid. Today, it is a combination of lactic acid and stearic acid which is sourced from palm oil, soybean oil, and other vegetable oils [6].
Is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Safe For Baby
What Is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
Benefits Of Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate For Babies
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Usage On Baby Products
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate – A Natural (Food-Grade) Ingredient
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate is an ideal ingredient for baby products because it is natural. It provides excellent moisturizing products for babies and has good foaming and cleansing properties. These products keep your baby’s sensitive skin clean and free from allergies that result from the use of synthetic surfactants. Best of all, it is gentle and will keep the baby’s skin soft.
More informed consumers today go for products that are as natural as possible. They tend to stay away from products that contain harmful ingredients. This sometimes presents a problem considering that these products need surface active agents or surfactants to keep the ingredients together. Surfactants act as emulsifiers, wetting agents, or detergents.
The blend of sodium lauroyl lactylate (an effective natural food emulsifier) and decyl glucoside (cornstarch and coconut) makes an ideal surfactant used for personal care products free from amide and sulfate. With these ingredients, you can have a sulfate-free body washes, lotions, baby shampoos and cleansing products that will not pose any danger to an infant’s sensitive skin.
Is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Safe For Baby
What Is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
Benefits Of Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate For Babies
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Usage On Baby Products
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate – Appearance
What is sodium lauroyl lactylate?
Sodium stearoyl lactylate is an off-white material that is up to 12% water-soluble. It has a pH level of between five and eight. This surfactant contributes to foaming and cleansing, but this mild surfactant will not increase the viscosity of your ingredients.
Lactylates like sodium lauroyl lactylate are preferred surfactants because of their high moisturizing property and ability to deeply penetrate into the dead skin layers. Sodium lauroyl lactylate can remain stable from one to three years, but it must be kept away from moisture and stored dry to lengthen its shelf life and quality [7].
Is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Safe For Baby
What Is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
Benefits Of Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate For Babies
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Usage On Baby Products
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Smell And Feel
Sodium lauroyl lactylate is odorless and can be either liquid or solid depending on the following properties:
Degree of neutralization
Recoverable lactic acid content
Starting fatty acid
Is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Safe For Baby?
Sodium lauroyl lactylate has no known health concerns as an ingredient. It is excluded from the toxic chemicals with ill-effects listed in GoodGuide. This surfactant is food grade, a natural emulsifier, and foaming agent often used for natural products for the body, hair, and face.
However, there are points to consider when using this as an emulsifier. As sodium lauroyl lactylate has no thickening properties, it will not respond to sodium and is not compatible with cationics [8].
The Cosmetics Database considers sodium lauroyl lactylate a low-hazard ingredient. While there are data gaps, no studies indicate negative side effects.
Sodium lauroyl lactylate is a food additive and as such, is included in the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) list by the FDA. There are data gaps which mean there is not enough data to show the toxicity, carcinogenicity, or mutagenicity of sodium stearoyl lactylate. The possibility of contact dermatitis is minimal.
One of the best ways to determine if a product like a shampoo is safe is through its pH level. The natural pH level of your hair is 4.5, so shampoos with a higher pH level can be damaging to hair. To increase the chances of purchasing a safer shampoo, look for ingredients like carboxylate surfactants.
Some ingredients to look for when selecting a gentle or mild shampoo for your baby’s hair include;
Carboxylate surfactants
Sodium lauroyl lactylate
Sodium cocoyl isethionate
Sodium caproyl lactylate
Sodium lauryl glucosides
Hydroxypropyl sulfonate
Cocoglucosides hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride
Nonionic polymeric surfactants
However, remember that shampoo contains several ingredients, and one ingredient does not make a shampoo safe. Make sure you take note of the rest of the ingredients to determine if your shampoo is safe both for you and your baby.
Is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Safe For Baby
What Is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
Benefits Of Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate For Babies
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Usage On Baby Products
Benefits Of Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate For Babies
Since sodium lauroyl lactylate is a natural ingredient that is considered food grade, it has many benefits for babies when used as an ingredient for personal care products. Aside from being environmentally-friendly, this ingredient is also soft on the skin and hair. It is a primary surfactant in many products that do not contain sulfates because of its high-foaming property and alpha-hydroxy acid. It is widely used in various baby products including face and body wash, laundry products and shampoo.
If you want to replace alkanolamides, then the best alternative is sodium lauroyl lactylate.
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Usage On Baby Products
Given the negative effects from products with sulfates and harsh ingredients, products made with this ingredient are natural and sulfate-free which makes them in-demand.
Sodium lauroyl lactylate ensures that the liquid ingredients used in baby products are properly combined. This maximizes the usefulness and quality of baby products while simultaneously keeping them safe.
Is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Safe For Baby Resources:
[1] U.S. Food & Drug Administration; CFR – Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, April 01, 2018.
[2] EWG; Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate.
[3][4][7][8] U.S. National Library of Medicine; PubChem, Compound Summary for CID 23674328, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, December 12, 2008.
[4] U.S. National Library of Medicine; PubChem, Compound Summary for CID 23674328, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, December 12, 2008.
[5] Food Chemicals Codex.
[6] Preparation and Properties of Lactic Acid-based Modified Carboxylic Surfactant, Pawan D. Meshram, Swapnil R. Jadhav, 2012.
