Triethanolamine

What is Triethanolamine?

Triethanolamine, or TEA, is a lab-made amino alcohol. It’s a mild base, which means it neutralizes acids. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel lists it as working as a pH adjuster and surfactant in cosmetics.

You’ll find it in gels, creams, lotions, cleansers and makeup, usually in small amounts near the end of the ingredient list. TEA also shows up inside other ingredient names, such as TEA-stearate or TEA-cocoyl glutamate, where it has already been combined with another ingredient.

What does Triethanolamine do?

• Adjusts pH. It raises the pH of an acidic formula so the ingredients and texture work as designed.
• Thickens gels. Thickeners such as carbomer only build their gel once they’re neutralized, and TEA is one of the bases used to do that.
• Helps make emulsions. Mixed with a fatty acid such as stearic acid, it forms TEA-stearate, a soap-type emulsifier that keeps oil and water blended.

It’s a helper, not an active. Other bases that do similar jobs include sodium hydroxide, aminomethyl propanol and tromethamine.

Who is Triethanolamine for?

It appears in products for every skin type. The safety review concluded it is safe as used when formulated to be non-irritating. Like many bases, it can irritate skin and eyes at higher concentrations, so the dose in the finished product matters more than its presence.

The concern you may read about online is nitrosamines. Ethanolamines can react with certain nitrosating ingredients to form these compounds, which is why the panel says TEA shouldn’t be used in products where they can form. If your skin is sensitive and a product with TEA stings, stop using it and compare it with formulas that use a different pH adjuster.

What to pair Triethanolamine with, and what to avoid

There’s nothing to pair in your routine. Inside the formula, avoiding nitrosating ingredients is the formulator’s job, not yours. You don’t need to add or neutralize anything at home.