Caredermis

Triethanolamine

Severity 3/10EditorialComedogenic 2/5

ph adjuster · emulsifier · also known as tea

Is Triethanolamine safe?

Triethanolamine carries only minor concerns (irritation, allergy risk) at typical cosmetic levels.

In plain language

A pH adjuster that is safe in itself but should not be combined with formaldehyde releasers or bronopol, which can convert it to nitrosamines.

A Caredermis plain-language explanation to help you read the label — not a regulator statement. The sourced facts are the classifications and status shown on this page.

Documented concerns

Concerns marked Editorialare Caredermis' own dermatological review; the rest are drawn from official data — see the cited sources ↓

Irritation

Editorial3/10

Irritating at higher concentrations or in leave-on products.

Allergy risk

Editorial3/10

Occasional contact allergen.

Official regulatory status

Pulled directly from official regulatory datasets and expert reviews — not our own judgement.

CIR: safe as used (with qualifications)IARC Group 3

Guidance by skin profile

Caredermis editorial guidance based on the concerns above — checked against the official records on every build, but not itself a regulator statement.

  • Sensitive skinUse with caution
  • Oily & acne-proneNo specific concern
  • Dry skinNo specific concern
  • PregnancyNo specific concern
  • Babies & kidsNo specific concern
  • Eczema-proneNo specific concern

Sources

Each authority below is shown only because our ingested copy of its data lists Triethanolamine — not because we asserted it. Follow a link to verify the classification or regulation directly.

CIR conclusion from the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Quick Reference Table — cir-safety.org (snapshot in data/sources/)(point-in-time snapshot; CIR's live record may have been updated since).

See our methodology for how these map to concern levels. Informational only — not medical advice.

Products in our library containing Triethanolamine

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