Chelating agent
Tetrasodium EDTA is used to manufacture Styrene/Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer. A chelating and stabilising agent, it helps chemical reactions to succeed.
Description
Tetrasodium EDTA is a salt of Ethylenediamine Tetraacetic Acid (EDTA), another chelating compound.
When creating a synthetic compound, several materials react together to obtain a new one. Often, they can contain minerals and metal ions that can prevent the reaction from taking place properly. This is where a chelating agent can come in handy. By sequestering these particles (grabbing onto them), it allows everything to go well and helps stabilise the final formula. The analogy we like the most is to describe this material as a lobster, with claws closing around the minerals as they float past in the water.
Since EDTA and its salts are used in a wide range of cosmetics, food, pharmaceuticals and household cleaning products, they have been the subject of in-depth studies since the 1980s as to their impact on the health and the environment. A regularly raised concern is that they are hardly biodegradable and are therefore found in most water systems. However, according to numerous studies, they aren’t of any problem for the environment or human and animal health as they don't bioaccumulate and are quickly eliminated by organisms. That said, Lush still remain cautious with these materials and avoid overusing them. This is also why we prefer to declare tetrasodium EDTA even if we don’t use it on its own.
