Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Sodium lauryl sulfate
Sodium lauryl sulfate is a sulfate in the sweet family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4437 (CAS 151-21-3). Its odor is clean, soapy, slightly sweet, chemical.
- FEMA
- 4437
- CAS
- 151-21-3
- Formula
- C12H25NaO4S
- EC
- 205-788-1
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 24. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 151-21-3.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Sulfuric acid monododecyl ester sodium salt (1:1), Sulfuric acid monododecyl ester sodium salt, Sodium dodecyl sulfate (1:1), Aquarex Me, Dodecyl sodium sulfate, Duponol C, Duponol WA, Duponol WAQ, Irium, Lanette Wax S, Lauryl sodium sulfate, Maprofix Neu.
Can Sodium lauryl sulfate be labeled natural?
Nature makes sodium lauryl sulfate, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial sodium lauryl sulfate, same molecule. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic sodium lauryl sulfate identical-to-natural.
- United States
- Natural or artificial, by process
- European Union and UK
- Natural only from natural material
- Mercosur and Mexico
- Natural or identical-to-natural
How each market defines the classes: natural vs artificial flavor under 21 CFR 101.22.
Regulatory status, with citations
United States
Sodium lauryl sulfate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4437. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 172.515.
European Union and United Kingdom
No EU FL number is on file for Sodium lauryl sulfate. That is not a finding either way. The Union List covers defined flavouring substances, so natural complex materials are handled as flavouring preparations under Parts B to F and never receive a number, and substances used as additives sit under Regulation 1333/2008 instead. Confirm the position before EU or UK use.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
Sodium lauryl sulfate has not been evaluated by JECFA as a flavouring agent, or no evaluation is on file.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Sodium lauryl sulfate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 151-21-3, where EPA names it Sulfuric acid monododecyl ester sodium salt (1:1).
Active in US commerce
EPA designates this substance active, so no Notice of Activity Form B is required before manufacturing. What active and inactive mean.
EPA publishes no regulatory flags on this listing. What the flags mean.
From the EPA non-confidential TSCA Inventory, July 2026 release. EPA also maintains a confidential portion it does not publish. Search the Inventory by CAS number.
Odor and taste
Odor: Clean, soapy, slightly sweet, chemical.
Taste: Bitter, slightly astringent.
Where it is used
Sodium lauryl sulfate is used in cleaning products, cosmetics and food additives, typically as a sweet note.
Sodium lauryl sulfate FAQ
Is sodium lauryl sulfate FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists sodium lauryl sulfate as GRAS under FEMA number 4437. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 172.515.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for sodium lauryl sulfate?
Sodium lauryl sulfate is FEMA 4437, CAS 151-21-3. Its flavor category is sweet.
How is sodium lauryl sulfate described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe sodium lauryl sulfate as clean, soapy, slightly sweet, chemical. On the palate it is bitter, slightly astringent. It is used in cleaning products, cosmetics and food additives.
Does sodium lauryl sulfate count as natural in the US and the EU?
The process decides for sodium lauryl sulfate. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic sodium lauryl sulfate is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic sodium lauryl sulfate identical-to-natural.
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Sources and attribution. The identity and regulatory facts on this page are taken from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, a US government record, which lists this substance as SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE under CAS 151-21-3 and carries its FEMA number and its 21 CFR citations. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as emulsifier or emulsifier salt, surface-active agent.
A FEMA GRAS conclusion is reached by the Expert Panel of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States, and the FEMA number names that conclusion. FEMA publishes its own entry for this substance in the FEMA Flavor Library, which is the authoritative record of what the Panel decided and is worth reading alongside this page.
Ambrose Compliance is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FEMA. FEMA and FEMA GRAS are used here as identifiers for a published regulatory determination, not as marks of any relationship between FEMA and Ambrose.
About this page. Facts come from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, the Code of Federal Regulations, the EPA TSCA Inventory, the EU Union List, JECFA and the Ambrose database, with FEMA's published determination cited where it applies; parts of the text are written by Ambrose AI, which can make mistakes. Check the cited source before relying on anything here. This is not regulatory or legal advice.