Cocoamidopropyl Betaine, MPS is a fairly mild and gentle surfactant used in melt and pour soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and body washes. It has been valued for its foaming qualities and, ability to serve as a thickening agent.  Cocoamidopropyl betaine leaves hair and skin soft and smooth. It is compatible with other cationic, anionic, and nonionic surfactants making it a favorite of cosmetic formulators.  Cocamidopropyl betaine has an exceptional safety profile and performs markedly well.

Cocamidopropyl betaine is a long chain surfactant derived from coconut oil. Skeptics are alarmed by the fact that during the synthesis of this ingredient, some of the reagents involved in the reaction may be potentially harmful.  A solid comprehension of the chemistry involved in reagents will help clarify this debate.  A reagent is a substance that is used in a chemical reaction to produce other substances.  It is not in the final product. An example of this could be the Sodium Hydroxide when it is used to cause a reaction called saponification to create soap.  Sodium Hydroxide is an ingredient with multiple hazard warnings, but when combined with other constituents it creates an effective, safe, and diverse cleaning agent.  There is no un-reacted Sodium Hydroxide in the finished soap because a new product has been formed.  In addition, the Cocamidopropyl betaine MPS called for in the recipes in this book has 0 ppm (parts per million) amidoamines and absolutely no un-reacted reagents left in it. 

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel reviewed Cocamidopropyl betaine and found it to be safe for use as used in rinse of products and limited it to 3% for leave-on products.  According to the general provisions of the Cosmetics Directive of the European Union, Cocamidopropyl betaine may be used in cosmetics and personal care products marketed in Europe.  In tests Cocoamidopropyl betaine was found to be readily biodegradable, slightly orally toxic, moderately irritating to the eyes, mildly irritating to the skin, and no delayed contact hypersensitivity or evidence of sensitization was observed.  It is not a mutagenic, nor is it a carcinogen. Cocamidopropyl betaine is an excellent example of how information has been misused by organizations with an agenda.  For example, according to Skin Deep, Cocamidopropyl betaine is rated as a moderate hazard due to: “Violations, Restrictions & Warning, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Contamination Concerns, and Ecotoxicology.” 

After thorough research over the rating of Cocamidopropyl betaine, I found not only was the rating system fatally flawed, but it is used to misrepresent the truth.  I have added the Addendum I , Skin Deep and Cocomidopropyl Betaine Debate in this book to review the topic of misinformation to help consumers decipher the ratings given to Cocamidopropyl betaine by Skin Deep. 

Disclaimer:  There are several different trade names for Cocamidopropyl betaine with minor variations of solids, color, pH, cloud point and viscosity.  All of the formulas in this book were done using Cocamidopropyl betaine, MPS.  Results may vary with another version of Cocamidopropyl betaine.