Deceth-3 is a surfactant, which predominately serves as an emulsifier, a wetting agent, as well as a dispersant. Thanks to those properties, Deceth-3 has a broad range of applications, mainly in the cosmetic industry. Due to its extraordinary advantages, Deceth-3 is readily chosen by consumers.
The compound with the INCI name Deceth-3 (an international nomenclature system for ingredients of cosmetics products) is a non-ionic surfactant which belongs to the group of ethoxylated fatty alcohols. It belongs to a group of surfactants which are based on the decyl alcohol. Deceth-3 is also known under the chemical name: ethoxylated C10 alcohol. The CAS number of the compound is 26183-52-8. In products, Deceth-3 acts predominately as a wetting agent.
Deceth-3 is characterised by very good wetting properties. In the industry, it is mainly used as one of the ingredients which constitute cosmetic formulations. Its major advantage is that it can be used in mixtures with other non-ionic, anionic or cationic surfactants. It significantly facilitates the production of cosmetic formulations containing many diverse ingredients. As a cosmetic ingredient, Deceth-3 is used predominately in products designed for hair dyeing and decolouring. Moreover, it is used in skin care products belonging to the group of “skin care emulsions”. Due to the chemical structure of the Deceth-3 molecule (having a hydrophilic part with high water-affinity and a hydrophobic part interacting with non-polar substances), it is characterised by good detergent properties. It is used in washing and cleaning cosmetics, such as shampoos, shower gels or makeup removers. It acts as a cleaning agent and an emulsifier for oil-in-water emulsions (O/W emulsions), as well as a thickening agent (improving product consistency). In addition, Deceth-3 shows good foaming properties.