Database/Foam Boosting Surfactant/Cocamide MEA
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Cocamide MEA natural?

Mostly. Coconut fatty acid is natural; monoethanolamine is industrially made from petrochemical ethylene oxide and ammonia.

INCI nameCocamide MEA
CAS68140-00-1
FunctionFoam Boosting Surfactant · Viscosity Controlling
FeedstockAmide of coconut fatty acid with monoethanolamine (MEA),…

How we scored it

Lauroyl C12H23O 183.3 Da (natural, coconut) + MEA fragment C2H6NO 60.1 Da (petrochemical, ethylene-oxide/ammonia route). 183.3/243.4=0.75.
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

Methoxide-catalysed aminolysis of methyl laurate by ethanolamine. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Amide of coconut fatty acid with monoethanolamine (MEA), which is manufactured from ethylene oxide and ammonia. The coconut-acid fragment carries most of the molecular mass.

In plain English

A foam booster and thickener made from coconut fatty acids joined to ethanolamine, a small synthetic amine. It is used in shampoos and washes to build creamy, stable foam.

CosIng definition: Cocamide MEA is a mixture of ethanolamides of Coconut Acid. It conforms generally to the formula:

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 MEA. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3COCAMIDE MEA. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=COCAMIDE%20MEA