The diethanolamide of soybean fatty acids, used as a foam booster and thickener, regulated in Annex III.
What it is
Soyamide DEA is a mixture of diethanolamides of the fatty acids from soybean oil. CosIng lists it as an emulsifying, emulsion-stabilising, foam-boosting, cleansing surfactant and viscosity-controlling ingredient. In the EU it is covered by the Annex III entry (substances subject to restrictions) for fatty acid dialkanolamides.
Where it is used
Found in a small number of products, such as shampoos and 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.
See the EU regulation section for the applicable limits and conditions; according to the Annex III entry, they include a maximum secondary amine content.
Functions
- Surfactant – emulsifying
- Helping suspensions or dispersions of liquids in a second liquid by reducing the surface tension of the substances to be emulsified.
- Emulsion stabilising
- Helping the process of emulsification and improving emulsion stability and shelf-life.
- Surfactant – foam boosting
- Increasing foaming capacity and/or stabilize foams in general.
- 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
- Maximum concentration
- Maximum secondary amine content: 0.5%
- As of
- 3 November 2026 · (EC) 2009/1223