Pentetic Acid, and its salt Pentasodium Pentetate, are compounds that bind metals, also known as chelating agents. Pentasodium Pentetate is chemically similar to EDTA (ethylenediamino tetraacetic acid), a chemical widely used as a chelating agent in foods and other materials. In cosmetics and personal care products, Pentetic Acid and Pentasodium Pentetate are used in a wide range of products but can be found mostly in hair dyes and colors, noncoloring hair products, and bath products.
The CIR Expert Panel considered the absence of significant skin penetration of chelating agents and concluded that Pentetic Acid and Pentasodium Pentetate did not pose any reproductive or developmental toxicity risk when used in cosmetics and personal care products.
Pentetic Acid and Pentasodium Pentetate do not have structures suggesting that they cause cancer or genotoxicity, and genotoxicity studies are negative.
The CIR Expert Panel determined that these ingredients can be used safely in aerosolized products when packaging and use ensure that particulates are not respirable (are greater than 10 microns). The CIR Expert Panel further noted that the safety of chelating agents in products that may be inhaled was supported by the use of these chelators in inhalation drug products intended for use following exposure to radioactive metals, such as plutonium.
Pentetic Acid and Pentasodium Pentetate may be used in cosmetics and personal care products marketed in Europe according to the general provisions of the Cosmetics Directive of the European Union.
Link to the EU Cosmetics Directive: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/cosmetics/html/consolidated_d...