Skin care can sometimes be overwhelming. Not knowing which skincare ingredient is right for you, which one is safe and effective, which one is not – you may really get confused.
You’ve probably encountered skincare products with betaine. You may be wondering whether betaine is a natural and safe ingredient for your skin.
What are the properties and benefits of betaine? Do you actually need it in your skincare routine?
For that reason, this article contains all the answers about betaine you need to know. It will guide you through introducing betaine into your skin care.
You may already be familiar with the fact that betaine helps increase hydration and moisture to your skin, making your skin more elastic and plump. It also helps protect the skin’s natural barrier from oxidative stress (we will explain this term later) and skin damage1.
Furthermore, it may improve hair strength and soften your hair2.
All of that sounds really promising, right?
Keep on reading to learn more about betaine and how to implement it in your skincare routine in the right way to benefit most from it, and avoid any potential side effects.
What Is Betaine?
Betaine, also called Trimethylglycine, TMG and glycine betaine, is a naturally-derived substance which has a wide variety of benefits, especially in skin care and hair care products.
It can be derived from sugar beets, wheat germ, spinach, microorganisms, aquatic invertebrates, and other sources – to find its use in our cosmetic products.
Primarily, it is used as a humectant, gentle moisturizer, due to its powerful humectant properties.
It attracts and retains water in your skin cells, and replenishes moisture in that way. Doing so, it also improves skin texture, making it smooth and firm.
It also has protective properties, protecting cells from various stressors. Besides, it is a great anti-aging ingredient, with additional anti-inflammatory and non-irritating properties. Magical, right?
Is Betaine A Natural Ingredient?
Yes, betaine is a natural ingredients and naturally occurring substance. As already mentioned, it is a plant-derived (initially derived from beets).
It also naturally occurs in human bodies.
However, it can also be made in a laboratory as a synthetic form of betaine.
Skincare Benefits Of Betaine
Betaine is an effective and beneficial ingredient for various skin types, having multiple positive effects on your skin (and other organs, when taken orally – but that’s a separate topic).
- Magical humectant
Betaine is known for attracting and retaining hydration to your skin, deeply moisturizing your precious skin.
In fact, it allows your skin cells to control the surface tension of water, stabilizing both protein structure and function – and cell water balance3. Doing so, it gives your skin that dewy, plumped, and – healthy look.
Similarly, it gives your hair more hydration, making your hair shiny and more elastic.
- Protect and care
It is amazing how betaine helps protect your skin from the process called oxidative stress4 and UV radiation5.
Oxidative stress represents an increased amount of the oxidants, which exceed your body’s antioxidant defense system capacity.
Oxidative stress may lead to inflammation, which may, in turn, cause collagen fragmentation and disorganization, contributing to skin aging process, but also increasing the risk of some skin diseases6.
- Youth, sweet youth
Another important benefit of betaine is – anti-aging formulation.
As it protects your skin from free radical damage and oxidative stress, it keeps you from premature skin aging and skin damage. So, it will slow down the process of aging for you. How great is that?
- No more irritation
Betaine is also an anti-inflammatory non-irritating ingredient that may help in soothing inflammation and skin concerns related to sensitive skin.
Betaine also contributes in maintaining the skin’s natural barrier, protecting your skin from water loss, allergies, and bacteria.
Thanks to its anti-inflammatory effect on your skin, it helps prevent skin irritation and sensitivity.
- Silky feel
Did you know that betaine is also used as a texture enhancer in cosmetics and skincare products?
It means this ingredient improves the texture of your products, providing that silky feeling to skincare products.
- Even skin – beautiful skin
Some more new researches have shown that betaine can be used topically to visibly correct uneven skin tone.
So, besides other benefits (including building healthy skin barrier), it evens out your skin tone. Wonderful, right?
Does Betaine Have Any Side Effects?
Natural betaine is non-irritating, considered to be a low hazard – and very safe skin ingredient, with no known side effects.
On the other hand, as with any other synthetic skincare ingredient, synthetic betaine may also have some minor side effects and drawbacks you need to be aware of.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) has evaluated synthetic betaines, including cocamidopropyl betaine and amidopropyl betaines for potential side effects, such as skin irritation7.
Again, naturally-derived betaine is considered to be a stable and nontoxic substance. No worries! It is great for all skin types!
Is Betaine Good For Your Skin?
Yes, betaine is good for your skin and has multiple benefits for skin. Considering the fact that (natural) betaine is also entirely safe, it means this is a great ingredient for your skin.
Does Betaine Clog Pores?
Natural betaine is non-comedogenic. However, there is a slight possibility for pore clogging if you are using cocamidopropyl betaine or products with this ingredient.
So, the latter is not recommended for acne-prone skin8.
