Sodium Hydroxide

Our database includes 3254 products that contain Sodium Hydroxide.

Community rating: Mixed

Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.

In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.

Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.

"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.

Also known as: Lye, Caustic Soda, and Naoh

Sodium Hydroxide is a somewhat common cosmetic ingredient, with about 16.9% of the products in our database containing it.

Community Data

102 people from our community have liked or disliked this ingredient.

Users who like it 💖

Often have the following skin types:

Dry Oily

Usually have one or more of the following skin concerns:

Dark Spots • Fine Lines • Dryness • Oiliness

Users who dislike it 💔

Often have the following skin types:

Dry Combination

Usually have one or more of the following skin concerns:

Dryness • Sensitivity • Redness • Acne

Where it's used

Sodium Hydroxide is most often found as ingredient number 20 within an ingredient list.

Of the 1 products in our database that have a known concentration of Sodium Hydroxide, they all have a concentration of 2% specified within their ingredient lists.

These are the categories of products that use Sodium Hydroxide the most:

CosIng Data

  • CosIng ID: 37890
  • INCI Name: SODIUM HYDROXIDE
  • INN Name: sodium hydroxide
  • EC #:  215-185-5
  • Ph. Eur. Name: natrii hydroxidum
  • All Functions: Buffering, Denaturant
What is CosIng?

CosIng is the European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients.

SkinSort uses CosIng to source some of it's data on ingredient names and functions.