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

Is Disodium Tallowamido MEA-Sulfosuccinate natural?

Mostly. Tallow (animal fat) fatty acid supplies the amide chain; ethanolamine and the succinate backbone are petrochemical, while sulfonate/sodium count as natural minerals.

INCI nameDisodium Tallowamido MEA-Sulfosuccinate
CAS90268-41-0
FunctionCleansing · Foam Boosting Surfactant
FeedstockTallow fatty acids (mainly C16-18, from rendered animal…

How we scored it

No formula given; by analogy to Ricinoleamido/Undecylenamido MEA-Sulfosuccinate: tallow acyl (natural, C16-18 est. ~260 Da) + SO3+2Na (natural, 126 Da) vs MEA+succinate backbone (petrochemical, ~158 Da) -> ~0.70 (estimated).
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

Tallow fatty acids (mainly C16-18, from rendered animal fat) are amidated with ethanolamine (from petrochemical ethylene oxide/ammonia), then reacted with maleic anhydride and sodium bisulfite. Route mirrors the ricinoleamido/undecylenamido MEA-sulfosuccinate analogs.

In plain English

A mild, foam-boosting surfactant made from tallow, an animal fat, combined with petrochemical ethanolamine and a sulfosuccinate group, neutralized with sodium.

CosIng definition: Disodium Tallowamido MEA-Sulfosuccinate is a disodium salt of a substituted ethanolamide half ester of sulfosuccinic 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. 2DISODIUM TALLOWAMIDO MEA-SULFOSUCCINATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3DISODIUM TALLOWAMIDO 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%20TALLOWAMIDO%20MEA-SULFOSUCCINATE