Database/Chelating/Tetrasodium Etidronate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Tetrasodium Etidronate natural?

Mostly not. Sodium counter-ions are mineral and natural; the diphosphonate backbone is built by fully synthetic organophosphorus chemistry.

INCI nameTetrasodium Etidronate
CAS3794-83-0
FormulaC2H4Na4O7P2 · 293.96 Da
FunctionChelating · Emulsion Stabilising
FeedstockMade by reacting acetic acid/anhydride with phosphorus trichloride…

How we scored it

Na4 92.0 Da (mineral, natural) + etidronate core C2H4O7P2 202.0 Da (synthetic phosphonate from acetic acid + PCl3) = 293.96 Da. 92.0/293.96 = 0.31.
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

Made by reacting acetic acid/anhydride with phosphorus trichloride to build the phosphonate backbone, then neutralising with sodium hydroxide. The C-P bonds have no natural-origin route.

In plain English

Tetrasodium etidronate is a water softener that keeps trace minerals from interfering with a formula. Its core structure is made through synthetic industrial chemistry, with sodium added to neutralise it.

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Structure

2D structure of Tetrasodium Etidronate

tetrasodium;1,1-diphosphonatoethanol

PubChem CID 19629 ↗

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. 2Tetrasodium Etidronate. PubChem CID 19629. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3TETRASODIUM ETIDRONATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4TETRASODIUM ETIDRONATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=TETRASODIUM%20ETIDRONATE