Posted By: Truly Free Home
|
Posted On: 8/18/2025
This article is part of our Truly Transparent Ingredients Series, which offers a deep dive into the ingredients we use, the products you’ll find them in, and why they’re a safe, gentle, non-toxic choice for your family.
If you’re a crunchy mom, you’ve likely heard about all the perils of using products with sodium lauryl sulfate. Dry skin, cracked hands, and irritated eyes? No thanks.
But sodium lauryl sulfate is not the ingredient we’re talking about today.
In fact, here’s a mythbuster: although sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (SLSa) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) sound similar… they’re not the same thing. Let’s take a closer look at SLSa vs SLS.
Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate is a safe, gentle, naturally derived surfactant made from coconut oil. Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (not sodium lauryl sulfate) gives products like Truly Free Home Laundry Wash a foamy formula while helping to lift away dirt, grease, and grime.
Unlike sodium lauryl sulfate, which can be harsh and drying on skin and trigger allergic reactions like rashes, eczema, and inflammation, SLSa is a sulfate-free SLS alternative that’s much milder, yet still delivers the cleansing and foaming power you expect.
Here’s the science made simple. Each Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate has a “water-loving” end and an “oil-loving” end, which work together to break the barrier between oil and water so dirt can be loosened and rinsed away. This ingredient’s properties also help create a rich, stable foam that makes cleaning feel effective and thorough.
We use SLSa in Truly Free Home Unscented and Signature Scent Laundry Wash because it’s a naturally derived, gentler alternative to harsh chemical sulfates like SLS.
SLS strips the skin of its natural oils and can cause irritation, versus SLSa, which provides the same cleansing and lathering benefits—without the dryness. Plus, SLSa is biodegradable (read: septic-safe) and safe for sensitive skin, including babies, kids, and women going through hormonal changes. SLSa is also rated a 1 by the Environmental Working Group (the best possible rating).
With Truly Free Home, you never have to wonder what’s in your cleaning and laundry products. Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate is just one example of the safe, intentional ingredients you’ll find in our solutions—chosen for its ability to deliver real results while being gentle on your entire family.
