Triethanolamine ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is primarily used as a pH adjuster and neutralizer, especially to raise pH and activate carbomer-style gels. It can also help form soap-based emulsifiers when paired with fatty acids.
What does Triethanolamine do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is primarily used as a pH adjuster and neutralizer, especially to raise pH and activate carbomer-style gels. It can also help form soap-based emulsifiers when paired with fatty acids.
Is Triethanolamine clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, this ingredient is often restricted because it can contribute to nitrosamine formation when combined with nitrosating systems. It is not typically a high-irritation material at controlled use levels, but regulators and retailers focus on purity controls, residual nitrosamines, and use-condition limits.
Is Triethanolamine sustainable?
This material is usually made from petrochemical feedstocks through ethoxylation-type chemistry. It is generally expected to be biodegradable, but its fossil-based sourcing and impurity-control burden make its sustainability profile less aligned with stricter green-formulation standards.
Is Triethanolamine COSMOS-approved?
It is generally not permitted under COSMOS-organic or COSMOS-natural standards because it is a synthetic petrochemical-derived neutralizer outside the standard’s accepted ingredient pathways. From a Green Chemistry lens, it has useful low-dose functionality, but weaker alignment on renewable sourcing and processing simplicity.
How does Triethanolamine work chemically?
The molecule is a tertiary amine with three hydroxyethyl groups, giving it alkaline pH-adjusting behavior and water solubility. In cosmetics, use is commonly kept low for pH control, while EU rules cap certain uses at 2.5% and prohibit use with nitrosating systems to control nitrosamine formation.
Last updated 2026-05-13