Ingredients · 1 min read
What Are Ethoxylated Ingredients?
Ingredient lists love a mouthful. If you've seen sodium laureth sulfate or PEG-something, you've met ethoxylation.
Quick answer: ethoxylation is a process that adds ethylene oxide to an ingredient to make it gentler or easier to mix. Those ingredients often end in -eth or start with PEG. Just 7 uses glucoside surfactants instead.†
What the process does
It changes how an ingredient behaves in water. That can make it milder, foam differently or mix more easily.†
How to spot them
- Names ending in -eth, like laureth.
- Names starting with PEG.
- Some names with -oxynol.
It's like a secret handshake, but for chemistry.
Why brands use them
They work well, cost less and are widely available. That's a fair reason.†
Why we chose glucosides
| Ethoxylated surfactants | Glucosides | |
|---|---|---|
| Made from | Varies | Sugar and fatty alcohol† |
| 1,4-dioxane question | Can come up (read it) | Made differently† |
We picked decyl and lauryl glucoside to keep our list short and easy to explain (articles 2 and 3).
FAQ
What does ethoxylated mean? Processed with ethylene oxide.†
Is laureth sulfate the same as lauryl sulfate? No. Laureth is the ethoxylated version.
Are ethoxylated ingredients bad? They're widely used. We just chose a different route.
Does Just 7 have ethoxylated ingredients? No. Our surfactants are glucosides.
Seven ingredients. Zero compromise.
Pre-order now. Orders ship Jan 11th. 7% of every sale goes to animal sanctuaries and nonprofits.†
Keep reading
What's in Laundry Detergent Sheets? A Plain-English Ingredient Guide
Pillar page: every common ingredient by job, and which ones we skip
Decyl Glucoside in Laundry Detergent: What It Is and Why We Use It
The sugar-based cleaner explained
Lauryl Glucoside vs Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: Same Name, Different Cleaner
Clears up the name confusion