The sodium lauryl sulfate model: an overview.

Irritant contact dermatitis is a complex entity with several clinical forms (acute, cumulative, etc.) and multiple mechanisms. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), the most widely utilized model for studying acute and cumulative irritation, has proved highly practical and informative for such studies. This article summarizes several decades of investigation, and provides details of dosing, application method (closed versus open), and biologic endpoints (visual grading, transepidermal water loss) that may be utilized in future studies.