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BETAINE

Last update on Jun 12, 2026

Betaine is a wonderful ingredient that is present naturally in the human body. It is added to cosmetic and personal care products to replenish the lost moisture content and balance the skin’s natural hydration. Betaine works well with almost all the other ingredients and has zero side effects. The chemical formula of Betaine is C5H11NO2.

CAS Number: 107-43-7Chem/IUPAC Name: Methanaminium, 1-carboxy-N,N,N-trimethyl-, hydroxide, inner saltEINECS/ELINCS No: 203-490-6COSING REF No: 74520

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What is BETAINE used for?

The huge benefits that Betaine provides in the world of cosmetics and personal care puts it in the spotlight. It can be found in a wide range of hair and skin conditioning products.

  • Skin care: It is a humectant that cures the skin to provide it with a plumped and dewy look. It is also considered anti-aging because it improves the natural hydration levels of the skin - reducing dryness and the appearance of wrinkles on the surface
  • Hair care: It is also added to hair care products in order to provide moisturization to the scalp. It detangles the shafts and makes them silky smooth. Because of its humectant properties, Betaine is the perfect solution for dry and damaged hair
  • Cosmetic products: It improves the texture of the products. It also thickens the formulations by almost 20%, which helps in improving the spreadability of cosmetics. Apart from this, Betaine makes the cosmetic products more hydrating and prevents them from drying out

Origin

Betaine is a natural ingredient but can also be made synthetically. Naturally, Betaine can be derived from sugar beets, wheat bran, spinach, wheat germs, and also aquatic invertebrates. Further, it can also be made by reacting chloroacetic acid and sodium carbonate, and adding liquid trimethylamine to it.

What does BETAINE do in a formulation?

HAIR CONDITIONING|
HUMECTANT|
SKIN CONDITIONING|
VISCOSITY CONTROLLING

Safety Profile

Betaine is a safe ingredient and has no known side effects. Even the synthetically derived Betaine has proven to be non-toxic if used under the prescribed concentrations. However, as a precautionary measure, it is good to do a patch test before full application. Limited research and data show no risk of use of Betaine during pregnancy.

BETAINE alternatives

BETAINE technical profile

PropertyValues
Melting Point301°C
SolubilitySoluble in water