Sodium laureth sulfate doesn't have a single, precise chemical formula. It's actually a mixture of molecules, with the general formula:

CH₃(CH₂)₁₀CH₂(OCH₂CH₂)nOSO₃Na

Where:

* n represents the number of ethylene oxide (EO) units added to the lauryl alcohol molecule. This number can vary, resulting in a range of different molecules within the mixture.

Therefore, sodium laureth sulfate is a complex mixture, not a single defined compound.