Is Cocamide DEA Harmful?
Date:2025-07-13 14:36
Does the FDA Consider DEA to be Toxic or Carcinogenic?
According to the FDA’s website page that addresses diethanolamine, the “FDA believes that at the present time there is no reason for consumers to be alarmed based on the use of these substances [speaking of cocamide DEA and other ingredients that also contain DEA] in cosmetics.” While the FDA requires manufacturers to ascertain that their beauty and personal hygiene products are safe for human use, it does not regulate which ingredients (or levels of those ingredients) are used aside from those the agency has deemed toxic or harmful.
However, an assessment by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) listed the chemical as known to cause cancer. The IARC assessment influenced the State of California to ban the chemical from use in shampoos and other personal hygiene and beauty products.
Other ingredients in shampoos and cosmetics may also contain DEA.
Check the Ingredients List
- Cocamide DEA
- Cocamide MEA
- DEA-Cetyl Phosphate
- DEA Oleth-3 Phosphate
- Lauramide DEA
- Linoleamide MEA
- Myristamide DEA
- Oleamide DEA
- Stearamide MEA
- TEA-Lauryl Sulfate
- Triethanolamine
Since cocamide DEA became unpopular as an ingredient, some manufacturers have replaced it with other foaming agents such as cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB), which is thought to cause fewer skin irritations and skin sensitivity than DEA.