Disodium EDTA (Chelator)

Description

Ensure your water-based formulations stay crystal clear, stable, and performing at its best with our cosmetic-grade Disodium EDTA.  As a powerhouse chelating agent, Disodium EDTA acts as an invisible shield for your DIY and commercial skincare and haircare formulations.

It binds to trace metal minerals found in water, effectively preventing discoloration, rancidity, and unexpected texture changes over time. By neutralizing these microscopic disruptors, it also works as a critical preservative booster – helping stretch your product’s shelf life longer and keeping your active ingredients potent and consistent from the first scoop to the last drop.

INCI Name:  Disodium EDTA

Full Name: EDTA is short for: Ethylene Diamine Tetra-acetic Acid.

Ingredient Type: Chelating Agent, Preservative Booster

Ingredient Function: Chelator, water softener, preservative booster, stability enhancer.

Applications: Disodium EDTA is found in all kinds of cosmetic products such as lotions, creams, shampoos and conditioners, sunscreens, and makeup products.

Solubility: Dissolves in Water

Usage Rate:  0.1-0.5% typically; up to 0.85%.

What Phase/ When to Add into a Formula: Add Disodium EDTA into the water phase, at the beginning of your formulation.

NOTE FOR FORMULATORS: EDTA increases  the pH value of a formulation/ product.

SUBSTITUTES/ REPLACEMENTS
Other Chelating agents or substitutes to Disodium EDTA include: Sodium Phytate, and Tetrasodium EDTA.

Benefits: Why Formulators Love Disodium EDTA

Disodium EDTA is a crucial stabilizing ingredient that protects the integrity of your lotions, creams, shampoos, conditioners, sunscreens, and makeup. By binding with trace metals and minerals in your water phase, it prevents your products from undergoing unwanted changes like separation, unexpected pH shifts, foul odors, or texture breakdown.

• Preservative Booster: Disodium EDTA seamlessly boosts the efficacy of your broad-spectrum preservatives to keep your formulation batches safe. It clears out mineral interference so your active ingredients and preservatives can work at their absolute peak performance.
• Clarity & Texture Shield: Prevents cloudiness, sediment, and soap scum formation in transparent liquids. When Disodium EDTA is added during formulation, it locks in your formula’s original consistency, scent, and pH, ensuring a long and reliable shelf life.
• Antioxidant Partner: Protects fragile natural oils, botanical extracts, and active ingredients from mineral-driven oxidation.
• Enhances Skin & Hair Care Performance: It’s highly recommended for water-dominant formulations like toners, serums, lotions, creams, shampoos, and conditioners. In haircare, it dissolves stubborn mineral build-up on the hair shaft, improves hair texture, calms scalp irritation, and helps prolong the vibrancy of hair color.
• Boosts Cleansing & Foam: Improves the foaming and cleaning performance of shampoos, body washes, and cleansers, even in hard water.