Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Cocamide DEA
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Cocamide DEA natural?

Mostly. The coco fatty acyl group is coconut-derived and natural; diethanolamine, made from ethylene oxide and ammonia, is petrochemical.

INCI nameCocamide DEA
CAS68603-42-9
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Emulsion Stabilising
FeedstockCoconut oil fatty acid is condensed with diethanolamine,…

How we scored it

Coco lauroyl (183, natural) amide with diethanolamine (104, petrochemical); 183/287 = 0.64.
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

How it’s made

Aminolysis of methyl laurate by diethanolamine. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Coconut oil fatty acid is condensed with diethanolamine, a petrochemical amine derived from ethylene oxide and ammonia, to form the fatty amide. Coconut fatty acid supplies most of the molecule's mass.

In plain English

A foam booster and thickener used in shampoos and bubble baths. Made by combining coconut-derived fatty acid with diethanolamine, a petrochemical building block made from ethylene oxide and ammonia. Mostly plant-derived with a substantial synthetic portion.

CosIng definition: Amides, coco, N,N-bis(hydroxyethyl)

Natural alternatives with the same function

References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2COCAMIDE DEA. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3COCAMIDE DEA. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=COCAMIDE%20DEA