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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED®

Data: Fair

Betaine

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Multiple, additive exposure sources (low) and Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (low)

SYNONYMS

● 1-CARBOXY-N,N,N-TRIMETHYL- HYDROXIDE INNER SALT METHANAMINIUM
● 1-CARBOXY-N,N,N-TRIMETHYLMETHANAMINIUM HYDROXIDE, INNER SALT
● 2-(TRIMETHYLAMMONIO)ETHANOIC ACID, HYDROXIDE, INNER SALT
● BETAINE
● HYDROXIDE INNER SALT METHANAMINIUM, 1-CARBOXY-N,N,N-TRIMETHYL-
● INNER SALT 1-CARBOXY-N,N,N-TRIMETHYLMETHANAMINIUM HYDROXIDE
● INNER SALT METHANAMINIUM, 1-CARBOXY-N,N,N-TRIMETHYL-, HYDROXIDE
● METHANAMINIUM, 1-CARBOXY-N,N,N-TRIMETHYL-, HYDROXIDE, INNER SALT
● METHANAMINIUM, 1-CARBOXY-N,N,N-TRIMETHYL-, INNER SALT
● METHANAMINIUM, 1CARBOXYN,N,NTRIMETHYL, HYDROXIDE, INNERSALT
● TRIMETHYLGLYCINE

Restricted

Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation

Betaine is a zwitterion (inner salt).

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

  • LOW
    Cancer
  • LOW
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • LOW
    Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
  • LOW
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
mask218 products
facial moisturizer/treatment183 products
hair color and bleaching129 products
serums & essences111 products
shampoo84 products
facial cleanser56 products
toners/astringents54 products
around-eye cream48 products
moisturizer47 products
conditioner44 products
hair treatment/serum43 products
lipstick26 products
body wash/cleanser21 products
foundation18 products
makeup primer16 products
anti-aging16 products
exfoliant/scrub16 products
hair styling aide13 products
makeup remover13 products
daily use with SPF13 products
bar soap10 products
after shave9 products
BB cream9 products
foot cleansing8 products
toothpaste8 products
foot moisturizer7 products
liquid hand soap6 products
baby wipes6 products
detangler5 products
setting powder/spray5 products
lip gloss5 products
lip balm5 products
hand cream5 products
eye shadow4 products
eye liner3 products
sunless tanning3 products
styling gel/lotion3 products
skin fading/lightener3 products
baby shampoo3 products
after sun product2 products
bubble bath2 products
facial powder2 products
pore strips2 products
1 products
bath oil/salts/soak1 products
foot odor control1 products
beard care1 products
lip plumper1 products
makeup removing wipes1 products
nail treatment1 products
body oil1 products
shaving cream (men's)1 products
bronzer/highlighter1 products
baby toothpaste1 products
antiperspirant/deodorant1 products
hair-loss treatment1 products
baby soap1 products
hand sanitizer1 products
mouthwash1 products
baby bubble bath1 products
recreational sunscreen1 products
styling mousse/foam1 products
body firming lotion1 products

Multiple, additive exposure sources

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Used in food or as an additive with limited or no toxicity information availableFDA Everything Added to Food

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of any irritationOpen scientific literature
any irritation - weight of evidence unknown/unassessedOpen scientific literature

Ecotoxicology

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Persistence and bioaccumulation

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be persistentEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Data gaps

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
5710 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed
  • FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
  • 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 SCORES

Hazard 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.

Score legend
WEIGHT-OF-EVIDENCE APPROACH

A product’s hazard score is not an average of the ingredients’ hazard scores. It is calculated using a weight-of-evidence approach that factors in all of the hazards or health impacts associated with the ingredients.

Data availability

The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.

NONE LIMITED FAIR GOOD ROBUST
Low Availability
Moderate Availability
High Availability
NONE

Ingredients have not been assessed.

LIMITED-FAIR

There is only a modest volume of research.

GOOD-ROBUST

Ingredients have been studied extensively.

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