Body & Beauty / Compounds / Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB)

Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) on your skin: a safety profile

Moderate risk

(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Contact allergen (ACDS Allergen of the Year 2004); sensitization may be from impurities (DMAPA/amidoamine)

What is cocamidopropyl betaine (capb)?

Also known as: cocamidopropyl betaine, بيتاين بروبيل كوكاميد, kokamidopropylobetaina, Cocamidopropylbetaïne.

CAS number
61789-40-0

Risk for people

Moderate risk

Contact allergen (ACDS Allergen of the Year 2004); sensitization may be from impurities (DMAPA/amidoamine)

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB).

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EU_COSMETICS2009restricted_preservativeEU Annex III — restrictions

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where you encounter cocamidopropyl betaine (capb)

  • Personal Care — shampoo, baby shampoo, body wash, facial cleanser, contact lens solution

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB):

  • Sodium cocoyl isethionate
    Trade-offs: Alternative surfactant; performance characteristics (foaming, emulsification, wetting) vary; biodegradability and aquatic toxicity should be assessed; formulation adjustment may be needed.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Disodium cocoyl glutamate
    Trade-offs: Extremely mild (pH 5.5-6.5); biodegradable; derived from amino acids and fatty acids; premium ingredient cost; excellent consumer perception; lower foam volume than sulfate surfactants.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain cocamidopropyl betaine (capb)?

Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) appears in: shampoo (Personal care); baby shampoo (Personal care).

See Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) in the body app

Look up products containing cocamidopropyl betaine (capb), compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in body View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. PubChem Compound Database (2026) — database

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →