What is Cocamidopropyl Betaine and what is it used for?
Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a surfactant (used, for example, to help remove dirt from your skin), and is also used as an antistatic in things like hair products. Companies will often say that it’s ‘from coconut’ or ‘coconut derived’, but it’s actually a synthetic surfactant because of the chemical processing involved in deriving it. However, there’s plenty of companies that like to say it’s natural because there’s coconut involved.
What’s the problem with Cocamidopropyl Betaine?
It is considered to be an irritant and an allergen, and it’s suspected to be an environmental toxin. There are also concerns that cocamidopropyl betain can be contaminated with nitrosamines.
Read more:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8706401?dopt=Abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12786723?dopt=Abstract
http://chemicaloftheday.squarespace.com/todays-chemical/2009/6/21/cocamidopropyl-betaine.html
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/701520/COCAMIDOPROPYL_BETAINE/#
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