Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) are both common anionic surfactants widely used in cleaning and personal care products; SLES is generally milder and more skin-friendly than SLS, as the ethoxylation process reduces its irritation while maintaining strong foaming and decontamination abilities, making it more suitable for shampoos, body washes and facial cleansers, whereas SLS has stronger degreasing and cleaning effects but is more likely to cause dryness or discomfort to sensitive skin, so it is more often used in detergents, hand soaps and industrial cleaning products.