Vegemoist, aka Glycine Betaine (Beta vulgaris (Beet)) Sugar Extract, is my most favorite humectant. It’s more user-friendly than honey, not sticky like Glycerin, and doesn’t stink like Honeyquat. It’s in powder form, unlike Sodium PCA, and works better than Sorbitol. In addition, for whatever reason, it gives your final product a shiny look, making it appear more like a commercial product.

I was verklemt when I used the last little bit of my 2nd bag of Vegemoist and posted about it on twitter:

OMG. I was dreading this day: I finally ran outta #vegemoist (beet sugar extract)! NOOOOO!
(LOL! Btw,how are u guys doing today?) @IToDieFor pic.twitter.com/w0yEu2VM18

— curlyteaconsult (@curlyteaconsult) July 17, 2017

I know, but… but…. it’s my favorite! I needed more.

Vegemoist is glycine betaine, right? Is there another term for glycine betaine? I searched and the first thing I noticed was the term “trimethylglycine” or TMG. The terms Trimethylglycine (TMG) and betaine are used interchangeably.

Let’s just break down the word trimethylglycine:
TRImethly + glycine. TRI means 3. It represents the 3 methyl groups attached to glycine.

Another term for trimethylglycine is Glycine Betaine. Also listed among the synonyms for betaine is “betaine anhydrous“. The word “anhydrous” simply means “without water”.

I’ve seen the term “betaine anhydrous” before. Betaine anhydrous came up as a recommended product while I was looking for something else at amazon.com. The food grade version of trimethylglycine (betaine anhydrous) is taken by people, internally, as a vitamin. You know, it’s like how you’d take MSM or biotin to help address a specific need in your diet.

It’s “an amino acid derivative found in foods like beet root”. Apparently, betaine anhydrous is extracted from beet root.  It’s used by athletes to improve endurance and help build lean muscle.

But could this be? Could Betaine Anhydrous = Trimethylglycine = Glycine betaine?

Remember, Vegemoist is Glycine betaine. So is ingredientstodiefor.com’s “Vegemoist” really “betaine anhydrous trimethylglycine”? It sure looks like it.

If that’s the case, whenever you see “Betaine”, “Glycine Betaine”, “Betaine Anhydrous Trimethylglycine TMG” or “TMG”, you may be looking the food-grade version of Vegemoist.

If you buy Betaine Anhydrous from any place other than ingredientstodiefor.com, MAKE SURE the only ingredient in it is Trimethylglycine (TMG). Look for the following:

Don’t buy “Betaine HCL” (It may look like Betaine HCI on the bottle). Betaine HCL is betaine hydrochloride. This version has hydrochloride added to assist in digestion. You don’t want that one. Just get the regular pure trimethylglycine or TMG.

Check out this ingredient intro video I did for Vegemoist:

Also, please get the powder version! Anything in pill form may contain other fillers affecting the effectiveness of using this as a humectant.

You’ll find Betaine as an ingredient in products like Burt’s Bees Shea & Grapefruit Deep Conditioner. It’s even listed as an ingredient in some of the fabulous Korean Beauty products from CosRX. Specifically, it is the 5th ingredient in the Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion with Birch Sap.

Why not try it out in place of glycerin in some of your DIY mixes? Let us know how it turns out!

I’ve already begun experimenting and you’ll see this ingredient used in a few upcoming recipes.  Make sure to become a Subscriber so you can get full access to the recipe including ingredients list, instructions and my notes!

Sources

https://examine.com/supplements/trimethylglycine/

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/betaine#section=Top

https://www.amazon.com/Burts-Bees-Super-Shampoo-Grapefruit/dp/B000FL4410/ref=sr_1_2_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1458314085&sr=1-2&keywords=Burt%27s+Bees+Super+Shiny+Grapefruit+%26+Sugar+Beet+Shampoo