Database/Antistatic/Lauryl Betaine
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Lauryl Betaine natural?

Mostly. The lauryl chain is coconut/palm-derived; the dimethylamino and chloroacetate-derived betaine head-group are petrochemical.

INCI nameLauryl Betaine
CAS683-10-3
FormulaC16H33NO2 · 271.44 Da
FunctionAntistatic · Cleansing
FeedstockMade by reacting lauryl (dodecyl) amine, derived from…

How we scored it

Lauryl group C12H25 169Da (natural, coconut/palm) + dimethylamino/chloroacetate-derived betaine head C4H8NO2 102Da (petrochemical) = 169/271 = 0.62
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 by reacting lauryl (dodecyl) amine, derived from coconut or palm kernel oil, with dimethylamine and then sodium chloroacetate to form the betaine head-group; these small reagents are petrochemical.

In plain English

A mild, foam-boosting cleansing ingredient made from coconut or palm kernel fatty alcohol joined to a small synthetic charged group. It helps shampoos and washes lather gently.

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Structure

2D structure of Lauryl Betaine

2-[dodecyl(dimethyl)azaniumyl]acetate

PubChem CID 4292413 ↗

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. 2Lauryl Betaine. PubChem CID 4292413. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3LAURYL BETAINE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4LAURYL BETAINE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=LAURYL%20BETAINE