Database/Humectant/TEA-Lactate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is TEA-Lactate natural?

Mostly not. Lactic acid comes from sugar fermentation, while triethanolamine is made from petrochemical ethylene oxide and ammonia.

INCI nameTEA-Lactate
CAS20475-12-1
FormulaC9H21NO6 · 239.27 Da
FunctionHumectant · Skin Conditioning
FeedstockDominant route neutralises fermentation lactic acid with synthetic…

How we scored it

Lactic acid C3H6O3 90.08 natural (fermentation); triethanolamine C6H15NO3 149.19 petrochemical (ethylene oxide + ammonia). 90.08/239.27 = 0.38.
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

Dominant route neutralises fermentation lactic acid with synthetic triethanolamine. No natural-origin amine is commercially used.

In plain English

A salt of lactic acid and triethanolamine that attracts water and conditions skin. The lactic acid is made by fermenting sugar; the triethanolamine is made synthetically from petrochemical ethylene oxide and ammonia.

CosIng definition: Tris(2-Hydroxyethyl)ammonium lactate

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Structure

2D structure of TEA-Lactate

2-[bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]ethanol;2-hydroxypropanoic acid

PubChem CID 159890 ↗

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. 2TEA-Lactate. PubChem CID 159890. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3TEA-LACTATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4TEA-LACTATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=TEA-LACTATE