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

Is Cocamide MIPA natural?

Mostly. Coco fatty acid chain is natural oleochemical; the isopropanolamine amide partner is made from petrochemical propylene oxide.

INCI nameCocamide MIPA
CAS68333-82-4
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Emulsion Stabilising
FeedstockMade by amidating coconut fatty acids with monoisopropanolamine,…

How we scored it

Est. coco-acyl ~183 Da (natural, lauric-dominant) + monoisopropanolamine C3H8NO ~74 Da (petrochemical, propylene oxide). 183/257≈0.71 (average MW assumed, no formula given).
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 monoisopropanolamine. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Made by amidating coconut fatty acids with monoisopropanolamine, itself produced from petrochemical propylene oxide and ammonia. Coconut is the dominant fatty-acid feedstock.

In plain English

Cocamide MIPA is a foam booster and thickener in cleansers, made by combining coconut fatty acids with a small synthetic amine building block derived from propylene oxide.

CosIng definition: Amides, coco, N-(2-hydroxypropyl)

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