Database/Buffering/Diethanolamine
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Diethanolamine natural?

No. Diethanolamine is a synthetic alkanolamine produced from petrochemical ethylene oxide and ammonia, same family as triethanolamine.

INCI nameDiethanolamine
CAS111-42-2
FormulaC4H11NO2 · 105.14 Da
FunctionBuffering
FeedstockManufactured by reacting ethylene oxide with ammonia. Ethylene…

How we scored it

Made from ethylene oxide + ammonia; no natural building block in the final molecule = 0.0.
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

Manufactured by reacting ethylene oxide with ammonia. Ethylene oxide is a petrochemical feedstock and there is no natural-origin production route.

In plain English

A pH-adjusting ingredient (buffering agent) made by combining ethylene oxide with ammonia in a chemical plant. It has no natural or plant-based source.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Diethanolamine

2-(2-hydroxyethylamino)ethanol

PubChem CID 8113 ↗

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. 2Diethanolamine. PubChem CID 8113. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3DIETHANOLAMINE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4DIETHANOLAMINE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=DIETHANOLAMINE