What Is Triethanolamine Laurate?
Triethanolamine laurate is a chemical ingredient commonly used in cosmetics that has three main functions. First, it helps create foam in products like shampoos and soaps. Second, it acts as a surfactant which can help cleanse the skin or hair by removing dirt and oil. Finally, it also works as an emulsifier which helps ingredients mix together more easily to create a smooth texture in lotions or creams.
What is the purpose of Triethanolamine Laurate in personal care products?
It is used for its foaming
, surfactant cleansing, and surfactant emulsifying characteristics.
Triethanolamine Laurate creates foam or bubbles, helps clean body surfaces, and helps mix liquids that don't usually mix.
Names and identifiers that we found for this substance include: Triethanolamine Laurate, "Lauric acid, compound with 2,2',2''-nitrilotriethanol (1:1)", Dodecanoic acid--2,2',2''-nitrilotri(ethan-1-ol) (1/1), and "Dodecanoic acid, compd. with 2,2',2''-nitrilotris[ethanol] (1:1)".
What Are Foaming Ingredients?
Triethanolamine Laurate has foaming characteristics.
Foaming ingredients are substances added to cosmetic products, such as soaps, shampoos, and toothpaste, to create foam or bubbles when mixed with water. When products with foaming ingredients are mixed with water and agitated, such as by rubbing your hands together when washing them, the foaming ingredient helps to create a large amount of foam or bubbles. These bubbles help to spread the product over the skin or hair, allowing it to better clean and remove dirt and oils.
These ingredients change the liquid's behavior, making it easier to trap tiny bubbles of air or gas within the liquid. This is done by altering the liquid's surface tension, which holds the liquid together. Lowering the surface tension makes it easier for the liquid to hold onto the gas bubbles, which results in the formation of foam or bubbles when the product is used.
Examples of foaming ingredients include surfactants such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), commonly used in shampoos and body washes. Other foaming agents include cocamidopropyl betaine, disodium cocoamphodiacetate, and decyl glucoside.
What Are Surfactant Cleansing Ingredients?
Triethanolamine Laurate has surfactant cleansing characteristics.
Surfactant cleansing ingredients are commonly found in various cosmetics, particularly those designed for cleansing, such as shampoo, body wash, and facial cleansers. These ingredients serve several purposes, including wetting body surfaces, emulsifying or dissolving oils, and suspending dirt and grime, making them easier to remove. Surfactants generally contribute to the foaming and lathering properties of cleansing products, making them more effective in removing impurities from the skin or hair.
What Are Surfactant Emulsifying Ingredients?
Triethanolamine Laurate has surfactant emulsifying characteristics.
Surfactant emulsifying ingredients helps mix two liquids that do not usually mix well by reducing the surface tension of the ingredients. The emulsification process involves suspending or dispersing one liquid in a second liquid, such as oil in water or vice versa. However, these two liquids have different properties that cause them to repel each other and not mix. This is where surfactants come in, as they can reduce the liquids' surface tension and allow them to mix.
Surfactants have two ends: a hydrophilic (water-loving) head and a hydrophobic (water-repelling) tail. When added to two liquids that do not mix well, the hydrophilic head attaches to the water-based liquid, while the hydrophobic tail attaches to the oil-based liquid. This creates a stable mixture of the two liquids and allows for a smooth and even distribution of ingredients in the cosmetic product.
Safety
Remember, always read and follow the instructions provided on product labels carefully. If you have any questions or concerns about using a product containing various ingredients, consult with your doctor or healthcare provider before use.