Buy Bacteriostatic Water in Canada
Bacteriostatic water is the quiet essential of any peptide research bench, and it is also the item most often left out of an order. This guide covers what it is, where to buy bacteriostatic water in Canada, and what to check before you order, so the diluent arrives with the compounds it is meant to reconstitute rather than a week later.
What bacteriostatic water is
Bacteriostatic water, often shortened to BAC water, is sterile water that contains 0.9% benzyl alcohol as a preservative. The benzyl alcohol holds back microbial growth, so a reconstituted vial can be drawn from more than once over a period of time rather than being discarded after a single use. That is the practical difference from plain sterile water, which carries no preservative. For a fuller breakdown of the chemistry, see our explainer on bacteriostatic water and how it works.
In a research setting it is the standard diluent for reconstituting lyophilised, or freeze-dried, peptides. Most research compounds ship as a dry powder for stability; bacteriostatic water is what returns them to solution for handling and measurement.
Buying bacteriostatic water in Canada
BAC water is harder to source in Canada than most people expect. It is not a general retail item, and orders placed with suppliers outside the country are the ones most likely to sit at the border. That is inconvenient on its own, and worse when the peptides you ordered alongside it are ready to go and the diluent is not.
Vistara Labs stocks bacteriostatic water in 10 mL vials, held in Canada and shipped from within the country to every province. Because it ships domestically, it is not exposed to the customs delays that catch imported diluent, and it can travel in the same order as the rest of your research peptides.
What to check before ordering
A few things separate a reliable BAC water order from a frustrating one:
- Concentration. Bacteriostatic water is 0.9% benzyl alcohol. That figure is what makes a vial multi-use rather than single-use.
- A sealed, sterile-filled vial. The vial should arrive sealed, with the stopper intact.
- Domestic shipping. A supplier shipping from within Canada avoids the customs hold that delays imported diluent.
- Vial size. A 10 mL multi-dose vial is the practical standard and covers several reconstitutions.
How much bacteriostatic water you need
How much you need depends on how many vials you are reconstituting and the concentration you are working to. As a rough guide, a single 10 mL vial of bacteriostatic water covers several research vials, since each is typically brought back into solution with only a small volume. Ordering the diluent in the same shipment as your compounds is the simplest way to avoid reconstituting nothing while a second parcel is in transit.
Vistara Labs stocks bacteriostatic water (10 mL), sealed and shipped from within Canada, and it can travel in the same order as the rest of your research materials.
Frequently asked questions
Can you buy bacteriostatic water in Canada?
Yes, as a research material from Canadian research suppliers. Vistara Labs holds it in stock and ships it domestically, which is what keeps it out of customs.
What is BAC water used for?
In research, bacteriostatic water is the standard diluent for reconstituting lyophilised peptides so they can be handled and measured. It is the counterpart to the dry compound, not a compound itself.
Is bacteriostatic water the same as sterile water?
No. Bacteriostatic water contains 0.9% benzyl alcohol, which lets a reconstituted vial be accessed more than once. Sterile water has no preservative and is intended for single use.
How much bacteriostatic water do I need?
It depends on how many vials you are reconstituting and to what concentration. A single 10 mL vial generally covers several research vials, since each is brought into solution with a small volume.
Will a bacteriostatic water order be stopped at customs?
Not when it ships domestically from within Canada. That is precisely why sourcing it in-country matters, and why imported diluent is the version that tends to get held.
Two short companion pages: where to get bacteriostatic water in Canada answers the questions people ask before ordering, and how to store research peptides covers the opened vial.
All products supplied by Vistara Labs are intended for laboratory research use only. They are not drugs, are not approved for human or veterinary use, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition. Nothing on this page constitutes medical advice or guidance for use in humans.
