This family covers fatty alkanolamides and related amphoteric betaines made from coconut, lauric, oleic or stearic acids with monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, DMAPA or ethylene diamine. They are foam boosters, thickeners and co-emulsifiers in wash products, and selected grades are antistatic in hair conditioners. Dyna Glycols manufactures them to agreed free amine, free fatty acid, pH, solids and viscosity.
What fatty amides and betaines are
This family covers fatty alkanolamides and related amphoteric betaines made from coconut, lauric, oleic or stearic acids with monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, DMAPA or ethylene diamine. They are foam boosters, thickeners and co-emulsifiers in wash products, and selected grades are antistatic in hair conditioners. Dyna Glycols manufactures them to agreed free amine, free fatty acid, pH, solids and viscosity.
Coco DEA and CMEA are not interchangeable with cocamidopropyl betaine. The amide is non-ionic; the betaine is amphoteric. Specify the chemistry, not only a shampoo thickener.
How Dyna Glycols manufactures fatty amides and betaines
The fatty acid is condensed with the named alkanolamine or converted to the betaine, then finished to the free-amine and acid windows on the TDS. Ethoxylated CMEA (3 or 5 EO) is run on the same alkoxylation plant used for other non-ionics.
PEG-4 soyamide and PEG-4 palmamide are ethoxylated amides for customers who need a liquid, more water-dispersible foam booster than a solid CMEA flake.
Typical grades in this range
Name the acid cut and whether the product is MEA amide, DEA amide, ethoxylated amide or betaine.
- Coco monoethanolamide (CMEA) and CMEA 3 EO / 5 EO
- Coco diethanolamide (CDEA) and lauric diethanolamide
- Lauric monoethanolamide; oleic and stearic diethanolamides
- Coco betaine and cocamidopropyl betaine
- PEG-4 soyamide and PEG-4 palmamide
Where fatty amides and betaines are used
Shampoo, bath gel, liquid soap and hand wash use CMEA or CDEA to boost foam and to salt-thicken ether-sulphate bases. Hair conditioners use selected amides as antistats. Industrial cleaners and textile wash-off use DEA amides as foam and viscosity builders.
Betaines (CAPB, coco betaine) milden anionic systems and add foam at a different pH window than a DEA amide. They are the usual path when residual DEA is restricted.
Personal-care and HI&I briefs should state whether DEA, MEA or betaine is allowed. Dyna Glycols will not substitute CAPB for CDEA unless the enquiry asks for that change.
How to specify fatty amides and betaines
Send the acid (coco, lauric, oleic, stearic), MEA vs DEA vs betaine, free-amine and free-acid maxima, pH, solids and the surfactant base the amide must thicken. For ethoxylated CMEA, state 3 or 5 EO.
If matching a competitor CDEA or CAPB, attach solids, pH and salt-curve notes from that TDS.
Quality, documents and supply
Lots are released against free amine, free fatty acid, pH, solids, colour and appearance. SDS and COA follow verification. Salt-thickening must be confirmed in the customer wash base; a bottle foam test is not enough.
Store flakes dry. Melt CMEA uniformly before charging. Protect liquids from frost. Follow the SDS.
Practical notes on fatty amides and betaines
CMEA is typically a flake; CDEA is a liquid or paste. Plant handling is different. Do not order CMEA if the process cannot melt a wax.
Residual DEA policy belongs on the first enquiry. Many rinse-off specifications have moved to CMEA, betaine or a non-amide thickener.
Betaines can contain residual sodium chloride that changes the salt curve of an SLES system. Ask for chloride on the COA if the formula is salt-sensitive.
Ethoxylated CMEA is more water-dispersible than unethoxylated flake and is used when cold processing is required.
Related pages: sulphates and sulfonates, fatty alcohol ethoxylates, personal-care chemicals. Sample the wash base as a set: ether sulphate plus amide or betaine.
English is the source language for INCI and residual-amine claims.
Ordering and evaluating fatty amides and betaines
Send the application, the analytical window and the pack size when you request a laboratory sample of fatty amides and betaines. SDS, TDS and COA follow a short company check. Handle and store the grade as the SDS describes.
Next step
Need a specification for this chemistry?
Tell us the substrate, EO/PO moles and the application. We will confirm a catalogue grade or a custom batch.