Diethanolamine

Diethanolamine (CAS 111-42-2), commonly abbreviated as DEA, is a bifunctional amino alcohol.

Where is Diethanolamine used?

• Personal care and cosmetics: reacts with fatty acids to produce diethanolamide surfactants in shampoos, liquid soaps and foam-boosting cleansers
• Textile and leather processing: softening and wetting agent that improves dye uptake and fiber handling during finishing
• Pharmaceutical manufacturing: alkalizing agent for topical creams, ointments and liquid formulations
• Paper manufacturing: process chemical controlling pH during pulp treatment and coating formulations
• It also serves as a pH buffer, surfactant intermediate and emulsifying agent in formulated products.
• Metal treatment.
• Mainly as an absorbent for acid gases such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide.
• As an intermediate in the manufacture of resins and plasticizers.
• Rubber.

Good to know: Pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications generally require higher-purity material meeting USP or BP specifications; buyers should confirm grade suitability against their regulatory requirements before sourcing.

Formulation notes

• When used in cosmetics, DEA itself is added at small levels to adjust acidity so the product is not harsh on skin.

Typical specification

• Pure diethanolamine is a white solid at room temperature but tends to absorb water and is usually encountered as a colorless, viscous liquid due to supercooling.

Regulatory status

• Classified as H315, causing skin irritation.
• In Italy, marketing authorization holders of nationally authorized, mutual recognition, or decentralized procedure medicines containing diethanolamine (DEA) and/or coconut oil diethanolamide as excipients were required to report the names of the affected medicines and the quantity of these excipients per authorized formulation.

Storage, packaging and handling

• Should be stored in cool and dry conditions.

Technical content is compiled and updated by the SoleChem product team from public technical sources; the certificate of analysis (COA) governs product-specific specifications.