Cocamide DEA belongs to the family of cocamids (MEA, TEA, MIPA) It  is a chemical compound alkylamide, diethanolamide, a mixture of ethanolamines and behenic acid. DEA (diethanolamine) is a water-soluble molecule obtained by the extraction of ethylene oxide with coconut acid. DEA shows reactive capacity is an aminoalcohol as it combines the properties of alcohols and amines.

The name describes the structure of the molecule:

• Cocamide indicates that the molecule is derived from fatty acids found in coconut oil (hence 'coca-') and that it is an amide (hence '-amide').
• DEA stands for diethanolamine, indicating that the molecule contains two ethanolamine groups.

The main raw materials used in its production are:

• Coconut Oil: A vegetable oil obtained from the dried pulp of the coconut. It contains fatty acids that are essential for the production of Cocamide DEA.
• Diethanolamine (DEA): An organic chemical used as an alkalizing agent and as a raw material in the production of numerous compounds, including Cocamide DEA.

The synthesis process takes place in different steps:

• Preparing coconut oil. Coconut oil, which contains a high percentage of fatty acids, is extracted from the flesh of the coconut.
• Reaction with diethanolamine. The fatty acids in coconut oil are reacted with diethanolamine, a type of amine. This reaction results in the formation of an amide bond between the fatty acid and diethanolamine, forming Cocamide DEA.

It appears as a yellowish liquid.

What it is used for and where

Cosmetics

It is a restricted ingredient as  III/60 a Relevant Item in the Annexes of the European Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009. Substance or ingredient reported: Fatty acid dialkylamides and dialkanolamides

Surfactant - Emulsifying agent. Emulsions are thermodynamically unstable and are used to soothe or soften the skin and emulsify, so they need a specific, stabilising ingredient. This ingredient forms a film, lowers the surface tension and makes two immiscible liquids miscible. A very important factor affecting the stability of the emulsion is the amount of the emulsifying agent. Emulsifiers have the property of reducing the oil/water or water/oil interfacial tension, improving the stability of the emulsion and also directly influencing the stability, sensory properties and surface tension of sunscreens by modulating the filmometric performance.

Surfactant - Cleansing agent. Cosmetic products used to cleanse the skin utilise the surface-active action that produces a lowering of the surface tension of the stratum corneum, facilitating the removal of dirt and impurities. 

Surfactant - Foam booster. Their function is to introduce gas bubbles into the water for a purely aesthetic factor, which does not affect the cleaning process, but only satisfies the commercial aspect of the detergent by helping to spread the detergent on the hair. This helps in the commercial success of a shampoo formulation. Since sebum has an inhibiting action on the bubble, more foam is produced in the second shampoo.

Viscosity Enhancing Agent - aqueous. Since viscosity is important for increasing the chemical and physical stability of the product, Viscosity Enhancing Agent acqueous is an important dosage factor in gels, suspensions, emulsions, solutions. Increasing viscosity makes formulations less sedimentary and more homogeneously thickened.

Safety

Some of the scientific literature warns of the possible danger of this chemical compound, while a 1998 study by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) did not establish a link between DEA and cancer risk in humans.

The most relevant studies on this ingredient have been selected with a summary of their contents: 

Cocamide DEA studies

Synonyms:

• Coconut diethanolamide
• Coconutfattyacidamideofdiethanolamine
• Palm Kernel Oil Dieathanolamide