Process for preparing an aqueous mixture of &egr;-caprolactam and 6-aminocaproic acid and/or 6-aminocaproamide which involves, as the reductive amination step, contacting 5-formylvaleric acid and/or an alkyl 5-formylvalerate in water as solvent with hydrogen and an excess of ammonia in the presence of a ruthenium on carrier, as a catalyst, wherein the carrier is titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, graphite or carbon and the catalyst also contains at least one of the metals of group 8-11, or a compound of these metals. The aqueous mixture can be used to prepare &egr;-caprolactam.