The Beauty & Personal Care Brand Builder Series

Ingredient Deep Dive

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

The Beauty & Personal Care Brand Builder Series

Ingredient Deep Dive

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

The Biodegradable Chelator

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate is a readily-biodegradable chelating agent — a greener alternative to EDTA that binds trace metal ions in a formula.

It keeps products stable and clear, boosts the performance of preservatives, and protects color, scent and actives over shelf life.

Quick Insights

Ingredient Rating:

GOOD

Type of Ingredient:

Chelating Agent

Intended Function:

A biodegradable EDTA-alternative chelator that stabilizes and helps preserve water-based formulas.

Common Applications:

Used in serums and moisturizers and hair-care formulas.

Target Audience:

Brands wanting a greener chelator for stability and preservative support.

Also Known As:

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate (EDDS), Sodium EDDS

Benefits of Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

A biodegradable chelator that binds trace metals to keep formulas stable, clear and well-preserved.

Metal Chelation: Binds trace iron, copper and calcium ions in the formula.
Preservative Boost: Improves the efficiency of the preservative system.
Formula Stability: Protects color, fragrance and actives from metal-driven degradation.
Readily Biodegradable: A greener alternative to traditional EDTA chelators.
Clarity: Helps keep water-based formulas clear.

How It Works

The molecule wraps around polyvalent metal ions and holds them inactive; by sequestering the iron, copper and calcium that would otherwise catalyze oxidation, cloud a formula or blunt a preservative, it keeps the product stable, clear and effectively preserved — while breaking down readily in the environment.

Formulating with Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate is water-soluble and added to the water phase, typically at cool-down and at low levels to protect its actives. It pairs well with other actives and humectants. Observe good manufacturing and preservation practice.

Safety Analysis

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate is well tolerated at the very low levels used for chelation. As always, substantiate the finished product’s safety (e.g. patch / HRIPT testing) in line with MoCRA requirements.

References

https://incidecoder.com/ingredients/trisodium-ethylenediamine-disuccinate

https://cosmeticanalysis.com/cosmetic-ingredients/trisodium-ethylenediamine-disu…

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