AccessTAINE LHS

Mild Amphoteric Surfactant for Rich Foam & Viscosity Building

INCI Name: Lauryl Hydroxysultaine

AccessTAINE LHS is a high-performance amphoteric surfactant that provides excellent foam boosting and viscosity building in a wide range of cleansing products. Based on Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, it is exceptionally mild and stable across a broad pH range, making it the perfect choice for sulfate-free shampoos, gentle facial cleansers, and luxurious body washes. Use it to create rich, dense lather that leaves skin and hair feeling clean and soft without stripping natural moisture.

Perfect For These Applications

Other cosmetic uses possible—contact us for formulation guidance.

Sulfate-Free Shampoos

Creates a dense, creamy lather in sulfate-free formulas, reducing the irritation potential of primary surfactants and leaving hair feeling soft and conditioned.
Gentle Facial Cleansers

Provides effective cleansing with extreme mildness, making it ideal for daily-use facial washes that remove impurities without stripping the skin's moisture barrier.
Luxury Body Washes

Builds viscosity and contributes to a rich, luxurious foam structure that rinses cleanly, leaving skin feeling smooth and hydrated.
Mild Baby Cleansing Products

Serves as an exceptionally gentle surfactant for baby shampoos and washes, providing cleansing and soft foam with a low risk of irritation.
High-Foaming Hand Soaps

Enhances the foam quality and thickness of liquid hand soaps, improving the user experience while being gentle on frequently washed hands.
Conditioning Shave Gels & Foams

Contributes to a stable, rich foam that provides excellent slip for shaving while its conditioning properties leave skin feeling comfortable.

How to Use AccessTAINE LHS in Your Formulations

Understanding AccessTAINE LHS

AccessTAINE LHS is what’s known as an amphoteric co-surfactant. Think of it as the ultimate team player in your cleansing formulations. While primary surfactants (like sulfates or other sulfate-free cleansers) do the heavy lifting of cleaning, a co-surfactant like AccessTAINE LHS comes in to make the whole product better. Its main jobs are to make the foam richer and creamier, make the product thicker and more luxurious, and make the overall formula much gentler on the skin and hair.

For the chemistry-minded, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine is an amphoteric surfactant, meaning its molecule has both positive and negative charges. This unique structure makes it incredibly mild and compatible with almost all other types of surfactants (anionic, non-ionic, cationic). It works to reduce the irritation potential of stronger surfactants, making it a star ingredient in gentle and sulfate-free formulations. It’s also stable across a very wide pH range, so you don’t have to worry about it losing effectiveness as you adjust your formula’s pH.

Formulation Tips

AccessTAINE LHS is typically used as a secondary surfactant. A good starting point is a usage rate of 2–7%. In this range, it will significantly boost foam, increase viscosity, and reduce the harshness of your primary surfactant system. In sulfate-free or very mild formulations, you can increase the usage rate to 8–15% to make it a more significant contributor to the overall cleansing and foaming properties.

To use it, simply add AccessTAINE LHS to the water phase of your formula along with your other surfactants. It is cold-processable and mixes in easily. One of its best features is its ability to build viscosity in response to salt (sodium chloride). After your surfactants are blended, you can slowly add a salt solution to thicken your product to the perfect gel or liquid soap consistency. This gives you easy control over the final texture of your shampoo or body wash.

Key Performance Benefits:

Rich, Stable Foam: Transforms standard bubbles into a dense, creamy, and long-lasting lather that consumers associate with luxury and effective cleansing.
Excellent Viscosity Builder: Effectively thickens cleansing formulas in the presence of electrolytes (salt), allowing you to create rich gels and lotions without relying on high amounts of other thickeners.
Exceptionally Mild & Gentle: Significantly reduces the irritation potential of anionic surfactants like SLES, making it perfect for formulating gentle products for sensitive skin, babies, or face.
Sulfate-Free Formulation Friendly: An ideal choice for co-surfactant in sulfate-free systems, where it improves the often-poor lather of some natural cleansers and creates a more conventional, satisfying user experience.
Broad pH Stability: Remains effective and stable across a wide pH range (from acidic to alkaline), providing you with maximum flexibility when formulating various types of cleansers.
Conditioning & Anti-Static Properties: Leaves a soft, conditioned feel on both skin and hair. In shampoos, it helps reduce static and flyaways, contributing to smoother, more manageable hair.

Heading #1
Benefits	Clean & Natural, Detangling, Formulation Versatility, Hair Care Benefits, Rich & Luxurious, Sulfate-Free, Texture & Sensory, Wide pH Range
INCI Name	Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
Usage Rate	2%-15%
Functional Type	Amphoteric Surfactants, Mild Cleansing Agents, Sulfate-Free Surfactants, Surfactants & Cleansing Agents, Thickeners & Rheology Modifiers
Phase Compatibility	Water Phase
Application Area	Body, Face, Hair, Scalp
Product Type Suitability	Bath Products, Cleansers, Conditioners, Gels, Shampoos
Certifications	Biodegradable, Naturally Derived
Physical Form	Liquid

Frequently Asked Questions About AccessTAINE LHS

AccessTAINE LHS is a multi-purpose helper for cleansing products. It makes foam richer and creamier, it helps thicken your formula into a nice gel, and it makes the entire product gentler and less likely to dry out your skin or hair.

A typical usage range is 2% to 15%. Use it on the lower end (2–7%) to boost an existing formula, and on the higher end (8–15%) when making very gentle, sulfate-free products where you need more help with foam and thickness.

No, it is not a sulfate. In fact, it’s one of the best ingredients to use when you are creating “sulfate-free” products because it helps improve the performance and feel of other sulfate-free cleansers.

While very gentle, it works best as a co-surfactant, meaning it should be combined with a primary surfactant. Think of it as a booster that improves the main cleanser’s performance.

Add it to the water phase, typically along with your other water-based ingredients and surfactants, near the beginning of the formulation process.

In simple terms, it means the ingredient is extremely versatile and mild. It gets along well with almost all other cosmetic ingredients and is very gentle on the skin, which is why it’s a great choice for face washes and baby products.

Yes, it is an excellent thickener. After you’ve mixed in AccessTAINE LHS, you can slowly add a little bit of salt (sodium chloride) to dramatically increase the viscosity and create a perfect gel texture.

Contact An Expert

Only 4 fields to get started. An expert will respond within 1 business day.

Your Samples Are Waiting

You've selected the following samples:

You haven't added any samples yet! Visit our product pages to select samples you'd like to request. Once you've added samples, return here to complete your request.

Ready to try them out?

Log In

Cookie Notice

The website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. View our Privacy Policy to learn more.