Database/Cleansing/TEA-Lauryl Sulfate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is TEA-Lauryl Sulfate natural?

Mostly. Lauryl sulfate is coconut-derived with mineral sulfate; triethanolamine is an explicitly petrochemical synthetic amine per this site's convention.

INCI nameTEA-Lauryl Sulfate
CAS139-96-8
FormulaC18H41NO7S · 415.6 Da
FunctionCleansing · Emulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade by sulfating coconut/palm-derived lauryl alcohol and neutralizing…

How we scored it

Lauryl sulfate anion C12H25OSO3 ~265 Da (natural, coconut lauryl + mineral sulfate); triethanolamine cation C6H16NO3 ~150 Da (petrochemical) / 415 total = 0.64
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 sulfating coconut/palm-derived lauryl alcohol and neutralizing with triethanolamine, a petrochemical amine made from ethylene oxide and ammonia. The lauryl sulfate portion is natural; the amine is petrochemical.

In plain English

A cleansing surfactant combining coconut-derived lauryl sulfate with triethanolamine, a synthetic compound. Used in shampoos and body washes to create foam and remove oils.

CosIng definition: tris(2-Hydroxyethyl)ammonium dodecylsulphate

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Structure

2D structure of TEA-Lauryl Sulfate

2-[bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]ethanol;dodecyl hydrogen sulfate

PubChem CID 8777 ↗

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-Lauryl Sulfate. PubChem CID 8777. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3TEA-LAURYL SULFATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4TEA-LAURYL SULFATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=TEA-LAURYL%20SULFATE