Sodium dehydroacetate is a compound with the formula Na(CH3C5HO(O2)(CH3)CO).

It is the sodium salt of dehydroacetic acid.

It is used as a preservative in food,[1] cosmetics and personal care products such as shower gels, which is highly effective against a broad range of bacteria even at low concentrations such as 0.075 g/kg in meat.

Its use is regulated in China, Japan and the USA, thus it can only be used in certain foods such as picked vegetables, fermented soy, compound seasonings and pickled mushrooms in China, and only peeled pumpkins in the US at 65 parts per million.

It adds an acetic odor to food which can be mitigated using flavorings.