Lauramide DEA is a compound made from a saturated fatty acid called lauric acid and diethanolamine or DEA, an ingredient in some cosmetic products that functions as a wetting agent. Combinations of fatty acids and DEA like lauramide DEA are referred to as diethanolamides. The diethanolamide lauramide DEA is an ingredient in some personal care products including shampoo, hair coloring products, hand soap, bubble baths, bath gels and lotions. In cosmetic and personal care products, lauramide DEA enhances a product’s ability to form and maintain foam. It also increases the viscosity or thickness of products. This gives them a more substantial feel. Without a viscosity-enhancing agent, shampoos and other personal care products would be considered too “runny” by some. Viscosity increasing agents like lauramide DEA are often combined with surfactants to maximize the texture and performance of cosmetic and personal care products that foam like shampoo and bubble bath. Lauramide DEA also serves as an emulsion stabilizer that helps to keep water-soluble and oil-soluble ingredients together in a product. Diethanolamides like lauramide DEA are found in cosmetic and personal care products in concentrations of between 1 and 10%. At these concentrations, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel, a group of independent experts that looks at the safety of cosmetic ingredients, deems lauramide DEA to be safe. This assumes that lauramide DEA isn’t contamined with other ingredients called nitrosating agents. Nitrosating agents interact with lauramide DEA to form nitrosamines, chemicals linked with an increased risk of cancer. This can happen during the manufacture of a product or during storage. Such ingredients must be excluded from products that contain diethanolamides like lauramide DEA, although there are still concerns about contamination. Topically, lauramide DEA can cause mild skin irritation. There are also reports of contact dermatitis and allergic reactions in some people.

Sorbitan laurate (Span 20) is a mixture of the partial esters of sorbitol and its mono- and dianhydrides with edible lauric acid. It is an excipient. Sorbitan laurate is a non-ionic surfactant that is widely used as an emulsifier and stabilizer in pharmaceutical formulations, food and cosmetic industries. As a food additive, it is designated with the E number E493. Span 20 finds application in topical preparations. It is soluble in many fatty compositions and solvents and dispersible in water, dilute acids and alkalis. Recommended topical usage levels of 0.5-5%.

Sorbitan monooleate (Span 80) is a partial oleate ester of sorbitol and its mono- and dianhydrides. Sorbitan Monooleate is a nonionic emulsifier and surfactant and used in cosmetics and foods. It is a food additive with the E number E495. Span 80 was suitable as surfactant in the preparation of Poly(divinylbenzene) emulsion-derived (PolyHIPE) solid foam. Anionic nanoparticles based on Span 80 as low-cost, simple and efficient non-viral gene-transfection systems. Sorbitan monooleate is approved by FDA to be used as an emulsifier in polymer dispersions that are used in the clarification of cane or beet sugar juice or liquor in an amount not to exceed 7.5 percent by weight in the final polymer dispersion. The additive is used in an amount not to exceed 0.70 part per million in sugar juice and 1.4 parts per million in sugar liquor.

Glycol stearate is the ester of ethylene glycol and stearic acid, a naturally occurring fatty acid. In cosmetic and personal care products it functions as a surfactant - cleansing agent in skin creams, conditioners, shampoos, body cleansers and soapless detergents. Glycol stearate is considered not to be a toxic hazard in the quantities available through normal exposure or package size. It is also can be used as inactive ingredient in medications.

A sorbitol derivative emulsifier used in many topical agents. Sorbitan Sesquioleate is used in a variety of products including skin care products, skin cleansing products, moisturizers, eye makeup and other makeup, primarily as an emollient. It is added to formulas as a skin soother and moisturizer and is derived from sorbitol, a humectant. Sorbitol sesquioleate (SSO) have recently been implicated in allergic dermatitis.

Methyl stearate is a fatty acid methyl ester used as a nonionic surfactant in various experiments in helping solubilize a variety of chemical species by dissociating aggregates and unfolding proteins. Methyl stearate is one of the key fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) component of biodiesel fuel produced by the transesterification of triglyceride oil and a primary alcohol.

Delmopinol, a surface-active cationic agent. It was approved by FDA under the name Decapinol for the treatment of gingivitis and prevention of periodontitis. The drug interacts with the early acquired pellicle, the thin layer of saliva polymers and proteins covering teeth and gums, and forms a barrier over teeth and gums. This barrier prevents the microbial adhesion and colonisation on the tooth and gum surface. Delmopinol itself has no bactericidal activity.