Triethanolamine is a coating ingredient for fresh fruit and vegetables and is widely used in surfactants and as a dispersing ingredient and detergent in hand and body lotions, shaving creams, soaps, shampoos, and bath powders.
Triethanolamine (TEA), is clear, colorless, thick liquids with ammonia-like odors. In cosmetics and personal care products, Triethanolamine may be used in some makeup products such as eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow, blush, make-up bases and foundations, as well as in fragrances, hair care products, hair dyes, wave sets, shaving products, sunscreens, and skin care and skin cleansing products.
Why is it used in cosmetics and personal care products?
TEA helps to form emulsions by reducing the surface tension of the substances to be emulsified so that water-soluble and oil-soluble ingredients can be blended together. They are also used to control the pH of cosmetics and personal care products. TEA is more commonly used in cosmetics and functions as a surfactant or pH adjuster. Other TEA-containing ingredients function as surfactants and hair- or skin-conditioning agents. Ethanolamine functions as a pH adjuster. The majority of its salts function as surfactants; some of the ethanolamine salts function as pH adjusters, hair fixatives, or preservatives.
Triethanolamine (TEA) is a thickening agent with many applications across all levels of personal care products. As a highly functional product it can also be used not only for thickening but consistency adjustments, and stabilization. Formulating with this product is very easy, simply add 1% Triethanolamine (TEA) to your water phase. Then add 1% Tylose HS 60000 and stir gently. This will thicken the water that you can add to your product. Recommended usage levels .5% to 1.5%.