Sodium Dehydroacetate

About This Product

Sodium dehydroacetate, C8H7NaO4 with CAS number 4418-26-2, is supplied as a white crystalline powder, readily water-soluble and carrying the INCI name Sodium Dehydroacetate. Its value in cosmetic preservation is its pH range. The organic acid preservatives that dominate natural and paraben-free formulation, benzoic and sorbic acid and their salts, all depend on an undissociated acid fraction that collapses as pH rises, which confines them to products below about pH 5.5. Many formulations, particularly surfactant systems, emulsions and hair products, sit closer to neutral and cannot simply be acidified. Sodium dehydroacetate retains useful activity up to around pH 7, across a broad spectrum of moulds, yeasts and bacteria, and it is stable to heat and light so it survives hot-process manufacture. It is generally used at 0.1 to 0.6 percent and is frequently paired with benzyl alcohol, which broadens gram-negative coverage. Its food-additive status differs sharply between markets, so the intended application must be stated, but its cosmetic use is widely accepted. It is used in creams and lotions, shampoos and surfactant systems, wet wipes, colour cosmetics and in natural and paraben-free preservative blends. Bio Green Chem supplies sodium dehydroacetate to specification on assay, loss on drying, pH, chloride, sulfate and heavy metals.