A growing number of California manufacturers are removing cocamide DEA from their products in response to lawsuits from a consumer advocacy group.
KPBS reports that the Center for Environmental Health sued several major manufacturers for exposing consumers to cocamide DEA last summer.
Cocamide DEA, also known as cocamide diethanolamine, is a coconut oil-based chemical used as a foaming agent. The chemical most commonly used in shampoos and some soaps to make bubbles.
Cocamide DEA has been recognized as a carcinogen for several years and its presence in consumer products violates a California law that requires warnings for cancer-causing chemicals.
The Center for Environmental Health keeps a list of products that contain cocamide DEA and of manufacturers that have pledged to eliminate the harmful chemical from their products.
Among the companies removing cocamide DEA are Walgreens, Avlon Industries, Lush Handmade Cosmetics Inc., Saks, and the Colgate-Palmolive Company.
Cocamide DEA was initially identified as a harmful chemical in 2012 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). (PDF)