Sodium Lactate Liquid
| Description | Sodium lactate is the sodium salt of lactic acid. It occurs naturally in the skin as part of the skin’s NMF (Natural Moisturizing Factors), and is an excellent humectant. It is a significantly stronger humectant than vegetable glycerin, with over twice the water holding capability. |
| INCI | Sodium lactate |
| Appearance | A thin liquid that is typically a solution of approximately 60% strength. |
| Usage rate | Recommended use level 0.5-10% for skin care products. For bar soaps 2-3%. care products. |
| Applications | Skin Care, Bath and Body Care, Hair Care, Moisturizing Repairing Products, May be Used to Increase pH, Buffer Acids May be Used to Improve the Absorption of Emulsions, May be Used to Reduce the Greasiness of Emulsions |
| Scent | None |
| pH | 7.5–9 |
| Solubility | Water |
| Why do we use it in formulations? |
In skin care products it it used primarily as a humectant. It is second only to hyaluronic acid in its ability to hold water! It can also reduce tackiness in formulas, and is a keratolytic. Sodium lactate increases skin hydration in both leave-on and rinse-off applications. It can also be used as a pH adjustor and buffering agent. In bar soaps it can be included to harden the bar faster and improve un-moulding, though it can also accelerate trace. It is sometimes sold as a preservative, but it is absolutely not a preservative. It can help boost preservative function, but it is not a preservative on its own. |
| Do you need it? | No, but if you have dry skin I’d highly recommend it. It’s inexpensive and versatile. |
| Alternatives & Substitutions |
Other humectants would be a good place to start; vegetable glycerin, propanediol, and sodium PCA would all be good choices. Watch for the stickiness factor, though! If a recipe already contains some glycerin, replacing sodium lactate with even more glycerin could make the end product stickier than intended. Sodium lactate and lactic acid are never interchangeable. |
Always test formulations. This product is intended for external use only.
This product is a cosmetic raw material and is intended for external use only in cosmetic and personal care formulations. It is not intended for internal consumption or medicinal use.
- Do not ingest.
- Keep out of reach of children.
- Avoid direct contact with eyes.
All product images are for illustrative purposes only. Actual product color, texture, or packaging may vary from batch to batch.
Information provided on this website is for educational purposes only and should not be considered or interpreted as medical advice.
While we do not offer products for internal use, we source only high-quality, pharmaceutical or food-grade ingredients. Ingredient purity and performance are critical in cosmetic applications, just as they are in ingestible products.
Please note:
Just because two products have the same name or CAS number does not guarantee the same grade, purity, or effectiveness. Always choose trusted suppliers. Choose Purenso for premium-grade ingredients you can rely on.
