COCAMIDE DEA SESQUI(COCOYL METHYL BETA-ALANINATE)

Substance information

Amides are generally conversion products of carbonic acids (carboxylic acids, mostly fatty acids) or other acids with nitrogen compounds (ammonia or alkyl and alkanol amines, amino acids etc). Examples: "stearamides" are amides of the stearic acid, "cocamides" are amides of coconut fatty acids. "DEA" refers to a conversion product (amide) with diethanolamine. The name component "cocoyl" means that the ingredient contains, as fatty acid components, amongst others, fatty acids from coconut oil (cocos nucifera oil) (mostly introduced via an acylation reaction). The methyl group is one of the simplest arrangements of atoms in organic chemistry which can be found as a moiety of numerous organic molecules. The name „methyl“ is derived from methane, the member of the alkane hydrocarbon group with the lowest molecular weight. The methane molecule contains four hydrogen atoms each one bound to a central carbon atom. The methyl group is not an independent chemical entity and contains only three hydrogen atoms, the fourth binding site is generally used for binding to a larger, mainly organic molecule. Like all alkanes, methyl groups exhibit a particularly low chemical reactivity. Ingredient on the basis of alpha- or beta-alanine (aminopropanoic acid).

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Function(s) of this ingredient in cosmetic products

HUMECTANT

Holds and retains moisture in cosmetic products

SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT

Softens and smoothens the skin

SURFACTANT - CLEANSING

Surface-active agent to clean skin, hair and / or teeth

SURFACTANT - EMULSIFYING

Allows the formation of finely dispersed mixtures of oil and water (emulsions)

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Origin

(Information may exclusively reflect the status at initial entry of this ingredient into the relevant INCI dictionary; technological progress may have added new manufacturing options based on substances of different origin)

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Background information on use in cosmetics

Surfactants are so-called detergent substances and have a major significance in cosmetics for the cleansing of the skin and hair. Surfactants are substances which, based on their molecular structure, are able to reduce the surface tension of a liquid. In this way it is possible that two actually not mixable substances, such as oil and water, can be finely mixed. Because of their properties, surfactants have manifold uses in cosmetics: they can cleanse, produce foam and act as emulsifiers and mix substances with one another. In shampoos, shower gels and soaps, surfactants are, for instance, used to wash fat and soil particles with water off from the body. Surfactants are also used in toothpaste. Here they promote during tooth cleaning the rapid and full dissolution and distribution of the paste in the mouth. The surfactants used in cosmetic products are primarily produced synthetically on the basis of vegetable raw materials. Surfactants are often used in combination to equally meet all desired requirements – like dissolution of soil and formation of foam in combination with a good skin tolerance – in the best possible manner. Through a skilled combination of a surfactant – viewed on its own – with unfavourable skin tolerance but a very good soil removal property with a very mild, skin protecting surfactant altogether a product with good cleansing properties and the same good skin tolerances is obtained. Emulsifiers are often used in cosmetics as excipients. They allow actually unmixable components like oil and water to be brought in a permanently stable emulsion. In this way both aqueous and oily care and active ingredients can be used in one and the same product in cosmetics. Emulsifiers are able to do that since their molecules consist of a lipophilic and a hydrophilic part. In this way they can reduce the interfacial tension which actually exists between two incompatible substances like fat and water. Emulsifiers are, more particularly, used for creams, lotions and cleansing agents. At present emulsifiers are, however, more than only excipients which keep an emulsion stable. Fatty acid esters on the basis of sugar, lecithin or glycerin monodistearate contribute, for instance, to improving the moisture balance of the skin and are, therefore, also considered as cosmetic active ingredients.

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Information on safe use

This substance is expressly approved and / or subject to a restriction as a result of an entry in Annex III of the EC Cosmetics Regulation after an assessment by the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety of the EU Commission (SCCS). Restrictions can relate eg to purity criteria, a maximum concentration or the restriction to certain product categories. Subject to the conditions possibly imposed in Annex III, the use of this substance in cosmetic products is safe.

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Belongs to the following substance groups

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Regulating cosmetics

Cosmetics Ingredients are subject to regulation. Please note, different regulations may apply to cosmetic ingredients outside the EU.