Database/Antistatic/Coco-Betaine
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Coco-Betaine natural?

Mostly. The coconut fatty-amine chain carries the natural mass; the N-methyl groups and acetate linker are petrochemical reagent-derived.

INCI nameCoco-Betaine
CAS68424-94-2
FunctionAntistatic · Cleansing
FeedstockMade from coconut-derived fatty amine, N-methylated with petrochemical…

How we scored it

Coco alkyl-N C12H25N 183 Da (natural, fatty-amine route) + 2 CH3 (formaldehyde) + CH2COO (chloroacetate) 88 Da (petrochemical) = 271 Da; 183/271 = 0.68.
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.

How it’s made

Carboxymethylation of lauryl dimethylamine with chloroacetate (SN2). Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Made from coconut-derived fatty amine, N-methylated with petrochemical formaldehyde and quaternised with sodium chloroacetate. The coconut alkyl chain and its nitrogen are treated as the natural fraction.

In plain English

A mild, foam-boosting cleansing ingredient made from coconut fatty acid converted to an amine, then reacted with small synthetic building blocks. Found in shampoos and body washes. Mostly coconut-derived by weight.

CosIng definition: Betaines, coco alkyldimethyl

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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. 2COCO-BETAINE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3COCO-BETAINE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=COCO-BETAINE