Betaine is an alkaloid with a chemical name of N, N, N-trimethylglycine, and a chemical structure similar to amino acids. It belongs to the quaternary ammonium base group, which is widely found in plants and animals (plants such as beet, spinach, malt, mushrooms, octopus, cuttlefish, shrimp, and other molluscs; human liver, spleen, and amniotic fluid also contain betaine). The molasses of beet are the main source of betaine.

Cosmetic grade betaine is mostly extracted from sugar beet root molasses using chromatography separation technology. It is a new type of natural amino acid humectant with fast absorption and high activity. Betaine has a high degree of biocompatibility and is extremely soluble in water (at 20 ℃, 100 g of water can dissolve 160 g of betaine). At the same time, experiments have proven that betaine can be compatible with almost all surfactants, forming a stable and transparent aqueous solution regardless of the concentration used. As can be seen from Table 1, when betaine is mixed with other surfactants, it is not limited by the commonly encountered mixing ratio.

The solubilization performance of betaine is also noteworthy. For example, 50% betaine solution can dissolve 2% allantoin at room temperature, which is four times the solubility of allantoin in pure water; The maximum solubility of salicylic acid in water at room temperature is 0.2%, while 50% betaine aqueous solution can increase the solubility of salicylic acid to 5%, a sufficient increase of 25 times. The solubilization properties of betaine can help some effective ingredients that are difficult to dissolve in water and are not easy to precipitate.

Betaine can also increase the low-temperature stability of products. For example, in water in oil systems, sodium chloride and magnesium sulfate are usually added to improve the cold resistance stability of products. Experiments have shown that the freezing point of 15% betaine aqueous solution is - 22 ℃, and the freezing point of 50% betaine aqueous solution is - 32 ℃, which can greatly improve the low-temperature stability of products.

Summary: Betaine is mainly extracted from sugar beet root molasses and is a new natural amino acid humectant with fast absorption and high activity. Betaine is ubiquitous in animals and plants, and is an intermediate product of animal metabolism. It plays a very important role in the metabolism of nutrients. It is also a secondary product of metabolism and a very important osmoregulation substance, which is important for enhancing plant resistance, such as salt and drought resistance.