DEA, MEA & TEA- Say What?

Ignorance is bliss, as they say, which is why many people happily apply their same old lotion and cosmetics everyday ignoring the big, weirdly spelled chemicals listed in the ingredients. Some so big, they have to be abbreviated. But I’m here to help you learn about what is going on and going in your body everyday. Skin is your biggest organ, after all, and everything you put on your skin gets absorbed for your body to break down.

DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (monoethanolamine), and TEA (triethanolmine) are very popular ingredients in everything from shampoos, soaps, shaving creams, bubble bath to cosmetics. Check your bathroom cabinet (or better yet, your kid’s) and you’ll find them everywhere.

What do they do?

These chemicals have various functions and are used as cutting agents in soaps, humectants, softening agents, emulsifiers, etc. Basically, many of these uses are to improve the texture or homogeneousness (well blended-ness) of the products. Sometimes these (especially TEA) can be used in fragrance. Which will just be listed as Fragrance since manufacturers aren’t required to list the proprietary ingredients used to create the fragrance. Lot’s of nasties hide under that label.

Why are they bad?

These three amigos are banned in Europe because of known carcinogenic effects. In addition to being hormone disruptors, they also can cause skin and respiratory irratation, allergic reactions and are known cancer causers. Repeated skin application of DEA has been shown to significantly increased odds of liver and kidney cancer. In vitro tests on mammalian cells with TEA showed mutation results. And MEA? I can’t even list it all. It’s described as a toxic, flammable, corrosive liquid that is mainly used in the production of wood treatment chemicals. All of the negative effects of these three chemicals are magnified in babies and small children who have smaller bodies and immature livers and immune systems that can’t breakdown these toxins at the same rate as adults.

What to do:

Avoid any products containing DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (monoethanolamine), and TEA (triethanolmine) in their ingredient lists. Keep in mind, they will often be abbreviated to DEA, MEA, or TEA. Also, avoid any products with the vague description of Fragrance. I know that rules out a lot of products, but I promise you that there’s a lot more hiding under that label than the chemicals listed above. Keep in mind how many different products you put on each day- on average between 10-20. All of that exposure adds up. Especially with certain toxic ingredients (like these) that are used so often.