What Exactly Is Bacteriostatic Water and How Does It Differ from Sterile Water? In any laboratory setting where peptides are reconstituted for in-vitro analysis, the choice of solvent can directly influence the integrity of the study. Bacteriostatic water is a specially formulated diluent that contains 0.9% benzyl alcohol as an antimicrobial preservative. This addition is the defining feature that separates it from plain sterile water for injection or irrigation. While sterile water is free from any additives and is intended for single-use applications, bacteriostatic water is designed to suppress the growth of most common microbial contaminants once a vial has been punctured. The benzyl alcohol does not act as a…