Do not copy a SLES/CMEA/salt chassis into a glucoside or sulfosuccinate base and call the amide a failure.
Two jobs that used to be one
In SLES, CMEA helps foam and viscosity together. In many sulfate-free systems those jobs split. The amide may still be justified for foam density. Viscosity moves to a PEG diester, a hydrophobic thickener, or a higher amphoteric level.
Esteem’s viscosity-builder list includes amides and other builders for that reason. Ask for the job, foam or thickness, not for “the SLES amide.”
Mildness claims
Adding a high CMEA or CDEA level back into a sulfate-free claim can undo the marketing and the haze window. If the brand is sulfate-free and amide-limited, say that before the sample is made.
Irritancy is not proven by the absence of SLES. It is a test. The amide choice should not be sold as the mildness result.
Specification split
Fragrance solubilizers matter more in these bases. A haze blamed on CMEA is sometimes the perfume.
Keep the sulfate-free article’s chassis and this amide note as two documents so purchasing does not order SLES by habit.
| Primary | Amide role | Viscosity plan |
|---|---|---|
| SLES | Foam and salt curve | Salt plus CMEA |
| Glucoside | Foam film if clear | Another thickener |
| Sulfosuccinate | Limited, watch haze | Do not copy SLES salt |
| Blend with CAPB | Optional creaminess | Plot both |
The two jobs split
In an SLES chassis, CMEA helps foam density and salt viscosity at once, so formulators treat “amide” as a single lever. Alkyl glucosides, sulfosuccinates, and glycinates do not form the same salt-growing anionic rods. The amide can still pack into the foam film and make the lather creamier. It usually cannot build the viscosity the SLES curve trained the plant to expect.
Viscosity then moves to a PEG diester, a hydrophobic thickener, or a higher amphoteric level. Esteem’s viscosity-builder list includes amides and other builders for that reason. Ask for the job, foam or thickness, rather than for “the SLES amide.” Copying the SLES/CMEA/salt percentages into the new base and calling the amide a failure mis-reads the mechanism.
Clarity and the mildness claim
Sulfate-free systems are often poorer solvents for flake monoethanolamide than SLES micelles are. The same CMEA dose clouds a glucoside wash that was clear in sulfate. An EO-amide or a lower dose is the clarity trial. Fragrance solubilizers matter more in these bases, and a haze blamed on CMEA is sometimes the perfume.
Putting a high CMEA or CDEA level back into a sulfate-free product can also undo the claim the brand just paid to make. Absence of SLES is not itself a mildness result. Mildness is a test. If the brand is sulfate-free and amide-limited, write both limits before the sample is made.
What to specify instead of a habit
Name the primary: glucoside, sulfosuccinate, glycinate, or a blend with CAPB. Set a foam-drainage target and a viscosity target as separate lines. Use the amide only for the foam film, and only inside the clarity window. Plan the thickener on its own.
CAPB remains the usual mildness and foam partner. It does not automatically replace the creaminess an amide gave in SLES. Keep the sulfate-free chassis note and this amide note as two documents so purchasing does not order SLES by habit when the label says sulfate-free.
How to Specify with Esteem
- Name glucoside, sulfosuccinate, glycinate, or a blend.
- Set a foam target and a viscosity target separately.
- Use amide for foam film if it stays clear.
- Plan a polymeric or PEG-ester thickener for viscosity.
- Do not import the SLES salt percentage.
The sulfate-free body-wash article and mild detergent bases are the chassis notes. Amides remain on the viscosity-builder page.