What does Trolamine do?

Used in cosmetics as an emulsifier, a cleansing agent and a pH buffer.

Minor concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Trolamine

CAS 36549-53-8 · 20/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 9 other CAS numbers

36549-54-9 · 36549-55-0 · 36659-79-7 · 105655-27-4 · 126068-67-5 · 464917-26-8 · 1199604-09-5 · 1429745-86-7 · 102-71-6

Concern score

20/100Minor concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Trolamine in plain language

What it is: On cosmetic ingredient lists it appears as “Triethanolamine”.
Also known as Triethanolamine · 2,2',2''-Nitrilotris · 2,2',2''-Nitrilotri(ethan-1-ol) · 2,2',2"-NITRILOTRETHANOL · 2,2',2"-NITRILOTRIS(ETHANOL) · 2,2',2"-Nitrilotriethanol
Show all 26 names
2,2',2''-Nitrilotriethanol · 2,2',2''-Nitrilotrisethanol · Daltogen · Ethanol, 2,2',2''-nitrilotris- · Nitrilo-2,2',2''-triethanol · Nitrilotriethanol · Sterolamide · Sting-Kill · TEA (amino alcohol) · Teoa · Thiofaco T-35 · Tri(hydroxyethyl)amine · Triethanolamin · Triethanolamin-NG · Triethylolamine · Trihydroxytriethylamine · Tris(2-hydroxyethyl)amine · Tris(beta-hydroxyethyl)amine · Tris(hydroxyethyl)amine · triethanolamineintended change (ic)
What it does: Used in cosmetics as an emulsifier, a cleansing agent and a pH buffer.
Emulsifying
Cleansing
Buffering
Fragrance
Colourant
Emulsifier
Is it a concern?: Minor concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

Why it's flagged

EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 6487 composition records across product categories including Construction and building materials, Furniture and furnishings, Cleaning products and household care.

The score describes this ingredient's chemical identity — its hazard profile from published classifications and regulatory status — not the safety of any product it appears in.

Regulation

No restrictions found. Trolamine appears in these published regulatory listings.

In marketed US drugs
Inactive ingredient in US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Industrial

USFDAinactive ingredient database22 entries — 6 administration routes
- Route: NASAL; Dosage form: DROPS; Potency: NASource →
- Route: NASAL; Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: NASource →
- Route: NASAL; Dosage form: SPRAY; Potency: NASource →
- Route: RECTAL; Dosage form: AEROSOL, METERED; Potency: ADJ PHSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: AEROSOL, FOAM; Potency: 2.6 %w/wSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: CREAM; Potency: 1 %w/wSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: CREAM, AUGMENTED; Maximum daily exposure: 20 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: EMULSION; Potency: 0.5 %w/wSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: GEL; Maximum daily exposure: 6 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: GEL, METERED; Maximum daily exposure: 19 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: LIQUID; Potency: NASource →
- Route: INTRAVENOUS; Dosage form: INJECTION, POWDER, FOR SUSPENSION; Potency: 0.02 %w/vSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: POWDER; Potency: 0.02 mg/mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: SHAMPOO; Potency: 3.7 %w/wSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: SOAP; Potency: 0.08 %w/wSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: SOLUTION; Potency: NASource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: SPONGE; Potency: 11 %w/wSource →
- Route: TRANSDERMAL; Dosage form: GEL; Maximum daily exposure: 6 mgSource →
- Route: TRANSDERMAL; Dosage form: GEL, METERED; Maximum daily exposure: 14 mgSource →
- Route: VAGINAL; Dosage form: AEROSOL, FOAM; Potency: 2 %w/wSource →
- Route: VAGINAL; Dosage form: CREAM; Maximum daily exposure: 56 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: LOTION; Maximum daily exposure: 360 mgSource →
EUCosIngActiveRestriction: III/62
- Restriction: III/62Source →
EUEFSAEFSA opinionOpinion of the Scientific Panel on food additives, flavourings, processing aids and materials in contact with food (AFC) on a request related to a 17th list of substances for food contact materials (EFSA AFC)
- Opinion of the Scientific Panel on food additives, flavourings, processing aids and materials in contact with food (AFC) on a request related to a 17th list of substances for food contact materials (EFSA AFC)Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 6487 composition records across product categories including Construction and building materials, Furniture and furnishings, Cleaning products and household care. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including pH regulating agent, Cleaning agent, Surfactant (surface active agent).
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 6487 composition records across product categories including Construction and building materials, Furniture and furnishings, Cleaning products and household care. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including pH regulating agent, Cleaning agent, Surfactant (surface active agent).Source →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 1 active drug products and 4 total products.
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 1 active drug products and 4 total products.Source →
USFDAlisted in openFDA substanceopenFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.
- openFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.Source →

Expert safety opinions

Independent scientific assessments cited by the records we hold, with the year and link where the record gives one.

SCCS
EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety
No SCCS opinion on file.
CIR
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (US expert panel)
No CIR safety assessment on file.
EFSA
European Food Safety Authority
- Opinion of the Scientific Panel on food additives, flavourings, processing aids and materials in contact with food (AFC) on a request related to a 17th list of substances for food contact materials (EFSA AFC)
  2008 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Trolamine yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.

9 data sources

Where this comes from

CosIng
regulatory · updated 2026-09-23
Open →
EFSA OpenFoodTox
regulatory · updated 2026-10-04
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated september 9, 2014
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA Inactive Ingredient Database
regulatory · updated 2026-01-09
Open →
FDA National Drug Code Directory
regulatory · updated 2028-01-16
Open →
FDA GSRS UNII
registry · updated 2026-02-26
Open →
openFDA Substance
registry · updated 2026-05-24
Open →
PubChem Live Enrichment
chemistry · updated 2026-05-17
Open →

Suitability

Context-specific fit derived from published classifications and the current ingredient evidence profile.

Food use

Food-use source coverage is present in the current record.

Good fit

The ingredient appears in food-oriented source coverage or allowed-use references, which makes food use easier to support than a context with no domain signal at all.

Fragrance avoidance

Not a strong fit for fragrance avoidance because it carries Fragrance.

Avoid

The ingredient itself is a fragrance-linked signal, so it is better treated as an avoid case when fragrance exposure is the main concern.

Where it has been recorded

How often EPA CPDat has listed Trolamine in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

6,487

Named organisations

Construction and building materialsFurniture and furnishingsCleaning products and household careCleaning and safetySpecialty occupational productsLaboratory supplies

Typical roles

EmulsifyingCleansingBufferingFragranceColourantEmulsifier

See products using Trolamine →

Catalog

Found in these products

Their ingredient lists include Trolamine; each product's own rating depends on its whole formula, so it is shown on the product page, not here.

See all 932 →Find products without it →

Co-occurrence

Often appears with

Ingredients that frequently appear alongside Trolamine in the catalog.