Sodium Cocoamphopropionate

What Is It?

Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Cocoamphopropionate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate and Disodium Cocoamphodipropionate are amber liquids with a faint fruity odor. In cosmetics and personal care products, these four ingredients are used in the formulation of shampoos and other hair products, and skin cleansing products.

Why Is It Used?

Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Cocoamphopropionate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate and Disodium Cocoamphodipropionate clean the skin and hair by helping water to mix with oil and dirt so that these substances can be rinsed away. They also increase foaming capacity or stabilize foams. These ingredients enhance the appearance and feel of hair, by increasing hair body, suppleness, or sheen, or by improving the texture of hair that has been damaged physically or by chemical treatment.

Scientific Facts

Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Cocoamphopropionate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate and Disodium Cocoamphodipropionate are made from fatty acids from coconut oil, also called coconut acid.

Safety Information

The safety of these ingredients has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and concluded that Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Cocoamphopropionate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, and Disodium Cocoamphodipropionate were safe as cosmetic ingredients in the present practices of use. In 2006, as part of the scheduled re-evaluation of ingredients, the CIR Expert Panel considered available new data on these four ingredients, and reaffirmed the above conclusion.

CIR Safety Review: Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Cocoamphopropionate and Disodium Cocoamphodipropionate were nontoxic in acute oral toxicity studies.

The results of ocular irritation studies of these compounds varied depending on the test conditions. In a clinical ocular study, 1%, 3% and 10% dilutions of a shampoo containing 28.1% Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate were nonirritating to the human eye. Sodium Cocoamphopropionate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, and Disodium Cocoamphodipropionate were nonmutagenic in a bacterial assay, both with and without metabolic activation.

Sodium Cocoamphoacetate and Sodium Cocoamphopropionate, at a concentration of 10%, were neither irritants nor sensitizers in a repeated insult patch test. The CIREP concluded that these ingredients were safe for use in personal care products. Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Cocoamphopropionate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate and Disodium Cocoamphodipropionate may be used in cosmetics and personal care products marketed in Europe according to the general provisions of the Cosmetics Regulation of the European Union.

The EU Cosmetic Regulation

More Scientific Information

Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Cocoamphopropionate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate and Disodium Cocoamphodipropionate are imidazoline-derived amphoteric organic compounds. In cosmetics and personal care products, these ingredients function as surfactants (foam boosters and cleansing agents), and hair conditioning agents. A foam boosting agent is used in cosmetics to increase the foaming capacity of surfactants – cleansing agents, or to stabilize foams in general. Foam boosters are substances which increase the surface viscosity of the liquid which surrounds the individual bubbles in a foam. These agents are commonly used in shaving soaps, shampoos, bubble baths, liquid soaps, mousses, or aerosol-dispensed foams. Film formers or viscosity-increasing agents are sometimes used as foam boosters.