EDTA SALTS

📋 Quick facts

Quick Facts:

• Category: other

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• EDTA salts are crystalline compounds made by mixing EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) with potassium hydroxide
• Different potassium EDTA salts form depending on the ratio of EDTA to potassium hydroxide used
• EDTA salts have a defined three-dimensional crystal structure held together by hydrogen bonds and metal interactions
• The sources provided focus on the chemical structure of EDTA salts, not skincare benefits

📊 Comedogenicity

🛡️ Safety rating

Safety tier is a starting heuristic from regulatory status and comedogenic rating, not a dermatological verdict — see our Terms for the full disclaimer. Research confidence reflects how many real cited studies back this ingredient, not the strength of their findings.

🌍 Regulatory Status

💧 Skin Type Compatibility

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

EDTA stands for ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, a molecule with a backbone of two nitrogen atoms connected by a two-carbon chain, with four carboxylic acid groups attached. When EDTA is combined with potassium hydroxide in water at different ratios, it forms crystalline potassium EDTA salts with varying degrees of ionization (Acta Crystallogr C, 2011). This means some of the acidic groups on the EDTA molecule lose their hydrogen atoms in different patterns depending on how much potassium hydroxide is added. The research abstract describes the detailed three-dimensional crystal structures of three specific potassium EDTA salts: one with two potassium ions per EDTA molecule, one with three, and one with four.

In these crystals, the EDTA molecules and water are arranged in networks stabilized by hydrogen bonds—weak attractive forces between hydrogen atoms and oxygen or nitrogen atoms (Acta Crystallogr C, 2011). The potassium ions also interact with oxygen atoms to contribute to the overall crystal architecture. However, the available research focuses exclusively on the chemical and crystallographic properties of EDTA salts themselves. No skincare benefits, safety data, or efficacy claims are supported by these sources.

📄 Related Research

Matched by search — not necessarily verified support for every statement above.

• Krawczyk MK et al. (2011). New coordination modes in potassium edta salts: K2[H2edta]2H2O, K3[Hedta]2H2O and K4[edta]·3.92H2O. Acta Crystallogr C.
• Mallette LE (1984). Therapeutic and diagnostic uses of EDTA salts. Tex Med.

🧴 Products Containing EDTA SALTS