Cocamide DEA

Cocamide DEA is a non-ionic surfactant produced by reacting coconut oil fatty acids with diethanolamine. It functions primarily as a foam booster and viscosity modifier in liquid cleansers, shampoos, and conditioning products. At concentrations of 0–5% in finished consumer products, it contributes to lather and a thicker pour consistency.

The ingredient drew regulatory attention in 2012 when the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added it to the Proposition 65 list of carcinogens, and IARC classified it as Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic to humans) in 2013. The concern centers on potential nitrosamine formation — DEA-based amides can react with nitrosating agents to form N-nitrosodiethanolamine (NDELA), a known animal carcinogen. The relevance to finished product risk at typical use concentrations is debated, but the Prop 65 listing is established regulatory fact.

EWG and ECHA data indicate aquatic toxicity concerns at elevated concentrations. Not recommended for products intended for aquatic-ecosystem-adjacent use.

Note on CAS numbers: "Cocamide DEA" is a UVCB reaction-product family, not a single discrete substance, and different suppliers register it under different CAS numbers (68155-07-7, 61791-31-9, and 68603-42-9 all appear in commercial SDS documents for materially the same coconut-fatty-acid diethanolamide chemistry). The OEHHA listing does not carry an assigned CAS number, so listing status is matched by name ("Coconut oil diethanolamine condensate (cocamide diethanolamine)"), which covers this family regardless of which supplier CAS number a given SDS uses.

Regulatory status

• California Prop 65 listed for cancer: "Coconut oil diethanolamine condensate (cocamide diethanolamine)," listed 2012-06-22 (mechanism: Labor Code, listing type LC). Confirmed directly on the OEHHA list by name.

Sources

• OEHHA Proposition 65 list cross-check: data/prop65/oehha-list.json (986 entries, published 2025-12-05), name match "Coconut oil diethanolamine condensate (cocamide diethanolamine)," cancer, dateListed 2012-06-22.
• Consistent with independent SDS-based resolutions already live on the catalog: content/products/nextzett/nextzett-blitz-all-purpose-cleaner/index.md and content/products/trinova/trinova-leather-conditioner-cleaner/index.md both resolve prop65_warning: true citing Cocamide DEA / SDS §15 directly, not solely via this ingredient file's flag.