You are thinking of SLS and SLSa. We use SLSa and the molecules are larger than your pours. Dawn dish soap is basically SLS. Our SLSa comes from coconuts. The SLSa is a surfactant and this is what makes the bubbles.So what makes the Simply-Soluble bath bomb so BOMB! It is the combination of the SLSa with the oils we put in the bath bomb. These oils work with the surfactant to basically make them more water-soluble. Oil and water do not mix, but a surfactant helps them mix. With the SLSa the oils can now more easily penetrate your skin evenly. The SLSa will not dry your pours out like dawn and other cheap bathbombs that do not use SLSa. They do not use SLSa because it is 400X more expensive, but it is worth it.