Sodium polyitaconate

• Pronunciation: \ˈsō-dē-əm \ ˈpä-lē it-ə-ˈkän-ˌāt \
• Type: Naturally-derived
• Other names: Velasoft

What Is Sodium Polyitaconate?

Sodium polyitaconate, also called Velasoft, is a polyitaconic acid partially neutralized with sodium salt. It is usually an off-white grainy substance.^[1]

What Does Sodium Polyitaconate Do?

Sodium polyitaconate helps stabilize surfactants, allowing for gentler formulations.^[2,3] It can also be used in shampoos, conditioners, body wash, hand soaps, and other ingredients.^[4] It dissolves in water.^[5]

Is Sodium Polyitaconate Safe?

Sodium polyitaconate is a biodegradable ingredient that does not irritate the eyes or skin.^[7,8] Whole Foods has deemed the ingredient acceptable in its body care product quality standards.^[9]

How Sodium Polyitaconate Is Made

Commercially, manufacturing sodium polyitaconate begins with creating itaconic acid, which is produced by fermenting carbohydrates such as corn.^[6]

Sources

^[1] Itaconix
^[2] Itaconix
^[3] Environmental Working Group
^[4]Itaconix
^[5]Itaconix
^[6] Biotechnology Innovation Organization
^[7] Itaconix
^[8] Itaconix
^[9] Whole Foods Market