Compoatlas

PENTASODIUM PENTETATE

Official label name (INCI name, EU glossary of cosmetic ingredient names), No 20428

PENTASODIUM PENTETATE: Prohibited in cosmetics (Annex II, entry 1721), under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. Annexes of the Regulation consulted on 21 October 2026.

Who it concerns

This ingredient is prohibited in cosmetics in the European Union: what follows describes its hazards, not a permitted use.

What official classifications and rules say for each group. A classification describes the hazard of the pure substance, not the risk of a product that contains it, which depends on the dose and the exposure.

  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding

    Classified under the CLP Regulation: reproductive toxicity, category 1B (Repr. 1B), a hazard to fertility or to the unborn child.

  • Babies and children

    The Cosmetics Regulation sets no age-related condition for this ingredient.

  • Skin, eyes and allergies

    No official classification for sensitisation, irritation or eye damage, and no obligation to label it as an allergen.

  • Environment

    No official classification as hazardous to the aquatic environment and no assessment as an endocrine disruptor for the environment.

In plain words

What it is used for

Functions declared by manufacturers:

Chelating: reacts and forms complexes with metal ions which could affect the stability and/or appearance of cosmetics.

What the rules say

It is prohibited to use it in a cosmetic product sold in the European Union, whatever the dose. If it appears on the ingredient list of a recent product, this needs checking: the record may be old or wrong, or the product intended for another market.

Hazard and risk

The CLP Regulation classifies this substance as toxic for reproduction, category 1B (presumed effect, established mainly from animal studies).

This classification describes what the substance can cause (a hazard), not what happens when using a product (a risk): the risk depends on the dose, the form and the route of exposure (skin, inhalation, ingestion).

Already prohibited in cosmetics (Annex II).

The text of the annexes

Prohibited in cosmetics

CosIng links the name PENTASODIUM PENTETATE to this Annex II entry.

Entry
Annex II, No 1721
Substance
Pentasodium (carboxylatomethyl)iminobis(ethylenenitrilo)tetraacetate; Pentasodium Pentetate (INCI)
CAS
140-01-2
EC
205-391-3
Dates in the act (3)
  • Entry into force on 9 August 2023
  • Application from 1 December 2023
    It shall apply from 1 December 2023.
  • Entry into force on 1 December 2023

Excerpts from the English text published in the Official Journal. A date may concern only some substances of the act: the excerpt says so.

Identity

CosIng identifier
36485
CAS (according to CosIng)
140-01-2
EC (according to CosIng)
205-391-3
Declared functions
Chelating
Wikidata
Q27271841
PubChem
8779
ECHA InfoCard
100.004.902
InChIKey
LQPLDXQVILYOOL-UHFFFAOYSA-I

Classified hazard (CLP Regulation)

The harmonised classification is the one set by the European Union for the whole Union. H codes refer to the hazard statements of Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008.

pentasodium (carboxylatomethyl)iminobis(ethylenenitrilo)tetraacetate

Reproductive toxicity, category 1B (Repr. 1B)

Hazard classes
Reproductive toxicity, category 1B (Repr. 1B)
Acute toxicity, category 4 (Acute Tox. 4)
Specific target organ toxicity, repeated exposure, category 2 (STOT RE 2)
Hazard statements
H360D H332 H373 (inhalation)

Elsewhere in the world

Information on other jurisdictions, with no effect on sale in France. What is covered, and what is not yet.

United Kingdom (Great Britain)

  • No specific rule in the Cosmetics Regulation

Entry 1721 of Annex II of EU law (Regulation (EU) 2023/1490) has no equivalent in British law.

Switzerland

Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 applies in Switzerland (Article 54 of the Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles).

United States, federal rules

None of the integrated sections of the federal code (21 CFR 700.11 to 700.27 and 250.250) targets this name. The FDA does not publish a list of allowed ingredients.

Recorded cosmetics that contain it

47 recorded products list it, according to Open Beauty Facts contributors. Records are dated: the formula may have changed. See the list (in French).

Glossary: Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1175. Page updated on 21 October 2026.