EWG Skin Deep® | What is TETRASODIUM EDTA

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Fair

Tetrasodium Edta

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

SEARCH PRODUCTS

FIND PRODUCTS WITH THIS INGREDIENT

Other Concerns

Enhanced skin absorption, Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), and Occupational hazards (high)

SYNONYMS

EDETATE SODIUM, ETHYLENEDIAMINETETRAACETIC ACID TETRASODIUM SALT, GLYCINE, N,N 1,2ETHANEDIYLBIS[N(CARBOXYMETHYL), TETRASODIUM SALT, GLYCINE, N,N'-1,2-ETHANEDIYLBIS[N-(CARBOXYMETHYL)-, TETRASODIUM SALT, N,N'-1,2-ETHANEDIYL BIS[N-(CARBOXYMETHYL)GLYCINE, TETRASODIUM SALT, N,N'-1,2-ETHANEDIYLBIS[N-(CARBOXYMETHYL)- TETRASODIUM SALT GLYCINE, N,N'-1,2-ETHANEDIYLBIS[N-(CARBOXYMETHYL)GLYCINE], TETRASODIUM SALT, SODIUM EDETATE, TETRASODIUM EDE TATE TETRAHYDRATE, TETRASODIUM EDETATE, TETRASODIUM EDETATE DIHYDRATE, TETRASODIUM EDTA, TETRASODIUM EDTA; TETRASODIUM ETHYLENEDIAMINETETRAACETATE, TETRASODIUM ETHYLENE DIAMINE TETRAACETATE, TETRASODIUM ETHYLENEDIAMINETETRAACETATE, TETRASODIUM SALT GLYCINE, N,N'-1,2-ETHANEDIYLBIS[N-(CARBOXYMETHYL)-, and TETRASODIUM SALT N,N'-1,2-ETHANEDIYLBIS[N-(CARBOXYMETHYL)GLYCINE]

EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) is a chelating agent, used to sequester and decrease the reactivity of metal ions that may be present in a product.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

LOW

Cancer
LOW

Allergies & Immunotoxicity
LOW

Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
LOW

Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

CONCERNS
DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

body wash/cleanser	485 products
shampoo	375 products
liquid hand soap	304 products
foundation	236 products
bar soap	186 products
conditioner	158 products
moisturizer	100 products
exfoliant/scrub	97 products
facial cleanser	95 products
hair color and bleaching	88 products
mascara	75 products
facial moisturizer/treatment	71 products
styling gel/lotion	44 products
hair styling aide	44 products
mask	42 products
concealer	38 products
hair treatment/serum	37 products
antiperspirant/deodorant	35 products
facial powder	31 products
daily use with SPF	29 products
bubble bath	26 products
eye liner	26 products
serums & essences	26 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)	25 products
baby shampoo	25 products
hand cream	23 products
around-eye cream	20 products
blush	19 products
baby soap	18 products
bronzer/highlighter	17 products
bath oil/salts/soak	15 products
brow liner	15 products
toners/astringents	14 products
setting powder/spray	14 products
	13 products
makeup remover	12 products
after sun product	11 products
detangler	11 products
body firming lotion	10 products
makeup primer	10 products
baby wipes	8 products
sunless tanning	7 products
hand sanitizer	6 products
BB cream	6 products
beard care	6 products
recreational sunscreen	5 products
beard cleanser	5 products
anti-aging	4 products
after shave	4 products
eye makeup remover	4 products
hair-loss treatment	4 products
foot moisturizer	3 products
baby bubble bath	3 products
styling mousse/foam	3 products
muscle/joint soreness	3 products
nail treatment	3 products
mouthwash	3 products
lipstick	3 products
other eye makeup	3 products
foot cleansing	2 products
skin fading/lightener	2 products
oil controller	2 products
fragrance for men	2 products
hair spray	2 products
baby lotion	2 products
glitter	2 products
tooth whitening	2 products
shaving cream	2 products
eye shadow	1 products
shaving cream (men's)	1 products
cuticle treatment	1 products
baby oil	1 products
lip balm	1 products
damaged skin treatment	1 products
vapor rubs	1 products
eyelash glue	1 products

Enhanced skin absorption

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Penetration enhancer	Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Occupational hazards

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Allowed workplace exposures restricted to low doses	CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Limited evidence of eye toxicity	CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmful	Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Data gaps

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - Maximum reported "as used" concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in product	Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
3889 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical	NLM PubMed

Multiple, additive exposure sources

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food	FDA Everything Added to Food

Informational

CONCERN	REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - any	Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
CPS&Q (Consumer Products Safety & Quality) formely known as ECB (European Chemicals Bureau). 2008. Classification and Labelling: Chemicals: Annex VI of Directive 67/548/EEC through the 31st ATP.
EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

Understanding scores

Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.

Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES

Hazard score

The Skin Deep ingredient hazard score, from 1 to 10, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG VERIFIED™ mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.

Data availability

The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.

NONE LIMITED FAIR GOOD ROBUST

Low Availability

Moderate Availability

High Availability