Tetrasodium EDTA

Tetrasodium EDTA is a chelating agent used to prevent minerals and metals present in water-based formulations from bonding to other ingredients and impacting their efficacy. Chelating agents also prevent unwanted changes to a product’s texture, odor, and/or consistency, so are considered good stabilizers. Tetrasodium EDTA is one type of salt form of EDTA. The acronym EDTA is short for ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid, a stabilizer used in cosmetics to prevent ingredients in a given formula from binding with trace elements (particularly minerals) that can be present in water in some cases, added separately. Other EDTAs used in cosmetics include disodium and trisodium EDTAs. While the optimal EDTA salt to be chosen for skin care formulations depends on the final product’s pH, all forms effectively chelate polyvalent minerals like calcium and magnesium. Additionally, EDTA salts have been shown to enhance the performance of antimicrobial preservatives. Tetrasodium EDTA is typically used in amounts of 0.5% or less but is considered safe in cosmetics up to a 2% concentration. Clinical studies have shown it doesn’t penetrate past skin’s surface.

Related ingredients: Disodium EDTA Trisodium EDTA EDTA