Sodium c16-20 alkyl sulfates (inci)

"Sodium ..." refers to the element sodium, "alkyl" describes in general terms the part of a molecule consisting of carbon and hydrogen atoms linked together. The simplest alkyl group is the methyl group -CH3 or the ethyl group -CH2-CH3 etc. The prefixed numbers "C x-y" represent the range of carbon chain lengths (here C16-C20) of the alkyl group. "Sulfates" are salts/esters of sulfuric acid.

Sodium C16-20 alkyl sulfate acts as an emulsifier (enables the formation of finely distributed mixtures of oil and water, foaming agent (forms foam by the inclusion of air or other gases in a liquid). and as a surfactant (washing-active substance/improves the even distribution of the products during application).