Database/Preservative/TEA-Salicylate
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is TEA-Salicylate natural?

No. Both the triethanolamine base and the salicylic acid are classed as petrochemical, leaving no natural mass.

INCI nameTEA-Salicylate
CAS2174-16-5
FormulaC13H21NO6 · 287.31 Da
FunctionPreservative · Light Stabilizer
FeedstockTriethanolamine is made from ethylene oxide and ammonia;…

How we scored it

TEA C6H15NO3 (149.2, petrochemical, ethylene oxide + ammonia) + salicylic acid C7H6O3 (138.1, petrochemical) = 287.3; both fragments petrochemical -> 0/287.3 = 0.0
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

Triethanolamine is made from ethylene oxide and ammonia; salicylic acid is manufactured from phenol via the Kolbe-Schmitt synthesis. Both are petrochemical feedstocks by this site's convention.

In plain English

A salt formed from salicylic acid and triethanolamine, both made from petrochemical starting materials. Used as a preservative and to help stabilize products against UV light.

CosIng definition: TEA-Salicylate is the triethanolamine salt of salicylic acid that conforms generally to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of TEA-Salicylate

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

PubChem CID 25213 ↗

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-Salicylate. PubChem CID 25213. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3TEA-SALICYLATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4TEA-SALICYLATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=TEA-SALICYLATE