Beauty ingredient · pH adjuster
Sodium hydroxide (cosmetic)
A strong alkali used in tiny amounts to adjust pH, or to make soap (where it is used up in the reaction).
- Expert review pending
Concern level
A whole food or a benign function, with no credible concern. It never costs points. The concern level sets how many points sodium hydroxide (cosmetic) costs on a product’s receipt.
Rules around the world
| Where | Status | Details | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | Restricted | Concentration and pH limits for specific uses such as hair straighteners and cuticle removers (Annex III, entry 15a). | — | [1] |
“Banned” means explicitly prohibited or withdrawn after review; “not permitted” means never authorized there. We use each regulator’s own words.
Popular products that list sodium hydroxide (cosmetic)
7 of the 17,000 most-scanned products in the US with a GoodSwap page list sodium hydroxide (cosmetic).
- Evolution of smooth shea better 24H moisture body lotion Shea Moisture Score 93 out of 100 Excellent
-
All-One Peppermint Pure-Castile Bar Soap Dr. Bronner's Score 100 out of 100 Excellent -
Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser La Roche-Posay Score 99 out of 100 Excellent -
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream Cetaphil · 16 oz Score 97 out of 100 Excellent -
Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie Shea Moisture · 12 oz Score 94 out of 100 Excellent -
Kirkland Moisture Shampoo Kirkland Signature · 1 L Score 97 out of 100 Excellent -
Working Hands Hand Cream O’Keeffe’s · 2.7 oz Score 86 out of 100 Excellent
Names GoodSwap recognizes on labels (6)
- lye
- caustic soda
- caustic potash
- sodium hydroxide
- potassium hydroxide
- sodium hydroxide cosmetic
Sources
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Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of 30 November 2009 on cosmetic products
“cosmetic products shall not contain any of the following: (a) prohibited substances — prohibited substances listed in Annex II”
eur-lex.europa.eu