Beyond Harsh Cleansers: How Cocamidopropyl Betaine Powers Modern Skin Cleansing Systems
The global market for Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB) is projected to grow from $790 million in 2024 to exceed $1.13 billion by 2031. This growth, which reflects a compounded annual growth rate, or CAGR, of 5.4%, is largely driven by the increased use of CAPB in cosmetics and personal care applications1.
Use of CAPB is growing due to the shift in the cosmetics and personal care industry towards milder ingredients and sulfate-free formulas in response to consumer demand. For example, 59.6% of shampoo offerings currently feature a sulfate-free claim2, reflecting consumer preferences for sulfate-free products, which are generally perceived to be more gentle, natural, and non-toxic compared to products formulated with sulfate-based cleansers. Similarly, the growing popularity of daily facial cleansing routines is increasing demand for surfactants that remain gentle and comfortable after repeated use.
Unlocking On-Trend Claims
CAPB offers formulators and brands a path to some of the most commercially relevant claims in today’s cosmetics and personal care market. Its gentle, coconut-derived chemistry supports sulfate-free and clean-label positioning, while its mildness after repeated use enables credible daily-use claims, an increasingly important factor in facial cleansers, body wash, and baby care products. For brands targeting sensitive skin consumers, CAPB also delivers a strong formulation advantage, helping achieve high levels of skin compatibility while maintaining the rich lather and effective cleansing performance consumers expect.
Delivering Mildness and More
As an amphoteric surfactant, CAPB functions synergistically with primary anionic surfactants, such as sodium laureth sulfate, or SLES, helping to optimize system performance. It enhances mildness, improves skin compatibility, boosts foam quality, and supports viscosity development in rinse-off and frequent-use applications, which often reduces the need for additional rheology modifiers. This multifunctional profile makes it particularly valuable in sulfate-reduced systems, where maintaining cleansing performance alongside mildness is a key formulation challenge, and delivers meaningful efficiency benefits for manufacturers managing multiple base systems.
Broad Compatibility, Flexible Application
CAPB is stable across a wide pH range and is compatible with anionic, nonionic, and many cationic ingredients. This versatility makes it suitable for a wide range of applications, including shampoos, body washes, facial cleansers, baby care products, and modular cleansing bases.
How KGI Can Support You
Delivering on these performance and marketing claim expectations requires not only the right ingredient, but a supply partner capable of ensuring consistency, scalability, and technical support throughout development and production.
KGI supplies high-quality cocamidopropyl betaine in drums and totes alongside a complete portfolio of surfactants, specialty chemicals, and much more to support your manufacturing operation. We also have a dedicated team of experts who can provide formulation assistance and technical support from concept through scale. Contact us or your KGI representative today to discuss product options, specifications, and next steps.
References:
1. Global Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB) Market Research Report 2025 – QY Research
https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-0X494/global-cocamidopropyl-betaine-capb
2. Sulfate-Free Shampoos Market Size and Share Forecast Outlook 2025 to 2035
https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sulfate-free-shampoos-market