Ultimate Comparison of Six Mild Surfactants

Mildness

Mildness is the core value of these surfactants, which can be divided into three grades:

• Peak level: Sodium Cocoyl Malate

• Premium level: Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate and Sulfosuccinates. The three are cornerstone ingredients for mild facial cleansers.

• Excellent level: Cocamidopropyl Betaine & Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (SCI-85)

Cleansing Power

• Moderately strong: Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate. It delivers outstanding cleansing power among mild surfactants, effectively removing light makeup and sunscreen.

• Good: Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (SCI-85). It features excellent detergency and brings thorough refreshing feeling.

• Moderate: Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Cocoyl Malate and Sulfosuccinates. They focus on balance between dirt removal and sebum membrane protection. Notably, sulfosuccinates have an obvious shortcoming: poor hard water resistance, leading to reduced performance in hard water areas.

• Weak: Cocamidopropyl Betaine. Cleansing power is not its main advantage, and it is never used as the primary cleansing agent.

Foam Performance

• Cocamidopropyl Betaine: Powerful foaming booster with irreplaceable foam boosting and stabilizing effects.

• Sodium Cocoyl Malate: Luxurious, elastic and long-lasting fine foam.

• Decyl Glucoside: Fine, dense and stable foam.

• Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (SCI-85): Rich, creamy foam.

• Sulfosuccinates: Abundant but loose foam with light texture.

• Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate: Relatively thin foam that fades quickly.

Core Skin Feel

• Sodium Cocoyl Malate: Ultra-refreshing, clear and moisturizing, presenting the texture of rinse-off skincare products.

• Sulfosuccinates: Clean and residue-free, delivering a pure non-soapy tight skin feel.

• Decyl Glucoside: Soft, smooth and moisturizing, leaving skin nourished after washing.

• Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate: Refreshing and silky, offering classic amino acid surfactant skin feel.

• Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate: Clean and fresh. When compounded with soap base, it greatly relieves skin tightness.

pH Value & Skin Compatibility

This is the dominant advantage of amino acid surfactants:

• Weakly acidic & skin-friendly (Excellent): Sodium Cocoyl Malate and Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate. Their natural weakly acidic pH perfectly matches the pH of healthy skin.

• Broad-spectrum stability (Superior): Decyl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine and Sulfosuccinates. They remain stable and mild in a wide pH range, with skin compatibility unaffected by acid-base conditions.

• Weakly alkaline (Adjustable): Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate. It is weakly alkaline in nature. Compounded with soap base, it helps neutralize the final formula and greatly improve skin friendliness.

Cost

• Highest cost: Sodium Cocoyl Malate, widely used in high-end facial cleansers.

• Medium-high cost: Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, the mainstream ingredient for amino acid cleansers.

• Medium cost: Decyl Glucoside and Sulfosuccinates.

• Lowest cost: Cocamidopropyl Betaine, a versatile auxiliary surfactant.

• Special form: Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate comes in powder or flake form, serving as an irreplaceable core material for high-end solid cleansing bars and pastes。