La
Laureth-3
Laureth-3
Keeps oil and water mixed and helps a product cleanse.
What it does
It’s lauryl alcohol, a fatty alcohol, joined to a short PEG chain, which lets it mix with both oil and water. The 3 is that chain’s average length. The EU lists it to keep oil and water mixed and to cleanse.
The evidence, graded
expert consensusUS safety reviewers (2012) assessed the alkyl PEG ethers, which products use mostly to help oil and water mix, and some to condition skin or steady a mixture. Their conclusion names laureth-2, laureth-3, laureth-8, laureth-9, laureth-12, octyldodeceth-16, steareth-30 and steareth-100. Because some of these ethers could irritate skin, they judged them safe as used in products made not to irritate.Fiume 2012 · International Journal of Toxicology ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
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