Cocamide DEA (also known as Ninol, 6501 type, CDEA) is a nonionic surfactant synthesized from natural coconut oil, appearing as a transparent viscous liquid from light yellow to amber. Thanks to its excellent synergistic thickening, foam stabilization, emulsification dispersion, and alkali and hard water resistance, this product has become a core functional additive in many civil and industrial cleaning formulations, especially when compounded with other surfactants, it produces a significant synergistic enhancement effect.
In the civil field, Cocamide DEA is an indispensable high-efficiency thickener and foam stabilizer in personal care products such as shampoos, shower gels, hand soaps, and facial cleansers, providing a rich and dense foam experience and imparting a mild fatty feel to the skin; in dishwashing detergents, laundry liquids, fabric softeners, and various hard surface cleaners, it serves dual functions of detergency enhancement and foam stabilization, significantly improving the degreasing ability of the formulation.
In the industrial field, this product also performs excellently: in the textile industry, it is used as an effective component of scouring agents, degreasing agents, and antistatic agents; in metalworking fluid systems, it acts as an emulsifier and anti-rust component; in water-based pesticide formulations, it serves as an emulsifying dispersant to promote uniform distribution of active ingredients; in addition, it is widely used in industrial degreasers, ink cleaning agents, and leather processing processes.
| Application Industry | Specific Process/Product | Functional Role |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Care | Shampoo, shower gel, hand soap, facial cleanser | High-efficiency thickener, foam stabilizer, enhances foam richness and persistence, imparts mild fatty feel |
| Household Cleaning Products | Dishwashing detergent, laundry liquid, fabric softener, multi-purpose hard surface cleaner | Detergency enhancement, foam stabilization, thickening, improves degreasing ability and ease of use |
| Textile Printing and Dyeing | Scouring agent, degreasing agent, antistatic agent formulation | Emulsifies and disperses fiber oil stains and impurities, improves fabric finishing, imparts antistatic properties |
| Metalworking and Industrial Cleaning | Cutting fluid, rust preventive, industrial degreaser, ink cleaner | Emulsifies oily components, disperses dirt, forms a protective film on metal surface, corrosion inhibition and rust prevention |
| Pesticide Formulations | Water-based pesticide formulations (emulsifiable concentrate, suspension concentrate, emulsion, etc.) | Emulsifying dispersant, reduces oil-water interfacial tension, improves dispersion uniformity and dilution stability of active ingredients |
| Leather Processing | Leather degreasing, leveling process | Penetrates and emulsifies grease in leather, assists leveling treatment |
Recommended Dosage Reference: In personal care and liquid detergent formulations, the typical addition amount of Cocamide DEA is 1%–5% of the total system weight, and the specific dosage should be optimized according to the target viscosity and foam requirements. In industrial formulations (such as metalworking fluids, pesticide preparations), the addition amount is usually 2%–8%, adjusted according to emulsification and dispersion needs. Since this product has good compatibility with anionic, nonionic, and amphoteric surfactants, it is recommended to be compounded with main surfactants such as AES (sodium alcohol ether sulfate) and LAS (linear alkylbenzene sulfonate) to achieve optimal synergistic thickening and foam stabilization effects.
Process Operation Suggestions: The product is a viscous liquid at room temperature. It is recommended to preheat at 40°C–60°C before feeding to reduce viscosity for accurate metering and rapid dispersion. Add slowly under stirring to avoid local high concentration leading to gel lumps. In water-based formulations, it is better to use under neutral or alkaline conditions. Acidic systems (pH<5) may cause slow hydrolysis of the amide bond, affecting long-term stability.