Database/Cleansing/Disodium Isostearamido MEA-Sulfosuccinate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Disodium Isostearamido MEA-Sulfosuccinate natural?

Mostly. Isostearic acid (oleochemical) and the sulfonate/sodium are natural; the ethanolamine linker and succinate backbone trace to petrochemical ethylene oxide and maleic anhydride.

INCI nameDisodium Isostearamido MEA-Sulfosuccinate
FunctionCleansing · Foaming
FeedstockMade from isostearic acid (dimerized/isomerized oleochemical fatty acid)…

How we scored it

Isostearoyl (natural oleochemical, ~267 Da) + SO3+2Na (natural per mineral rule, ~126 Da) = 393 natural; MEA-linker + succinate backbone (petrochemical, ~158 Da) → 393/551 ≈ 0.71.
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 from isostearic acid (dimerized/isomerized oleochemical fatty acid) condensed with ethanolamine, then reacted with maleic anhydride/sodium bisulfite to form the sulfosuccinate and neutralized with sodium hydroxide. No significant alternative route is in commercial use.

In plain English

A mild, foam-boosting cleansing ingredient made by combining a plant/animal-derived fatty acid with an ethanolamine linker and a small synthetic sulfonate group. Used in shampoos and washes to help other surfactants foam and rinse cleanly.

CosIng definition: Butanedioic acid, sulfo-, 1-ester with N-(2-hydroxyethyl)isooctadecanamide, disodium salt

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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. 2DISODIUM ISOSTEARAMIDO MEA-SULFOSUCCINATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3DISODIUM ISOSTEARAMIDO MEA-SULFOSUCCINATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=DISODIUM%20ISOSTEARAMIDO%20MEA-SULFOSUCCINATE