Diethanolamine

What you use as part of your daily oral care routine really matters. That's why it's important to know and understand what ingredients are in your oral care products. Diethanolamine or DEA is an unnecessary and potentially harmful ingredient and should never be used in your oral care or personal care routine. 

What is Diethanolamine?

Diethanolamine, or DEA, is an organic compound that acts as a weak base in formulations. Used to make cosmetics creamy or sudsy, DEA also acts as a pH adjuster, counteracting the acidity of other ingredients.

What is Diethanolamine Used In/For?

Diethanolamine is used in many different products. In consumer products, DEA is used in soaps, liquid laundry, dishwashing detergents, cosmetics, shampoos, and hair conditioners. Often Diethanolamine is used in generic toothpaste formulations. 

What Are The Effects Of Diethanolamine?

While Diethanolamine is not harmful on its own, it may react with other ingredients to form a carcinogen called nitrosodiethanolamine (NDEA) which is absorbed through the skin, according to the Cancer Prevention Coalition. The European Union has limited the concentration of DEA allowed in personal care products to 1% to protect human health, but this ingredient is unnecessary and should never be included in your oral or personal health products for your own safety. 

Our mouths are 50 times more absorbent than our skin, so the ingredients in our oral care products really matter. At Spotlight Oral Care, we use only the highest quality clean, active ingredients, and all of our oral care solutions are free from triclosan, sulphates, microbeads, palm oils, parabens DEA, and SLS. We never use Diethanolamine in our formulations.