Database/Buffering/Triethanolamine
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Triethanolamine natural?

No. A synthetic amino alcohol manufactured from petrochemical ethylene oxide and ammonia.

INCI nameTriethanolamine
CAS102-71-6
FormulaC6H15NO3 · 149.19 Da
FunctionBuffering · Emulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockProduced by reacting ethylene oxide, a petrochemical, with…

How we scored it

Explicitly listed synthetic amine (from ethylene oxide + ammonia); 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.

How it’s made

Ammonia + 3 ethylene oxide (SN2 ×3). Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Produced by reacting ethylene oxide, a petrochemical, with ammonia. It is used mainly as a processing and pH-adjusting ingredient.

In plain English

A synthetic ingredient made from petrochemical ethylene oxide and ammonia. Adjusts pH, helps oil and water blend together, and assists cleansing.

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Structure

2D structure of Triethanolamine

2-[bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]ethanol

PubChem CID 7618 ↗

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. 2Triethanolamine. PubChem CID 7618. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3TRIETHANOLAMINE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4TRIETHANOLAMINE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=TRIETHANOLAMINE