Database/Antistatic/Cetyl Betaine
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Cetyl Betaine natural?

Mostly. The oleochemical cetyl chain is natural; the dimethylamino and acetate head group come from petrochemical methylating and chloroacetate reagents.

INCI nameCetyl Betaine
CAS693-33-4
FormulaC20H41NO2 · 327.5 Da
FunctionAntistatic · Cleansing
FeedstockCetyl Betaine is made from cetyl, a palm-…

How we scored it

Cetyl chain (oleochemical, natural) C16H33 225.4 Da vs N(CH3)2CH2COO head group (petrochemical, methylation + chloroacetate) 102.1 Da → 225.4/327.5 = 0.69
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

Where it comes from

Cetyl Betaine is made from cetyl, a palm- or coconut-derived fatty amine, methylated with petrochemical reagents and quaternized with sodium chloroacetate. Most of the molecule's mass comes from the natural fatty chain.

In plain English

A mild cleansing and conditioning ingredient made mostly from a coconut- or palm-derived fatty chain, combined with a small synthetic head group.

CosIng definition: (Carboxylatomethyl)hexadecyldimethylammonium

Natural alternatives with the same function

Acronychia Acidula Fruit Extract 100% natural origin

An extract of lemon aspen, an Australian native fruit, used to condition skin and hair and help hold…

 Alanine 100% natural origin

An amino acid used for skin and hair conditioning, part of skin's natural moisturising factor. Made by fermenting…

 Arginine 100% natural origin

An amino acid found in skin and hair proteins, used for conditioning and moisture-binding. Made by fermenting plant…

 Asparagine 100% natural origin

An amino acid made by fermenting plant sugars, similar to other food-fermentation processes. Helps condition hair and skin…

 Aspartic Acid 100% natural origin

An amino acid used for skin conditioning and moisture retention. Usually produced by fermentation or by an enzyme…

 Capryloyl Hydrolyzed Collagen 100% natural origin

Collagen broken into small protein fragments and attached to caprylic acid, an eight-carbon fatty acid from coconut or…

Structure

2D structure of Cetyl Betaine

2-[hexadecyl(dimethyl)azaniumyl]acetate

PubChem CID 93554 ↗

References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2Cetyl Betaine. PubChem CID 93554. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3CETYL BETAINE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4CETYL BETAINE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CETYL%20BETAINE