Ingredient glossary
Sodium Chloride
On your shelf ✓What Sodium Chloride does for your skin, who it suits, and what to watch for.
INCI: Sodium Chloride · Also: Salt
In short: Sodium Chloride delivers thickening and tonicity adjustment, plays a broad, supporting role, and the evidence behind it is strong.
- What it does
- Thickening, tonicity adjustment
- Best for
- A broad, supporting role
- Evidence
- Strong
The Glow take
Nice to have, and nothing to overthink.
Sodium Chloride plays a quiet supporting role, rounding out a formula rather than being the reason you buy it.
— Maya
What it does
- thickening
- tonicity adjustment
strong evidenceEx vivo work shows salt acts inside the natural moisturizing factor where glucose and NaCl mixtures bind water synergistically, but that is physical chemistry rather than clinical moisturization evidence.
Who it's for, and who should skip it
Tends to suit
No specific skin type. It is a broadly used ingredient.
Approach with care
- broken skin
- Clogs poresLow
- Irritation riskLow
How it fits each skin type
- DryNeutral
- CombinationNeutral
- OilyNeutral
- SensitiveNeutral
Take extra care if any of these apply to you: broken skin.
Where it fits in your routine
Plays well with
- surfactants
Sodium Chloride, answered
Is Sodium Chloride safe during pregnancy?
Yes. Sodium Chloride is considered safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. As with anything, if you are unsure it is worth a quick word with your doctor or midwife.
Who should avoid Sodium Chloride?
Approach Sodium Chloride with care if any of these apply to you: broken skin.
What concentration of Sodium Chloride actually works?
Its concentration is rarely printed on the label, so use the ingredient list as your clue: near the top third it is likely doing real work, near the bottom it is more of a sprinkle.
This, for every label you own
One ingredient is easy. A full label is where it gets confusing. The Ingredient Decoder reads any product and tells you the honest truth, ingredient by ingredient.
Sources & how we reviewed this
- PMID 35065432abstract only, the full text is paywalled