Body & Beauty / Compounds / Ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS)

Ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS) on your skin: a safety profile

Low risk

(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Skin/eye irritant similar to SLS; less studied but similar toxicity profile; mucous membrane irritant in toothpaste

What is ammonium lauryl sulfate (als)?

The IUPAC name is azanium dodecyl sulfate.

Also known as: azanium dodecyl sulfate, Ammonium dodecyl sulfate, AMMONIUM LAURYL SULFATE, Presulin.

IUPAC name
azanium dodecyl sulfate
CAS number
2235-54-3
Molecular formula
C12H29NO4S
Molecular weight
283.43 g/mol
SMILES
CCCCCCCCCCCCOS(=O)(=O)[O-].[NH4+]
PubChem CID
16700

Risk for people

Low risk

Skin/eye irritant similar to SLS; less studied but similar toxicity profile; mucous membrane irritant in toothpaste

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS).

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EU_COSMETICS2024permittedPermitted in cosmetics. No concentration limit.

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where you encounter ammonium lauryl sulfate (als)

  • Personal Care — shampoo, body wash, hand soap, toothpaste

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS):

  • Sodium cocoyl isethionate
    Trade-offs: Alternative surfactant; performance characteristics (foaming, emulsification, wetting) vary; biodegradability and aquatic toxicity should be assessed; formulation adjustment may be needed.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Decyl glucoside
    Trade-offs: Bio-based (from corn/coconut); mild to skin/eyes; biodegrades rapidly (>99% in 28 days); comparable foaming and cleaning at higher concentration; 15-30% cost premium over SLS; compatible with sensitive-skin formulations.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain ammonium lauryl sulfate (als)?

Ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS) appears in: shampoo (Personal care); body wash (Personal care).

See Ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS) in the body app

Look up products containing ammonium lauryl sulfate (als), compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in body View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. PubChem Compound Database (2026) — database

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →