FRIGHTFUL 15: #3 ETHYLENEDIAMINETETRAACETIC ACID (EDTA)

ETHYLENEDIAMINETETRAACETIC ACID (EDTA)

What Is It and Why in Skincare and Personal Care Products?

Better known as EDTA, is a colorless and water soluble chemical.  Today EDTA is synthesized from ethylenediamine, formaldehyde, and a source of cyanide.  In skin care products it’s used as a preservative, a stabilizer and foaming agent to help personal care products work better in hard water.  EDTA also enhances the penetration of skin care ingredients which sounds like a good thing. 

 So What’s So Bad?

Unfortunately, EDTA is not selective only letting in the good stuff.  It enhances the absorption of bad chemicals, too, found in water and the other unwanted ingredients in everyday skin care. The FDA has considered it safe … but is it? 

Studies to date have not proven EDTA to be a danger, however, in a final document reported in the International Journal of Toxicology:

“Because of the potential to increase the penetration of other chemicals, formulators should continue to be aware of this when combining these ingredients with ingredients that previously have been determined to be safe, primarily because they were not significantly absorbed.”

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12396676


To avoid this ingredient, watch for these on the label:

  • Edetate sodium

  • Tetrasodium edetate

  • Tetrasodium salt

  • TEA-EDT

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has reservations about the use of EDTA in skincare due to possible skin irritation. Although not expected to be bio accumulative (meaning EDTA continues to increase tissue buildup in the body over time) EWG classifies EDTA as expected to be toxic or harmful., a medium human health priority.

VERDAUD was developed as a skin and body care product line that won’t irritate the most sensitive skin. That’s why you won’t find EDTA in VERDAUD.

Source: EWG Skin Deep® | What is EDTA



Barbara PaprockEDTAComment