Ingredient label reference
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Amphoteric surfactant
Cleansing agents and surfactants
A surface-active ingredient used to help loosen and suspend oily soil, support foam and tune the feel or thickness of a wash.
- Also seen as
- CAPB · Cocamidopropyl betaine
- Reported functions
- Cleansing · Surfactant—cleansing · Surfactant—foam boosting · Hair conditioning · Viscosity controlling · Antistatic
- Example formats
- Rinse-off · Leave-on
Why it may be in a product
It may form one part of a blended cleansing system, where several surfactants shape foam, rinse and after-feel together.
What the name tells you
It identifies one multifunctional component that may contribute to cleansing, foam, conditioning or viscosity.
What the label cannot tell you
It cannot establish amount, raw-material composition or purity, cleansing strength, mildness, sensitisation potential or finished-product tolerance.
Evidence status
Official function terminology established; a canine finished-product outcome is not established.
Reference entries
Evidence and boundaries
Terminology sources, shown plainly.
The glossary uses official European sources to check ingredient terminology and to keep medical, biocidal and finished-product claims outside the glossary. Cosmetic references concern human products; their use here is limited to names and reported formulation functions.
Reference review: 2026-08-25.
Read the Journal editorial method →Discussed in Journal guides
- How to read a dog shampoo ingredient listWork through one clearly fictional label · Fictional label teaching example—not a real product or formula recommendation.
- Dog shampoo ingredients: what are they for?The cleansing system works as a blend · Examples from the fictional cleansing blend. The names do not establish ratios, cleansing strength, mildness or finished-product tolerance.
- What to look for in a dog shampoo before you buyWhat an ingredient name cannot tell you · Examples of names from four different functional groups, showing what a lookup returns. This is not a ranking, a shortlist of concerns or a list of names to avoid.
- Everyday care for sensitive and atopic canine skinAgree on washing and products together · Examples of cleansing-function terminology. These names do not establish finished-product strength, mildness or suitability.
- Bathing a dog at home, step by stepApply as the bottle directs · Examples of carrier and cleansing-function terminology a wash label may carry. The names establish neither how much of the product to use, nor how long to leave it on, nor how thoroughly it needs rinsing — the product's own directions are what state those.
- How often should you bathe a dog?A wash and a leave-on product are used differently · Examples of cleansing-function terminology and of terminology associated with leave-on formats. The names establish neither how often a product is used, nor in what format, nor whether it suits an individual dog — the product's own directions state its intended use, and a veterinarian is who adjusts anything for a particular animal.
Source 1
European Commission — CosIng databaseA non-binding reference for cosmetic ingredient names and reported functions. It concerns human cosmetics and is used here only as a terminology source, not as canine safety approval.
Source 2
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1175The current EU glossary of common ingredient names for cosmetic product labelling, applicable from 30 July 2026.
Source 3
Regulation (EU) 2019/6 on veterinary medicinal productsRegulatory context for why claims about treating or preventing disease are outside this formulation glossary.
Source 4
Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 on biocidal productsRegulatory context for why disinfection and pest-control claims are outside this formulation glossary.