Wanna read more about comedogenic ingredients and how they contribute to acne breakouts? Check my article here.
Is Betaine Safe In Skincare?
Yes, betaine is safe in skincare. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) of betaine concluded that betaine is safe9.
And, according to their review, they studied for example hair conditioners with up to 8.7% of betaine and shampoos with concentration of 8.8%.
Betaine has also rating of 1 according to EWG10, which means it is considered safe.
Keep in mind this only refers to natural betaine, not the cocamidopropyl betaine11.
Is Betaine Safe For Sensitive Skin?
Again, betaine is definitely safe for your sensitive skin.
It would be better, however, that you are using naturally-derived betaine. In fact, dermatologists often say it’s less irritating than water. That says enough, right?
On the other hand, synthetic betaine might be irritating, especially if you don’t rinse it off immediately and it gets more absorbed.
According to CIR recommendations from 1991 if you use leave-on products with cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB), its concentration should be less than 3%. However newer studies show that even lower concentration of CAPB (2.25% in soap formulations) can be irritating to the skin12.
How To Use Betaine In Skincare Routine?
You can incorporate betaine into your skincare routine in several ways. You can use it in a form of night serum for face, as a regular, natural moisturizer, or a cleanser.
You can mix it with anything and use it – as instructed, in recommended doses and frequencies.
If you opt for a betaine moisturizer, you can use it once or twice a day.
On the other hand, if you use it in a concentrated serum mixed with other active ingredients, make sure you start slow and gradually increase the frequency.
As betaine doesn’t irritate the skin at all – it actually soothes it – you can use it in the combination with other clean beauty skincare ingredients that complement the needed effect.
Popular ingredients that are often mixed with betaine is hyaluronic acid and niacinamide. If you pair any of these ingredients with betaine you’ll have a powerful anti-aging duo.
Besides, both betaine and hyaluronic acid are humectants so their effects get enhance when it comes to hydrating skin13.
But always make sure you’re using cosmetic products with natural betaine, especially if you don’t rinse it off.
Natural Betaine vs. Cocamidopropyl Betaine
As I briefly mentioned earlier there is a natural and synthetic form of betaine. And these two differ a lot, especially in terms of safety in skincare.
Here’s my more in-depth comparison of beatine vs. cocamidopropyl betaine.
How Safe Is
- Natural Betaine: Very safe – scoring 1 on EWG Skin Deep ingredient hazard score (which ranges from 1 to 10)14.
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine: Can be an irritant – it scored 1-5 on the same EWG Skin Deep ingredient hazard score15. The hazard score depends on the usage and the amount or concentration of product containing cocamidopropyl betaines. The score is higher if CAPB is used in a leave-on product which means higher risk of absorption. This can lead to irritation and allergic contact dermatitis.
How Hydrating Is
- Natural Betaine: Extremely hydrating – well, it is primarily a humectant, which means that it helps keep moisture inside your skin. Furthermore, natural betaine is also an “osmolyte”, which means it can help your skin adapt to both moisture loss and gain16. It is also a great add to hydrating shampoos.
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine: Very hydrating – cocamidopropyl betaine lathers easily on your skin and leaves it feeling hydrated. Being derived from coconut, cocamidopropyl betaine is very hydrating. However, it is primarily used as a surfactant.
How Gentle Is
- Natural Betaine: Safe(est) – natural betaine is gentle, safe, non-irritating, non-toxic substance, which doesn’t have any side effects. It is suitable for any skin type. Thanks to its anti inflammatory properties, it is safe even in sensitive skin.
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine: It can trigger allergic reaction and skin irritations – depending on the dose (especially in products that you don’t rinse off), CAPB can be either fairly good or potentially irritating. Those of you with acne-prone skin should probably avoid it, as it may clog your pores – and cause breakouts. Dry skin is on the safe side here.
*In any case, as with other skin products, perform a patch test before using it.
How Cleansing Is
- Natural Betaine: Protective cleansing – it rather helps you build healthy skin barrier which will protect your skin from environmental stress, and buildup of dead skin layers, dirt, or makeup residues.
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine: Great for cleansing17 – it binds to the molecules of dirt and is, therefore, great for removing the skin’s oils and grime. It can also remove makeup very nicely.
The purpose of this article is informative and entertaining. It’s not a substitute for medical consultation or medical care. The author of this article does not accept any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, from any information or advice contained here. Safety should be your priority.
Resources:
- https://www.mdpi.com/
- https://www.spandidos-publications.com/
- https://thedermreview.com/
- https://online.personalcarecouncil.org/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
- https://www.skincarelab.org/
- https://www.ewg.org/
- https://journals.sagepub.com/
- https://bioscience.iff.com/
- https://enclaire.in/
- https://www.byrdie.com/
