Database/Antistatic/Linoleamide MEA
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Linoleamide MEA natural?

Mostly. Vegetable-oil linoleic acid amide of monoethanolamine, an amine made from petrochemical ethylene oxide.

INCI nameLinoleamide MEA
CAS68171-52-8
FormulaC20H37NO2 · 323.5 Da
FunctionAntistatic · Foam Boosting Surfactant
FeedstockMade by amidating linoleic acid (from sunflower, soy…

How we scored it

Linoleoyl (vegetable oil-derived, C18H31O=263.4) natural; MEA-derived hydroxyethylamino group (C2H6NO=60.1, from ethylene oxide) petrochemical → 263.4/323.5=0.81
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 amidating linoleic acid (from sunflower, soy or safflower oil) with monoethanolamine (MEA), manufactured from petrochemical ethylene oxide and ammonia. No alternative natural route exists for the MEA portion.

In plain English

A foam-boosting, thickening ingredient made from vegetable-oil-derived linoleic acid combined with a synthetic amine from ethylene oxide. About 81% of its weight comes from the fatty acid.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Linoleamide MEA

(9Z,12Z)-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)octadeca-9,12-dienamide

PubChem CID 5283446 ↗

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. 2Linoleamide MEA. PubChem CID 5283446. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3LINOLEAMIDE MEA. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4LINOLEAMIDE MEA. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=LINOLEAMIDE%20MEA