The modern consumer of personal care products naturally wants formulations that are safe and effective. Increasing numbers of consumers also want “free” products—paraben-free, phthalate-free, fragrance-free, and sulphate-free being common desires. There is also a demand for specific certifications like COSMOS or for less official claims like “clean beauty”. There is increased awareness of “greenwashing”, claims that are not backed by science. Consumers may also be looking backward to sourcing and manufacturing methods, wanting to know exactly how raw materials are made and how sustainable they may be.
Sulphates have several disadvantages that make finding alternatives imperative. During personal use, sulphates can excessively strip oil from the skin, scalp, and hair, breaking barrier integrity and increasing trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL). They can irritate the eyes, skin, and scalp. There is strong evidence that sulphates leave behind undesirable residues and cause skin adsorption with accumulative adverse effects such as severe irritation, itchiness, and inflammation because of sulphate absorption and accumulation.
Glutamate and Alaninate surfactants are thoroughly eco-friendly. They are made using renewable feedstocks and their transformations are performed in accordance with the principles of green chemistry. They are of 100% natural origin, 100% renewable, and 100% sustainable. Not only are they readily biodegradable, but they also accelerate the biodegradation of petrochemicals.
There are no other surfactants for personal cleansing matching the totally benign profile of the Glutamates and Alaninates, and they are the most sustainable of all surfactants commercially available on a large scale. Economics must also be factored in, so a separate mass market and high-end solution are needed. For the mass market, Cocamidopropyl Betaine as the main surfactant and Sodium Cocoyl Gutamate, Alaninate, and/or Alkyl Polyglucoside as the co-surfactant are recommended. The amino acid alternative has the benefit of 100% natural origin index (NOI).
For high-end products, the roles are reversed, with Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate or Alaninate as the primary surfactant and Cocamidopropyl Betaine or Alkyl Polyglucoside as the co-surfactant. With increasingly widespread use of Glutamate and Alaninate surfactants, costs are expected to be reduced significantly, enabling their application in mass market products.
The many advantages of Glutamate and Alaninate surfactants across a broad range of factors, both on the personal and environmental level, show they do meet the challenge of the most stringent requirements for sulphate-free personal cleansing technologies. The addition of green chelants and preservatives makes entire formulations possible, meeting the highest expectations of formulators and consumers.
Not my own work. For a full analysis of what are possible replacements for sulphates, please read the original article:
Su, E.; Herman, S. Beyond Sulfate-Free Personal Cleansing Technology. Cosmetics 2025, 12, 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/cosmetics12010014
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