Sodium Cocoamphoacetate

TL;DR. This ingredient is a mild amphoteric surfactant used to cleanse, support foam, and improve skin feel in rinse-off formulas. It also helps soften the feel of stronger anionic surfactants in shampoos, face washes, and body washes.

What does Sodium Cocoamphoacetate do in a cosmetic formula?

This ingredient is a mild amphoteric surfactant used to cleanse, support foam, and improve skin feel in rinse-off formulas. It also helps soften the feel of stronger anionic surfactants in shampoos, face washes, and body washes.

Is Sodium Cocoamphoacetate clean?

From a clean-beauty perspective, this ingredient is generally well accepted and is known for low sting and low irritation compared with many cleansing agents. The main quality watchpoints are residual processing reagents and salt level, which reputable suppliers control by specification.

Is Sodium Cocoamphoacetate sustainable?

This material is commonly made from coconut or palm-kernel fatty feedstocks plus synthetic reagents, so sourcing certification matters. It is expected to be readily biodegradable and is not associated with long-term environmental persistence under normal wastewater treatment conditions.

Is Sodium Cocoamphoacetate COSMOS-approved?

It is permitted in COSMOS Natural and COSMOS Organic formulations when it meets the standard’s natural-origin and impurity requirements. Its renewable fatty feedstock and biodegradability support Green Chemistry alignment, while the synthetic conversion step keeps it from being a fully simple, minimally processed material.

How does Sodium Cocoamphoacetate work chemically?

The molecule is part of a zwitterion-compatible surfactant blend, with coconut-derived fatty chains attached to an amino-carboxylate head group and supplied as an aqueous sodium salt. It is typically used around 2 to 10% as supplied in cleansers, performs well around mildly acidic to neutral pH, and is often paired with anionic surfactants to improve foam quality and reduce irritation potential.

Last updated 2026-05-13