Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products that will not be immediately rinsed off due to increased risk of absorption.
- Products with the EWG VERIFIED mark have met the program’s impurity and use restrictions based on EWG's review of the company's data.
Other Concerns
Use restrictions (high) and Contamination concerns (high)SYNONYMS
Restricted
Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation
Cocamidopropyl betaine is a surfactant; it has been associated with irritation and allergic contact dermatitis, reactions that could be due to the ingredient itself or to impurities present in it, such as 3-dimethylaminopropylamine.
Common concerns
See how this product scores for common concerns.
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LOWCancer
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MODERATEAllergies & Immunotoxicity
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LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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HIGHUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
shampoo | 1609 products |
body wash/cleanser | 1237 products |
liquid hand soap | 771 products |
facial cleanser | 438 products |
conditioner | 251 products |
toothpaste | 233 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 139 products |
bubble bath | 116 products |
baby shampoo | 87 products |
hair color and bleaching | 63 products |
baby soap | 63 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 52 products |
bar soap | 51 products |
styling mousse/foam | 44 products |
hair treatment/serum | 41 products |
mask | 34 products |
beard cleanser | 29 products |
hair styling aide | 17 products |
makeup remover | 13 products |
baby bubble bath | 13 products |
12 products | |
sunless tanning | 11 products |
moisturizer | 11 products |
tooth whitening | 10 products |
shaving cream | 9 products |
beard care | 7 products |
detangler | 6 products |
foot cleansing | 6 products |
hair spray | 6 products |
baby wipes | 6 products |
hair-loss treatment | 6 products |
anti-aging | 5 products |
eye liner | 5 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 4 products |
styling gel/lotion | 4 products |
baby lotion | 4 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 3 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 3 products |
hand sanitizer | 2 products |
baby toothpaste | 2 products |
glitter | 2 products |
after sun product | 2 products |
facial cleansing wipes | 2 products |
body cleansing wipes | 2 products |
mouthwash | 1 products |
oil controller | 1 products |
eye makeup remover | 1 products |
hair relaxer | 1 products |
toners/astringents | 1 products |
hand cream | 1 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 1 products |
daily use with SPF | 1 products |
vapor rubs | 1 products |
baby sunscreen | 1 products |
setting powder/spray | 1 products |
damaged skin treatment | 1 products |
serums & essences | 1 products |
makeup primer | 1 products |
around-eye cream | 1 products |
Contamination concerns
Use restrictions
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Violation of industry recommendations - Restricted in cosmetics; use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Unsafe in products left on skin and not rinsed off | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Recommended restricted in cosmetics - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - any | Open scientific literature |
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualifications | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Limited evidence of sensitization toxicity or allergies | Open scientific literature |
any or allergies - weight of evidence unknown/unassessed | Open scientific literature |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Informational
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Unsafe in products left on skin and not rinsed off | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Classified as a low human health priority | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not suspected to be persistent | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Data gaps
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
73236 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
- CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
- NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
Understanding scores
Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.
Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.
HOW WE DETERMINE SCORESHazard score
The Skin Deep ingredient hazard score, from 1 to 10, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG VERIFIED® mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.
Data availability
The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.