- Overview
- A coconut-derived cleanser that creates gentle, creamy foam.
- Category
- Cleansing
- Type
- Surfactant
Provides a gentle cleanse that feels less drying while creating a creamy, cushiony foam. Helps leave skin and hair comfortable after washing.
Common in facial cleansers, body washes, and shampoos, often as a secondary surfactant to soften the cleanse. Also used in hand soaps and bubble baths to improve foam feel.
This ingredient is not typically evaluated for comedogenicity, and no standardized rating is available.
Generally well tolerated in rinse‑off use, but it can cause irritation or allergy in a small subset of people, often related to residual impurities (e.g., amidoamine/DMAPA). Avoid eye contact and discontinue if stinging or redness occurs.
Reliable secondary surfactant that boosts foam and reduces harshness when blended with anionics, supporting a milder cleanse at typical use levels. It performs reliably enough for a Good rating, though it doesn't quite reach Great.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine vs. Coco Betaine
When reading about cocamidopropyl betaine you’ll likely also see it referred to as coco betaine. These two ingredients are very similar but not exactly the same.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read the full disclosure here
Both ingredients are surfactants and they are used in similar applications as noted above. However, coco betaine is manufactured without any synthetics so it can be found in organic product formulations. On the other hand, cocamidopropyl betaine always uses a synthetic process to join coco and betaine (both of which are natural).
Coco betaine isn’t as common as cocamidopropyl betaine but it still can be found, especially in organic and natural formulations. Funny enough, coco betaine has a higher chance of irritating the skin. This is one of many cases where natural isn’t always better.
Is Cocamidopropyl Betaine Vegan?
Yes. Cocamidopropyl betaine is completely vegan since it’s derived from plant-based betaine as well as coconut oil. However, since it’s a relatively common ingredient in skin care and hair care products, it’s present in many non-vegan formulations.
When shopping, make sure to refer to the ingredients list and check with the manufacturer to ensure that a particular product does not contain any animal-derived products.
Concerns
A study done in 2012 found that high-grade Cocamidopropyl betaine did not cause allergic reactions. Instead, two impurities called amino amide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine were the cause of allergic reactions. In other words, it’s the ingredient itself that posed the concern but rather a low-quality source that led to allergic reactions.
High-grade Cocamidopropyl betaine products free of these impurities may be safe to use, but you should still take care when using any product containing this ingredient.
Also pay closer attention to generic and lower priced products that contain this ingredient. When lower quality sources of this ingredient are used it may lead to issues.
Also Known As
Cocamidopropyl betaine for skin is also sometimes referred to by a few other terms. This includes CAPB, 1-propanaminium, hydroxide inner salt. In cleaning products, it’s also sometimes called Cocamidopropyl dimethyl glycine, disodium cocoamphodipropionate, or CADG.
