Cocamide is a mixture of amides manufactured from the fatty acids obtained from coconut oil. As coconut oil contains about 50% of lauric acid, in formulas only the 12-carbon chains tend to be considered.[1] Therefore the formula of cocamide can be written as, though the number of carbon atoms in the chains varies (it is always even).[2]
Cocamide is the structural basis of many surfactants. Common are ethanolamines (cocamide MEA, cocamide DEA), betaine compounds (cocamidopropyl betaine), and hydroxysultaines (cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine).[3]