Bacteriostatic Water in Canada — Lab-Grade Bac Water for Peptide Reconstitution
Last reviewed: September 2026
Bacteriostatic water is available in Canada, shipped domestically, without an import wait: Quantum Peptides stocks lab-grade bac water in 3 mL, 10 mL and 30 mL vials, 0.9% benzyl alcohol, sterile-filled and Canadian-sourced, dispatched from Edmonton to every province. It is the diluent used to bring lyophilised research peptides into solution, and a 3 mL vial is included free with every peptide order. This page explains what bacteriostatic water is, how it differs from sterile water and saline, why it is the standard reconstitution diluent in the laboratory, where to buy it in Canada (and what the pharmacy and Amazon options actually look like), and how long it keeps.
What is bacteriostatic water?
Bacteriostatic water is sterile, purified water to which 0.9% benzyl alcohol has been added as a preservative. The benzyl alcohol is bacteriostatic — it inhibits the growth of bacteria rather than killing them outright — and that property is what allows a vial to be entered more than once. Plain sterile water has no preservative, so once its seal is breached it should be used immediately and the remainder discarded; bacteriostatic water can be drawn from repeatedly over a defined in-use period because any organism introduced when the vial is entered is prevented from multiplying. It is supplied in sealed multi-use vials, typically 3 mL to 30 mL, and it is the conventional solvent for reconstituting freeze-dried peptides and proteins in research settings for exactly that reason: one vial of lyophilised material can be prepared as a working stock and sampled repeatedly without contaminating the preparation.
Bacteriostatic water vs sterile water vs saline
| Bacteriostatic water | Sterile water | Sterile saline (0.9% NaCl) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preservative | 0.9% benzyl alcohol | None | None (isotonic salt solution) |
| Multi-use vial? | Yes — can be re-entered over its in-use period | No — single entry, discard remainder | No — single entry, discard remainder |
| Typical laboratory application | Reconstituting lyophilised peptides as a working stock that will be sampled more than once | Single-use dilution where a preservative would interfere | Isotonic diluent for preparations where salt content matters |
| Peptide compatibility | Standard choice; benzyl alcohol is compatible with most research peptides | Compatible, but no protection once opened | Compatible for most; ionic strength can matter for some sequences |
For research peptides the answer is almost always bacteriostatic water: the preservative is what makes a reconstituted vial usable across a series of experiments rather than one.
Why bacteriostatic water is used to reconstitute research peptides
Research peptides are supplied as lyophilised (freeze-dried) powder because that is the form in which the peptide bonds are stable and the material can be tested and certified per batch. Before any laboratory handling the powder has to be brought into solution, and the solvent chosen has to do two things: dissolve the peptide without degrading it, and keep the resulting solution usable for the working period. Bacteriostatic water does both — it is chemically gentle, and the benzyl alcohol keeps the preparation from being spoiled by the repeated sampling that experimental work requires. The reconstituted solution is then stored cold and dark, and handled as described in the peptide handling guide. Why research peptides come as vials rather than any other format is covered in our formats guide.
How much bacteriostatic water to add
This is arithmetic, not a protocol. The concentration of a working stock is the mass of peptide in the vial divided by the volume of diluent added: a 10 mg vial reconstituted with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water gives a 5 mg/mL stock; with 1 mL it gives 10 mg/mL. The volume a laboratory chooses depends on the concentration its assay calls for and the precision of its measuring equipment — larger volumes make small quantities easier to measure accurately. The reconstitution calculator does the mass-over-volume calculation for any vial size and diluent volume; it produces a concentration for an in-vitro working stock and nothing else.
Where to buy bacteriostatic water in Canada
From a Canadian research-supply vendor, shipped domestically. That is the short answer, and it matters because the alternative — importing from a US seller — means border delays, occasional customs holds on a product that is regulated as a drug when marketed for human use, and a preservative-containing product sitting unrefrigerated in transit for weeks. Quantum ships bacteriostatic water from Edmonton with in-stock orders normally prepared within one to three business days; orders of $150 or more ship free within Canada, and a complimentary 3 mL vial is included with every peptide order regardless.
Can you buy bacteriostatic water at Shoppers, London Drugs, Walmart or on Amazon?
Not reliably, and it is worth knowing why before you drive to one. Bacteriostatic water is not a routine over-the-counter shelf item at Canadian retail pharmacies such as Shoppers Drug Mart or London Drugs; a pharmacy may be able to special-order a pharmaceutical-brand presentation, but that is at the pharmacist’s discretion, often takes days, and is not something you can count on walking in. Walmart Canada does not stock it as a general merchandise item. Amazon.ca listings exist but are inconsistent: they come and go, they are usually third-party sellers, the origin and lot documentation are frequently absent, and grey-market imports with no traceable source are common. The practical difference with a research-supply vendor is documentation and consistency — a known product, a known specification (0.9% benzyl alcohol, sterile-filled), lot-labelled vials, and the same item in stock every time you need it. The same standard applies to the peptides it is used with, each of which carries a per-batch Certificate of Analysis.
Is Pfizer or Hospira bacteriostatic water different from yours?
