Sodium octyl sulfate

Sodium octyl sulfate (CAS 142-31-4), commonly abbreviated as SOS and also marketed as Sipex OLS, is an anionic surfactant used across industrial and personal care manufacturing. It functions as an emulsifier, dispersant, and cleaning agent, enabling stable formulations and effective soil removal across a range of process conditions for various industries.

In textile and leather processing, SOS acts as a wetting and scouring agent, improving dye penetration and removing oils or finishes from fiber surfaces before treatment. Paper manufacturers use it as a dispersant and process aid to control foam and improve fiber distribution during pulp processing to ensure high-quality output.

In personal care formulations, it contributes to emulsification and foam generation in rinse-off products such as shampoos and body washes for consumer use. Its surface-active properties also support industrial cleaning and degreasing formulations where low-foaming or controlled-foam performance is required for efficiency.

Sodium octyl sulfate is supplied as a liquid solution, typically at active concentrations suited to direct incorporation into formulations or dilution for process use. Technical grade is the standard offering for industrial textile, leather, and paper applications. Personal care grades meeting relevant purity benchmarks are available for cosmetic end-use.