Diethanolamine (DEA) and its 16 salt variants are considered safe for cosmetics when they don't irritate skin. The key catch: they can't be used in formulas where N-nitroso compounds might form, since those are potentially harmful compounds that can develop during product shelf life.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel evaluated existing animal and clinical data on DEA and its salts. Since individual safety data wasn't available for each salt variant, they relied on extrapolation from previous CIR reports and the fact that these salts break down similarly in water.

Funding not disclosed in abstract