The amide of acetic acid and monoethanolamine, listed as a humectant, surfactant and conditioning ingredient.
What it is
Acetamide MEA is N-(2-hydroxyethyl)acetamide, the amide formed from acetic acid and monoethanolamine (MEA), a small, water-soluble compound. CosIng lists it as a foam-boosting surfactant, hair-conditioning ingredient, humectant, skin-conditioning ingredient, cleansing surfactant and viscosity-controlling ingredient.
Where it is used
Appears on the ingredient lists of a small number of products.
Limits of interpretation
The INCI list shows which ingredients are present, not how much of each. Above 1%, ingredients are listed in descending order of weight; below 1% the order is free.
Functions
- Surfactant – foam boosting
- Increasing foaming capacity and/or stabilize foams in general.
- Hair conditioning
- Enhancing the appearance and feel of hair. Leaving the hair easy to comb, supple, soft and shiny and/or imparting volume, lightness, gloss, texture, etc.
- Humectant
- Retaining and/or preserving the moisture in a product during use.
- Skin conditioning
- Maintaining the skin in good condition.
- Surfactant – cleansing
- Wetting body surfaces, emulsifying or solubilizing oils, and suspending soil (generally, such ingredients contribute to the foaming and lathering properties of cleansing products).
- Viscosity controlling
- Increasing or decreasing the viscosity (thickness) of cosmetics.
EU regulation
This ingredient is not listed in the annexes of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 in the CosIng data.