Sodium c9-22 alkyl sec sulfonates (inci)

"Sodium ..." refers to the element sodium, "alkyl" describes in general terms the part of a molecule consisting of carbon and hydrogen atoms connected to each other. The simplest alkyl group is the methyl group -CH3 or the ethyl group -CH2-CH3 etc. The prefixed numbers "C x-y" represent the range of carbon chain lengths (here C9-C22) of the alkyl group. "Sulfonates" are salts/esters of sulfonic acid.

Sodium C9-22 alkyl sulfonates are a mixture of substances which are used in cosmetic preparations where they act as surfactants (washing-active substances). Furthermore, the mixture has a cleansing effect (cleans skin, hair or teeth) and foaming effect (forms foam by trapping air or other gases in a liquid).