Sodium lauroyl sarcosinate (inci)

"Sodium" refers to the element sodium. The name component "lauroyl" means that the ingredient contains lauric acid (dodecanoic acid) as a fatty acid component (usually introduced via an acylation reaction). Sarcosinates are N-acyl derivatives of sarcosine (N-methylglycine, an amino acid).

Sodium lauroyl sarcosinate is a substance which is used in cosmetic preparations where it is used as an antistatic agent (reduces static charges by reducing the electric charge on the surface of e.g. hair), surfactant (washing-active substance), skin care product (keeps the skin in good condition), hair conditioning agent (makes the hair easy to comb, smooth, soft and shiny and gives it volume) and emulsifier (changes the interfacial tension of liquids like water and oil so that they can be mixed together).