Herbology Lauramidopropylamine Oxide 30% (HY-LAO) is a premium quality, cosmetic grade amine oxide surfactant, supplied as a clear to pale yellow liquid with 30% active content of Lauramidopropylamine Oxide (LAPAO), produced by the oxidation of lauramidopropyldimethylamine with hydrogen peroxide. Amine oxides occupy a unique and technically important position in surfactant chemistry: they are amphoteric surfactants that behave as non ionic surfactants at neutral to alkaline pH and as cationic surfactants at acidic pH (below pH 3.5), giving them an exceptional versatility and compatibility profile that makes them one of the most technically sophisticated and broadly useful surfactant auxiliaries available. Lauramidopropylamine Oxide is derived from coconut fatty acids (C12 lauric acid) and is one of the most widely used amine oxides in personal care formulation, valued for its exceptional foam boosting, viscosity building, mildness enhancing, and conditioning properties.
HY-LAO's foam boosting mechanism is distinct from and complementary to that of CDEA and CAPB: while CDEA boosts foam through micellar modification and CAPB through charge neutralization, amine oxides boost foam through a combination of surface tension reduction and foam film stabilization that produces a particularly dense, creamy, and long lasting foam with excellent sensory properties. Its viscosity building action in SLES based systems is highly efficient, producing significant viscosity increases at low use levels through electrolyte interaction with the SLES micelle structure. Its mildness enhancing action reduces the irritation potential of primary anionic surfactants through a combination of charge neutralization (at low pH) and micellar modification. Its mild conditioning effect, derived from its cationic character at low pH, deposits a thin conditioning film on hair during rinsing for improved softness and manageability. HY-LAO is particularly valued in premium shampoo formulations for its ability to simultaneously boost foam, build viscosity, enhance mildness, and add conditioning in a single ingredient.
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Dual pH Behavior Amphoteric Versatility non ionic at neutral to alkaline pH; cationic at acidic pH below 3.5; exceptional compatibility with all surfactant classes across a wide pH range
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Dense Creamy Long Lasting Foam foam film stabilization mechanism produces particularly dense, creamy, and long lasting foam with superior sensory properties vs CDEA or CAPB alone
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Efficient Viscosity Building highly efficient viscosity builder in SLES systems; significant viscosity increase at low use levels through electrolyte micelle interaction
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Mildness Enhancement reduces irritation potential of primary anionic surfactants through charge neutralization and micellar modification
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Mild Hair Conditioning cationic character at low pH deposits conditioning film for improved hair softness and manageability
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Broad Surfactant Compatibility compatible with anionic, cationic, non ionic, and amphoteric surfactants; one of the most broadly compatible surfactant auxiliaries available
Formulation Guidelines
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Recommended use level: 1 to 5% in shampoos and body washes; 1 to 3% in facial cleansers; 2 to 6% in household cleaning formulations
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Active content: 30% active Lauramidopropylamine Oxide
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Phase: Add to water phase at room temperature to 40 degrees C with gentle mixing; avoid high temperature processing
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pH range: Stable and active across pH 3.5 to 9.0; optimal foam and viscosity building at pH 5.5 to 7.0
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INCI Name: Lauramidopropylamine Oxide
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Compatible with: SLES, SLS, CAPB, CDEA, sodium cocoyl isethionate, cationic conditioning agents, silicones, and most cosmetic ingredients
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Applications: Premium shampoos, body washes, facial cleansers, liquid hand soaps, sulfate free cleansers, and household cleaning concentrates
Tip
HY-LAO is the premium formulator's upgrade to CDEA in shampoo systems. While CDEA provides foam boosting and viscosity building, HY-LAO delivers superior foam quality, more efficient viscosity building, additional mildness enhancement, and mild conditioning in a single ingredient. The optimal premium shampoo system uses SLES (12%) as the primary surfactant, CAPB (3%) as the amphoteric co surfactant, and HY-LAO (2 to 3%) as the multifunctional foam booster, viscosity builder, and mildness enhancer, adjusted to pH 5.5. This combination delivers a noticeably superior foam, texture, and mildness profile compared to the standard SLES plus CAPB plus CDEA system.
