A process for purifying 2-phenyl-4-(3-carboalkoxypropionyl)-1,3-oxazolin-5-one, which is formed by reacting N-benzoylglycine with succinic acid monoalkyl ester chloride in 4-methylpyridine and obtainable in the form of red-colored crystals after neutralization with an excess of hydrochloric acid, characterized in that the red-colored crystals are suspended in an organic solvent or a mixture of a plurality of organic solvents until decolorization, the organic solvent or solvents being selected from the group consisting of organic solvents having an elution strength E0 in the range of from 0.40 to 0.55, and the organic solvent or solvents having a water content in the range of from 1 to 10 vol. %.