Pfizer and Hospira (a Pfizer company) are pharmaceutical-brand presentations of bacteriostatic water, packaged and labelled as drug products for the hospital and clinical market. For laboratory reconstitution the relevant question is the specification, not the brand: sterile, purified water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol in a sealed multi-use vial. Quantum’s bacteriostatic water meets that specification and is supplied as a research reagent, not as a drug product; it is not the Pfizer or Hospira presentation and is not sold as a substitute for them in any clinical setting. Lab results for the peptides themselves are archived at permanent URLs on the lab results page.
Bacteriostatic water near you — Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto and Canada-wide
Quantum is based in Edmonton and ships nationally, so “near me” resolves the same way everywhere in Canada: an in-stock domestic order that does not cross a border. Edmonton researchers can also use downtown local pickup when it is offered at checkout, and the Edmonton page has the local detail. Calgary orders travel a few hundred kilometres and typically arrive within a couple of days of dispatch; Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and everywhere else are served by the same domestic shipping with tracking emailed on dispatch. There is no separate stockist to find in any city — the stock is here, and it ships to you.
Storage and shelf life
Unopened, bacteriostatic water is stable at controlled room temperature until the expiry printed on the vial; keep it out of direct light and do not freeze it. Once the seal has been entered, the conventional in-use window for a preserved multi-use vial is 28 days, after which the vial should be discarded regardless of how much remains — the preservative slows microbial growth but does not stop it indefinitely, and each entry introduces risk. A reconstituted peptide preparation is a different question, and the more important one: the preservative protects against contamination, but the peptide itself begins to degrade in solution by hydrolysis and oxidation, so a reconstituted vial should be refrigerated, kept dark, and used within a limited period rather than stored indefinitely. How long that period is, compound by compound, is covered in how long reconstituted peptides last, and whether freezing helps or hurts in can you freeze reconstituted peptides?; the full picture — lyophilised vs reconstituted windows at every temperature, and why — is in peptide shelf life: how long research peptides last.
Documentation on every peptide
Bacteriostatic water is a consumable; the material it reconstitutes is where verification matters. Every peptide Quantum ships carries a batch number, manufacturing date and expiry on the vial, and every batch is tested by Peptide Test Canada with the report archived at a permanent URL — never overwritten by the next batch. The Certificate of Analysis hub is searchable by peptide, and the lab results page lists every current batch report. If you are new to sourcing research materials in Canada, how to buy research peptides in Canada walks through the whole process, and how to verify a supplier is the checklist to run on anyone, including us.
Frequently asked questions
What is bacteriostatic water used for?
In research settings, bacteriostatic water is the standard diluent for reconstituting lyophilised peptides and proteins into a working stock. Its 0.9% benzyl alcohol preservative allows the reconstituted vial to be sampled repeatedly over its in-use period without the preparation being spoiled by contamination, which plain sterile water cannot offer.
What is the difference between bacteriostatic water and sterile water?
Both are sterile, purified water; bacteriostatic water additionally contains 0.9% benzyl alcohol as a preservative. That preservative makes bacteriostatic water suitable for multi-use vials that are entered more than once, whereas sterile water has no preservative and should be used once and the remainder discarded.
Can you buy bacteriostatic water in Canada?
Yes. Canadian research-supply vendors, including Quantum Peptides, stock it domestically in 3 mL, 10 mL and 30 mL vials and ship it Canada-wide without an import wait. It is supplied as a laboratory reagent for reconstituting research peptides, and a 3 mL vial is included free with every Quantum peptide order.
Do Shoppers Drug Mart, London Drugs or Walmart sell bacteriostatic water in Canada?
Not as a routine shelf item. A retail pharmacy may be able to special-order a pharmaceutical-brand presentation at the pharmacist’s discretion, but it is not stocked for walk-in purchase, and Walmart Canada does not carry it as general merchandise. Amazon.ca listings are inconsistent and usually third-party, often without origin or lot documentation. A Canadian research-supply vendor is the reliable, documented source.
How long does bacteriostatic water last once the vial is opened?
The conventional in-use period for a preserved multi-use vial is 28 days from first entry, after which it should be discarded regardless of the volume remaining. Unopened, it is stable at controlled room temperature until the expiry printed on the vial; keep it out of direct light and do not freeze it.
How long do reconstituted peptides last?
It depends on the compound, but a reconstituted peptide preparation should be refrigerated, kept dark and used within a limited period — typically measured in weeks, not months — because the peptide begins to degrade in solution even though the preservative protects against contamination. Compound-by-compound guidance is on our page on how long reconstituted peptides last.
Do reconstituted peptides need to be refrigerated?
Yes. Once reconstituted, a peptide preparation should be stored refrigerated and protected from light. Room temperature accelerates hydrolysis and oxidation of the peptide in solution, and repeated warming and cooling is worse still. The lyophilised powder, by contrast, is the stable form and should stay sealed and cold until it is needed.
Is bacteriostatic water the same as the Pfizer or Hospira product?
Pfizer and Hospira bacteriostatic water are pharmaceutical-brand drug presentations for the clinical market. Quantum’s bacteriostatic water meets the same basic specification — sterile purified water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol in a multi-use vial — but is supplied as a laboratory reagent for research reconstitution, not as a drug product or a substitute for those brands in any clinical use.
Bacteriostatic water and all research peptides referenced on this page are supplied for laboratory research use only and are not for human or veterinary use. Storage statements are general laboratory conventions and are not instructions for any other purpose. Page last reviewed September 2026.