Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Cocamide
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Cocamide natural?

Mostly. Fatty amide mixture from coconut fatty acids; the amide nitrogen from ammonia is conventionally non-natural.

INCI nameCocamide
CAS61789-19-3
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Emulsion Stabilising
FeedstockMade by reacting coconut-derived fatty acids, mainly lauric…

How we scored it

Representative lauroyl fragment C12H23O 183.3 Da (coconut fatty acid, natural) + NH2 16.0 Da (ammonia). 183.3/199.3 ≈ 0.92; varies slightly with coco chain-length mix.
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.

Where it comes from

Made by reacting coconut-derived fatty acids, mainly lauric and myristic acid, with ammonia to form a mixture of primary fatty amides. Ammonia is sourced from natural gas.

In plain English

A surfactant and thickener made from coconut oil fatty acids reacted with ammonia. It helps cleanse, stabilise emulsions and control a product's thickness.

CosIng definition: Amides, coco

Natural alternatives with the same function

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 C10-16 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

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 C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside 100% natural origin

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