Sodium Tallowate

What Is It?

Tallow is the fat derived from the fatty tissue of sheep or cattle. Sodium, Magnesium and Potassium Tallowate are salts of the fatty acids of Tallow. All three ingredients are soaps and are used in the formulation of bath soaps and detergents. Sodium Tallowate can also be found in cleansing products, personal cleanliness products and shampoos.

Why Is It Used?

Sodium Tallowate functions as a surfactant – cleansing agent and foam booster, and as a viscosity increasing agent – aqueous. Magnesium Tallowate functions as an anticaking agent, bulking agent, and viscosity increasing agent – nonaqueous. Potassium Tallowate is used as a surfactant – cleansing agent and emulsifying agent.

Scientific Facts

Historically, Tallow, obtained from fatty tissues of beef or mutton, was often used as soap stock. Tallow contains the glycerides of oleic, palmitic, stearic, myristic and linoleic acids. The fatty acids from Tallow are reacted with a base to generate water-soluble salts such as Sodium, Magnesium and Potassium Tallowate. For example, tallow is reacted with sodium hydroxide to produce Sodium Tallowate.

Safety Information

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) includes Tallow on its list of substances considered Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) as a substance migrating from cotton and cotton fabrics used in dry food packaging. Salts of Tallow fatty acids including Sodium, Magnesium and Potassium Tallowate are included on FDA’s list of indirect food additives. For example, these ingredients may be used in adhesives, defoaming agents and as components of paper and paperboard. The safety of Tallow and Tallow Glyceride ingredients has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and concluded that Tallow and Tallow Glyceride ingredients were safe as cosmetic ingredients in the present practices of use. Search this website for more information on Tallow and the Tallow Glyceride ingredients.

Link to the FDA Code of Federal Regulations for Tallow
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr…

Link to the FDA Code of Federal Regulations for salts of Tallow fatty acids

The use of Tallow and Tallow derived ingredients used in cosmetics and personal care products marketed in the United States is subject to sourcing limitation and record-keeping requirements described in the Code of Federal Regulations as described in several Federal Register publications.

FDA Regulations:
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr…

Federal Register Publications:

July 14, 2004:

October 11, 2006:

More information about bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

When used in cosmetics and personal care products in Europe, Sodium Tallowate, Magensium Tallowate and Potassium Tallowate must conform to European Union animal by-products legislation, and the general provisions of the Cosmetics Regulation of the European Union.

Link to the EU Cosmetic Regulation: 
http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/product_labelling_and_p…

More Scientific Information

The major constituents of Tallow are the glycerides of oleic, palmitic, stearic, myristic and linoleic acids. Sodium, Magnesium, and Potassium Tallowate are the respective salts of Tallow fatty acids.

Resources

Find out more about the regulation of Food Additives by the Food and Drug Administration

Food Ingredients and Packaging: http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/default.htm

Substances Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS): http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GRAS/default.htm

Search the Code of Federal Regulations http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm

EU Cosmetics Inventory http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cosmetics/cosing/