A detergent base is the primary cleanser, not a foam booster. Esteem’s detergent bases table is two sulfosuccinates and a coconut soap. Specify sulfosuccinate vs soap, then the hydrophobe—not “mild surfactant, any grade.”
Primary Cleanser vs Co-Surfactant
CMEA and coco betaine make foam and viscosity. They do not replace the workhorse anionic. For mild shampoos, bubble baths, shower gels, and cleansing lotions, Esteem lists disodium laureth sulfosuccinate, disodium octyl sulfosuccinate, and potassium cocoate (40%)—each described as a mild detergent base with good skin compatibility and mild degreasing. Build lather around them with personal care foaming agents.
Esteem Grades
| INCI (as listed) | Role | When to start here |
|---|---|---|
| Di Sodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate | Mild anionic detergent base | Shampoo/shower when SLES is too aggressive |
| Di Sodium Octyl Sulfosuccinate | Mild anionic; natural 2-octanol or synthetic 2-EH | Sulfosuccinate brief with a defined hydrophobe |
| Potassium Cocoate (40) | Mild coconut soap base | Liquid soap / soap-feel wash, not a SLES swap |
Which Base Matches the Brief
| Brief | Start with (as listed) | Do not assume |
|---|---|---|
| Milder shampoo/shower vs SLES | Di Sodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate | That it salt-thickens like SLES |
| Sulfosuccinate with a defined hydrophobe | Di Sodium Octyl Sulfosuccinate (natural 2-octanol or synthetic 2-EH) | That laureth and octyl match foam or INCI |
| Liquid soap / soap-feel wash | Potassium Cocoate (40) | A drop-in for SLES or sulfosuccinate |
| Finished sulfate-free brand recipe | Use the sulfate-free wash guide, then pick a base here if needed | That any sulfosuccinate is a complete formula |
Di Sodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
The table lists Di Sodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate for shampoos, bubble baths, shower gels, cleansing lotions, hair, and skin care as a mild detergent base with excellent skin compatibility and mild degreasing. It is a mild anionic, often the primary or co-primary detergent when SLES irritancy is too high. It still needs foam and viscosity helpers—see personal-care foaming agents. Do not expect a classic SLES salt curve. Trial coco betaine, CMEA or CMEA-EO, and record flash foam, drain, and 25 °C viscosity on the real chassis.
Laureth in the name means the hydrophobe is ethoxylated lauryl alcohol, then sulfosuccinated. That usually rinses milder than a fatty-alcohol sulfate of similar chain length. It does not make the product “sulfate-free” by marketing language alone if other sulfates remain in the formula. State the claim and the full surfactant list when you request a sample.
Di Sodium Octyl Sulfosuccinate: Natural vs Synthetic Hydrophobe
Di Sodium Octyl Sulfosuccinate (based on natural 2-octanol or synthetic 2-ethyl hexanol) carries the same published application and properties line as the laureth grade: mild detergent base, excellent skin compatibility, mild degreasing, for the same shampoo/shower/cleansing set. The hydrophobe is the difference. Natural 2-octanol vs synthetic 2-ethyl hexanol changes feedstock, INCI paperwork, and often foam and viscosity. Do not assume they match. Trial both if the brief is only “mild sulfosuccinate,” and specify which hydrophobe you need on the purchase order.
Octyl sulfosuccinates are sometimes used where a shorter, more branched hydrophobe is wanted. That can change degreasing and flash foam versus the laureth grade. Esteem’s table does not publish a substitution factor. Screen both on soil (sebum vs makeup) and on eye/skin mildness claims you actually need to defend.
Potassium Cocoate (40) Is Soap
Potassium Cocoate (40) is listed with the same mild-base, skin-compatibility, and mild-degreasing comment for the same personal-care formats. Chemically it is a 40% potassium soap of coconut fatty acids. Expect higher pH and a different rinse feel than a sulfosuccinate. Use it when the brief is liquid soap or a soap-based wash, not as a drop-in for SLES. Do not label it as a sulfosuccinate on the INCI or on a “sulfate-free” claim sheet without checking the rest of the formula.
Soap chassis need a different preservation and hardness story. Hard water can dull foam; coco betaine on the foaming-agents table is listed for hard-water tolerance next to anionics, but it will not turn a high-pH soap into a pH 5.5 sulfate-free gel. Preserve high-water washes separately—cosmetic preservatives.
Sulfosuccinate vs Soap vs “Sulfate-Free”
Sulfosuccinates are often the backbone of milder or low-sulfate washes. They are not automatically a finished sulfate-free brand formula. Use the sulfate-free body wash guide for glucoside/isethionate chassis design, then come back here if the commercial starting point is a sulfosuccinate or cocoate soap. Face-wash residue and pH: mild face wash.
The detergent-bases product page also mentions home-care liquids. If the SKU is dish wash or hard-surface, say so—do not assume a cosmetic sulfosuccinate is a dish-wash concentrate. Related: personal care chemicals, anionic surfactants, shampoo formulation.
A practical split on the three listed bases: request Di Sodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate when the wash must feel milder than SLES and you can add CMEA or coco betaine for foam; request Di Sodium Octyl Sulfosuccinate when the hydrophobe must be declared (natural 2-octanol vs synthetic 2-ethyl hexanol) and you will screen foam separately; request Potassium Cocoate (40) only when soap character and higher pH are acceptable. Measure flash foam, residual feel, and pH on the real water hardness. Then preserve the high-water chassis—none of these three grades is a preservative.
Do not blend the three bases hoping to average mildness. Laureth sulfosuccinate plus potassium cocoate is a new chassis (pH, hardness, preservation), not a “milder SLES.” Octyl sulfosuccinate is not a cheaper laureth grade. If the brand claim is sulfate-free, list every surfactant on the request; a sulfosuccinate sample will not erase hidden SLES in a chassis you already run. Face-wash and baby-wash briefs should state eye-sting and residual tightness targets so the trial is not judged only on flash foam. Home-care dish wash is a different brief: say so on the PO if the detergent-bases page’s home-care mention is why you are sampling. Bubble bath and shower gel can share a sulfosuccinate base, but salt, betaine, and fragrance load still have to be re-screened. Record active % and pH on the certificate against the 40% cocoate cut so the soap is not overdosed as 100% solids.
How to Specify with Esteem
- Name shampoo, shower gel, cleansing lotion, or liquid soap.
- State sulfate-free claim, target pH, and whether soap character is acceptable.
- For octyl sulfosuccinate, specify natural 2-octanol vs synthetic 2-ethyl hexanol.
- Request the three grades as distinct samples from the detergent bases table.
- State water hardness and whether the 40% cocoate must be dosed on active, not as 100% solids.
Related: personal care chemicals, anionic surfactants, shampoo formulation.
Contact Esteem for samples, or custom synthesis for a non-catalogue sulfosuccinate cut.