N,N-Dimethylethanolammonium formate is a viscous liquid at room temperature. It is known to be easy to recover and purify after use through conventional distillation. This allows it to be reused multiple times. Among several other uses, it has been established that N,N-Dimethylethanolammonium formate can dissolve at least 100mg of keratin per gram of N,N-Dimethylethanolammonium formate. Keratin is a fibrous protein that can be found in feathers, wool, human hair, fingernails, animal claws and horns. Recovery of the regenerated keratin material is easily achieved by precipitation with methanol. Hence N,N-Dimethylethanolammonium formate can be an important tool for bio-refiners and cosmetologists.