HARD-WATER CHELATOR
Disodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
Grabs metal ions from hard water so they cannot dull the hair or destabilise the formula.
- products in our library
- 697
- of researched products
- 17%
- on the label, in our conditioners
- usually #17
- most common in
- Conditioner
- in water
- Water-soluble
At a glance
Four things worth knowing about how this ingredient behaves on hair.
How much of it is left on hair between washes.
What it takes to get it off the hair again.
The housekeeping this class does.
Where it sits on the labels we have, in the category it appears in most.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Low | 1 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses clean | 5 of 5 |
| Job | Ties up hard-water minerals | 4 of 5 |
| Prominence | Secondary | 2 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Disodium EDTA does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
Stops calcium and iron in tap water dulling a wash.
Water alone removes it, so it does not accumulate between washes.
Charge
Negatively charged, like the hair surface itself — so it is repelled rather than attracted, rinses away cleanly, and is the charge most detergents carry.
Solubility
Rinses out with water alone — it does not accumulate on hair between washes.
Where it appears
Where it appears
One row per product category in our library: how many products list it, what share of that category that is, and where it typically sits on the label.
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Conditioner
198 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Shampoo
168 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Leave-in
83 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Mask / treatment
67 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Styler: gel
29 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Styler: mousse
27 products
|
secondary · #15 | |
Heat protectant
22 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Styler: curl cream
20 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Styler: paste
17 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Co-wash
16 products
|
secondary · #21 |
13 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: smoothing cream
16 products
|
secondary · #21 | |
Styler: volumizer
7 products
|
secondary · #15 | |
Scalp treatment
6 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
4 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Styler: texture spray
4 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Finisher: serum
3 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Styler: hairspray
3 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Finisher: oil
2 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Finisher: end oil
1 product
|
secondary · #16 | |
Finisher: shine spray
1 product
|
secondary · #33 | |
Styler: edge control
1 product
|
secondary · #20 | |
Styler: lotion
1 product
|
secondary · #11 | |
Styler: refresh spray
1 product
|
secondary · #13 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditioner | 198 | 28% | 17 | 2 | secondary |
| Shampoo | 168 | 20% | 20 | 6 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 83 | 19% | 17 | 6 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 67 | 17% | 20 | 10 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 29 | 18% | 14 | 4 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 27 | 19% | 15 | 7 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 22 | 15% | 17 | 8 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 20 | 19% | 18 | 8 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 17 | 18% | 18 | 9 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 16 | 16% | 21 | 10 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 16 | 29% | 21 | 15 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 7 | 10% | 15 | 8 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 6 | 4% | 19 | 15 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 4 | 17% | 20 | 15 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 4 | 7% | 17 | 14 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 3 | 4% | 18 | 18 | secondary |
| Styler: hairspray | 3 | 3% | 18 | 11 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 2 | 1% | 19 | 16 | secondary |
| Finisher: end oil | 1 | 11% | 16 | 16 | secondary |
| Finisher: shine spray | 1 | 1% | 33 | 33 | secondary |
| Styler: edge control | 1 | 6% | 20 | 20 | secondary |
| Styler: lotion | 1 | 8% | 11 | 11 | secondary |
| Styler: refresh spray | 1 | 8% | 13 | 13 | secondary |
No product-type differences have been researched yet — the reading below is computed from where it sits on the labels in our library.
Position footprint
Every listing in our library, by position on the label.
| Positions | Zone | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Leading | 1 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 30 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 268 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 325 |
| 26+ | Trace | 194 |
How to read this
US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order.
So position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
Who should pay attention
Conditional formulation guidance, scoped to a hair condition and to the positions where it is meaningful. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, and not a conclusion about you.
Binds the calcium and magnesium in hard water, which is what stops mineral deposits accumulating on the strand wash after wash.
Copper and iron carried in tap water deposit on the strand and read as a dull, warm cast on gray or light hair. A chelator holds those metals in solution so the wash carries them off.
Read from this ingredient’s chemical class. Where we have researched the ingredient itself, that reading replaces the class one.
Why it matters to shoppers
What this ingredient is evidence of, what it is not evidence of, and what our own method can and cannot tell you.
- a formula built for hard water
- a rinse-clean feel
- a routine that does not build up
- gray or light hair to stay cool rather than warm
- an exact safety score — we do not publish one, for any ingredient
- how a finished product performs by itself — that is the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle — label position never converts into a number
- a secondary chelator, listed below the main ingredients in our conditioners
- it was on the label of every product we counted — we read printed ingredient lists, not marketing copy
- that a product is right or wrong for you
We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
Commonly paired with
Ingredients that appear alongside this one most often in our library. Near-universal ingredients are excluded — they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Behentrimonium Chloride · 246
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 215
- Cetyl Alcohol · 207
- Benzyl Alcohol · 206
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 192
- Caprylyl Glycol · 175
- Sodium Chloride · 170
- Dimethicone · 166
- Propylene Glycol · 162
- Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride · 161
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to improve feel after rinsing, soften the strand, and carry the formula and let it dry.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Pura d'or · Conditioner
Apple Cider Vinegar Thin2Thick Clarifying and Detoxing Conditioner
#2 on the label · $1.00/oz
Bumble and bumble · Styler
Gel
#4 on the label · $7.40/oz
ORS · Conditioner
ORS HAIRepair Banana & Bamboo Nourishing Conditioner
#5 on the label · $0.88/oz
ORS · Shampoo
ORS HAIRepair Coconut Oil and Baobab Sulfate-Free Invigorating Shampoo
#5 on the label · $0.80/oz
Cantu · Shampoo
Cantu Guava Ginger Anti Dandruff Shampoo
#6 on the label · $0.63/oz
Hask · Leave-in
Argan Oil Conditions & Detangles Leave-In Spray
#6 on the label · $1.21/oz
American Crew · Shampoo
American Crew Daily Cleansing Shampoo for Men
#7 on the label · $2.32/oz
American Crew · Shampoo
Daily Silver Shampoo
#7 on the label · $2.02/oz
American Crew · Styler
Fiber Gel
#7 on the label · $3.40/oz
Creme of Nature · Leave-in
Argan Oil Perfect 7 Leave-In Conditioner
#7 on the label · $1.83/oz
DevaCurl · Shampoo
Low-Poo Delight
#7 on the label · $3.33/oz
DevaCurl · Shampoo
Low-Poo Original
#7 on the label · $2.16/oz
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Disodium EDTA
- CAS 139-33-3
- PubChem 13020083
- disodium edta
- edetate disodium
For your hair?
Whether Disodium EDTA matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 2nd most-listed chelator or pH adjuster in our libraryWhat this ingredient does, and where it sits on the labels we have researched.
A verdict on any product that contains it, and never a safety grade.
We do not physically test your hair. Everything above is read from the ingredient lists in our library and from published references — the consultation is what turns it into a plan.
References
Sourced Backed by a manufacturer or regulatory source.
This ingredient
- Manufacturer or regulatory PubChem — Compound identity: CID 13020083, CAS 139-33-3, C10H14N2Na2O8 · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library — 697 of 4008 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are levels, not scores. Each one is read from what kind of ingredient it is — its chemical class, its charge, its solubility — or from where it sits on the labels we have.
- US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
- The prominence bands (leading, supporting, secondary) are the same ones the product pages use to read a single label, applied here to the median position across a category.
- We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
- Identifiers and references appear only when a published source is attached to this entry; where none is, the row is simply absent rather than filled in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-08-28. Product-page methodology: the product library.