DEA / TEA (Diethanolamine / Triethanolamine)
The question

Is DEA / TEA (Diethanolamine / Triethanolamine) safe in shampoo?

AvoidShampoo

Foam-boosting amines that can react with nitrites in formulas to form nitrosamines — probable carcinogens. EU restricts use.

What the research flags

  • Can form carcinogenic nitrosamines when combined with nitrite contaminants
  • EU restricts DEA in cosmetics
  • Skin and respiratory irritant at higher concentrations
  • Possible hormone disruption

Regulatory
DEA banned in EU cosmetics — IARC Group 2B

Other shampoo ingredients on file

Sources & references

  1. [1]
    DatabaseIngredient database — 700494-DIETHANOLAMINE
  2. [2]
    RegulatoryGovernment agency — cooked-meats-fact-sheet
  3. [3]
    Peer-reviewedPubMed / NCBI — pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · ref 9790736

Research disclaimer: Ratings reflect peer-reviewed research and regulatory assessments available at the time of publication, not the dose or formulation of any specific shampoo product. This is not medical advice.