USP-grade bacteriostatic water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol — the standard diluent for reconstituting lyophilized research peptides. Shipped in-country from British Columbia by Xpresspost, so there is no customs clearance and no border delay.
Section 01 — Definition
Bacteriostatic water is sterile water for injection with 0.9% benzyl alcohol added as a preservative. The water is the solvent; the benzyl alcohol is what makes it “bacteriostatic” — it holds back the growth of bacteria and fungi so the vial does not become a contamination risk after the first puncture. It is a clear, colourless USP-grade solution.
In peptide research it has one job: acting as the diluent that turns a freeze-dried (lyophilized) powder into a measurable liquid stock. The preservative is the whole reason it is preferred over plain sterile water — a single vial can be drawn from repeatedly across weeks of a research protocol without the diluent itself becoming the source of contamination.
Everything on this page is for laboratory and in-vitro research handling. Bacteriostatic water supplied by Helix North is a research reagent, not a product for human or veterinary use.
The preservative is the point: it is what lets one vial serve a multi-week, multi-draw research protocol instead of a single reconstitution.
Section 02 — Comparison
Three diluents get confused constantly, and only one is the default for multi-use peptide reconstitution. The difference is what each contains and how many times you can safely draw from the vial.
| Diluent | Contains | Reuse |
|---|---|---|
| Bacteriostatic water | 0.9% benzyl alcohol | Multi-draw, ~28 days |
| Sterile water (SWFI) | No preservative | Single-use only |
| