Database/Cleansing/TEA-Lauroyl Glutamate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is TEA-Lauroyl Glutamate natural?

Mostly. Lauric acid (coconut oil) and glutamic acid (fermentation amino acid) are natural; triethanolamine is a petrochemical synthetic amine.

INCI nameTEA-Lauroyl Glutamate
CAS53576-49-1
FormulaC23H46N2O8 · 478.6 Da
FunctionCleansing · Hair Conditioning
FeedstockMade by condensing lauric acid (coconut oil) with…

How we scored it

Lauric acid 200.3 + glutamic acid 147.1 - H2O 18 = 329.4 Da natural; + TEA (petrochemical amine) 149.2 Da = 478.6 Da; 329.4/478.6 = 0.69
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 condensing lauric acid (coconut oil) with glutamic acid (a fermentation amino acid), then neutralising with triethanolamine made from petrochemical ethylene oxide. No significant natural route to triethanolamine exists.

In plain English

A mild, amino-acid-based cleansing ingredient used in gentle shampoos and washes. It combines a coconut fatty acid and a fermentation-derived amino acid with a petroleum-based neutralising agent.

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of TEA-Lauroyl Glutamate

2-[bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]ethanol;(2S)-2-(dodecanoylamino)pentanedioic acid

PubChem CID 104536 ↗

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-Lauroyl Glutamate. PubChem CID 104536. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3TEA-LAUROYL GLUTAMATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4TEA-LAUROYL GLUTAMATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=TEA-LAUROYL%20GLUTAMATE