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What Is Disodium EDTA Used for?

Disodium EDTA, also known as EDTA or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, has a wide range of uses in consumer products, especially in processed foods, cosmetics, household cleaning supplies and personal care items.

  1. Cosmetics, Personal Care, and Skin Care

    • In cosmetics, personal care and skin care products, disodium EDTA is used as a preservative, stabilizer and purifying agent to keep formulas free of contamination from tap water. Disodium EDTA also helps the topical penetration of active ingredients in skin care.

    Food and Beverages

    • Disodium EDTA is commonly used in food and beverages as a preservative, stabilizer, and protects food products from discoloration and oxidation. EDTA reacts negatively with Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and sodium bicarbonate in sodas and soft drinks, with higher propensity to form benzene, a carcinogen.

    Cleansing Agents

    • In laundry products and cleansing agents, disodium EDTA softens hard water and improves the bleaching and cleansing performance of non-chlorine cleansers.

    Industrial Uses

    • Disodium EDTA prevents impurities from discoloring dyed fabrics, improves effectiveness in paper pulp bleaching and is a cleaning agent to remove residue and scale left on industrial equipment that operate under high temperature, such as broilers.

    Medical Applications

    • Disodium EDTA has many medical uses. It is used to treat mercury and other heavy metal poisoning and removes excessive iron and calcium from the body. It is also an effective anticoagulant, and so it's used in blood transfusions and blood sample testing.

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