TEA-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate ●
TL;DR. This ingredient functions mainly as a strong anionic surfactant, providing cleansing, foam, and oil-soil dispersion in rinse-off products. It can also help emulsify oily materials in high-detergency formulas.
What does TEA-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient functions mainly as a strong anionic surfactant, providing cleansing, foam, and oil-soil dispersion in rinse-off products. It can also help emulsify oily materials in high-detergency formulas.
Is TEA-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate clean?
Clean-beauty programs often flag it because it is a relatively strong cleanser with higher eye and skin irritation potential than milder surfactants. Alkanolamine-neutralized materials also require tight control of nitrosamine-forming impurities.
Is TEA-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate sustainable?
This material is typically made from petrochemical aromatic feedstocks and an alkanolamine neutralizer, rather than renewable plant inputs. It is generally biodegradable under aerobic wastewater conditions, but its aquatic profile and limited anaerobic biodegradation reduce its sustainability fit.
Is TEA-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate COSMOS-approved?
This ingredient is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic because it is a synthetic petrochemical surfactant outside the allowed surfactant families. Its Green Chemistry fit is limited, with efficient performance and aerobic biodegradability offset by nonrenewable feedstocks and a sulfonation-neutralization route.
How does TEA-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate work chemically?
The molecule is an alkanolamine-neutralized aromatic sulfonate with a C12-rich hydrophobic chain, giving a permanent anionic charge and strong detergency. It is used mainly in rinse-off systems, is broadly pH-stable, can lose foam in high-electrolyte systems, and may form complexes with cationic conditioning agents.
Last updated 2026-05-15