A coconut-derived amine oxide surfactant used as a foam booster and cleansing agent.
What it is
Cocamidopropylamine oxide is the amine oxide of the amide formed from coconut fatty acids and dimethylaminopropylamine. CosIng lists it as a cleansing agent, foam-boosting, hydrotrope and cleansing surfactant and hair-conditioning ingredient.
Where it is used
Found in shampoos, shower gels, liquid soaps and other foaming cleansers.
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.
Coconut fatty acids are a mixture of chain lengths, so the raw material is not a single compound.
Functions
- Cleansing
- Helping to keep the body surface clean.
- 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.
- Surfactant – hydrotrope
- Enhancing the water solubility of another surfactant.
- 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).
EU regulation
This ingredient is not listed in the annexes of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 in the CosIng data.