Database/Antistatic/Stearyl Betaine
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Stearyl Betaine natural?

Mostly. Stearyl (C18 fatty) chain from natural fats bonds directly to a petrochemical dimethylamino-acetate head group.

INCI nameStearyl Betaine
CAS820-66-6
FormulaC22H45NO2 · 355.6 Da
FunctionAntistatic · Cleansing
FeedstockStearyl amine, derived from oleochemical stearic acid, is…

How we scored it

Octadecyl chain (natural, stearic-acid derived) C18H37 253 Da; N,N-dimethylglycine head (dimethylamine+chloroacetate, petrochemical) 103 Da -> 253/355.6=0.71.
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

Stearyl amine, derived from oleochemical stearic acid, is dimethylated then quaternized with sodium chloroacetate to form the betaine head group. Both the methylation reagents and chloroacetate are petrochemical.

In plain English

A mild surfactant and conditioning agent used in shampoos. It is made from stearic acid, a natural fatty acid often from vegetable oil, reacted with petrochemical reagents.

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Structure

2D structure of Stearyl Betaine

2-[dimethyl(octadecyl)azaniumyl]acetate

PubChem CID 101868 ↗

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. 2Stearyl Betaine. PubChem CID 101868. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3STEARYL BETAINE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4STEARYL BETAINE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=STEARYL%20BETAINE