Database/Chelating/EDTA
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is EDTA natural?

No. Classic synthetic chelator made from petrochemical ethylenediamine and formaldehyde; no natural production route exists.

INCI nameEDTA
CAS60-00-4
FormulaC10H16N2O8 · 292.24 Da
FunctionChelating
FeedstockManufactured from petrochemical ethylenediamine, formaldehyde and sodium cyanide…

How we scored it

Whole molecule built from ethylenediamine + formaldehyde + sodium cyanide; fully synthetic, no natural fragment.
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

Where it comes from

Manufactured from petrochemical ethylenediamine, formaldehyde and sodium cyanide in a Strecker-type synthesis. There is no commercial natural or fermentation route for EDTA.

In plain English

A synthetic ingredient made from petroleum-based chemicals that binds trace metals in a formula to keep it stable and prevent discolouration.

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Structure

2D structure of EDTA

2-[2-[bis(carboxymethyl)amino]ethyl-(carboxymethyl)amino]acetic acid

PubChem CID 6049 ↗

References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2EDTA. PubChem CID 6049. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3EDTA. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4EDTA. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=EDTA