Sodium Chloride

Sodium chloride is the INCI name for common table salt (NaCl). In cosmetic formulations, it primarily functions as a viscosity controller, thickening ionic surfactant-based cleansing products at concentrations of roughly 1–3% by screening electrostatic repulsion between surfactant head groups to promote gel-forming micelle structures. It also acts as an emulsion stabilizer in water-in-oil emulsions, and when listed as the first ingredient in undissolved form, it serves as a physical exfoliating agent in body scrubs.