ETHANOLAMINE
Ethanolamine, listed on labels as ETHANOLAMINE, is a small organic substance in the aminoalcohol family. It has one basic portion and another that mixes readily with water, a combination that lets it influence how acidic or alkaline a cosmetic preparation is. It is not an oil, a plant extract, or a fragrance material added to scent a formula.
ETHANOLAMINE: what it is
Ethanolamine, listed on labels as ETHANOLAMINE, is a small organic substance in the aminoalcohol family. It has one basic portion and another that mixes readily with water, a combination that lets it influence how acidic or alkaline a cosmetic preparation is. It is not an oil, a plant extract, or a fragrance material added to scent a formula.
Its raw material is made through an industrial chemical process, commonly by reacting ethylene oxide with ammonia. The name can be confused with diethanolamine and triethanolamine, yet they are different substances: ethanolamine is the smallest member of that series and has one alcohol unit attached to nitrogen. That distinction matters because a similar-looking label name does not automatically mean the same ingredient.
ETHANOLAMINE: what it does in cosmetics
In cosmetics, ethanolamine works as a buffering agent: it helps adjust and keep pH within the range chosen for the preparation. In everyday terms, it helps the formula retain its intended acidity or alkalinity while it is being used, which can matter to the behavior of other ingredients and to how the product feels.
Its plausible benefit is control of the formula's chemical environment, not treatment of acne, dark spots, wrinkles, or other skin concerns. Cosmetic safety assessments describe ethanolamine as a pH adjuster, so its presence on an ingredient list points to that balancing job rather than to an active skin- or hair-care claim.
ETHANOLAMINE: conditions and care
Caution: the available cosmetic safety assessment for ethanolamine applies to nonirritating rinse-off products. It also states that the ingredient should not be used in products in which N-nitroso compounds may form.
Restrictions and conditions of use
Products containing this ingredient
See which products include it and the name used in each composition.
