Disodium EDTA…In cosmetics and personal care products, the binding of metal ions helps to prevent deterioration and protects the integrity of skin care products from undergoing unwanted consistency changes, pH changes, odor changes, or texture changes. Thus, disodium EDTA can be classified as a preservative

Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. That means that it fights off free radicals. This can come from the external air or inside the product via raw materials. EDTA's job is to keep the product from oxidizing or losing the efficacy of the raw materials via degradation. Basically, it keeps the ingredients from going bad.

Ingesting EDTA in food products can be dangerous but EDTA is perfectly safe in skin products. Per the CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review), EDTA is safe for use in cosmetics and topically on the. That being said, it is only in this formulation below 0.10 %. Here is the CIR's testing results of EDTA if you wish to read it. https://www.cir-safety.org/sites/default/files/EDTA.pdf