Three things bacteriostatic water is sometimes mistaken for, and what distinguishes each

Published 26 October 2026 · REVIVE LAB UAE Research Desk · 5 min read
Bacteriostatic water contains water and 0.9 per cent benzyl alcohol and nothing else. Bacteriostatic sodium chloride contains the same preservative in 0.9 per cent saline and is isotonic. Phosphate-buffered saline contains salts that hold pH near 7.4 and is unpreserved. Sterile water for injection is water alone. The products differ in osmolality, ionic strength, buffering and preservative, and each of those alters how a dissolved peptide behaves.

Osmolality

Water with 0.9 per cent benzyl alcohol has an osmolality near 80 milliosmoles per kilogram, far below the roughly 290 of body fluids and of normal saline. It is hypotonic. Bacteriostatic saline is isotonic. For a peptide in solution, osmolality is not directly relevant; for a cell exposed to the solution, it is decisive.

The preservative contributes almost all of the osmolality of bacteriostatic water.

Ionic strength and buffering

Bacteriostatic water has essentially no ionic strength and no buffer. Saline has high ionic strength and no buffer. Phosphate-buffered saline has both. Ionic strength screens charges and affects peptide solubility and metal binding; buffering fixes pH. A peptide dissolved in each of the three is in a different chemical environment.

The pages on solubility and buffering elsewhere on this site describe those effects.

Why the pack contains water

Lyophilised peptides are characterised and their solubility reported in water, and the preserved form is the one that suits a multiple-entry vial. That is a statement about which product is in the box, not a recommendation about any other.

Bacteriostatic water is supplied by REVIVE LAB UAE as a diluent for lyophilised research peptides, for laboratory research use only. It is not for human or veterinary use, and no dosing, administration or protocol guidance is provided.

What it costs

FormatStrengthPriceAvailability
Bacteriostatic Water3 mL × 2AED 99In stock

Delivery is AED 40 flat and free on orders over AED 700. Payment is cash on delivery anywhere in the UAE, or USDT (TRC20) in advance, which takes 5% off the order total.

Frequently asked

Osmolality?

Water with 0.9 per cent benzyl alcohol has an osmolality near 80 milliosmoles per kilogram, far below the roughly 290 of body fluids and of normal saline. It is hypotonic. Bacteriostatic saline is isotonic. For a peptide in solution, osmolality is not directly relevant; for a cell exposed to the solution, it is decisive.

Does REVIVE LAB UAE provide dosing guidance?

No. REVIVE LAB UAE supplies research materials and provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance of any kind. Every product is sold for laboratory research use only and is not for human or veterinary consumption.

How fast is delivery in the UAE?

Stock is held in Dubai. An order confirmed before 4 PM Dubai time is dispatched the same working day, reaching Dubai and Abu Dhabi the same day and the remaining emirates within 24 hours. Delivery is AED 40 flat and free over AED 700.

Bacteriostatic Water — in stock, dispatched from Dubai
HPLC-verified, lot certificate on every carton, 24-hour delivery nationwide. Browse the catalogue → All peptides UAE

Related reading

Supplied for laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption. REVIVE LAB UAE provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance.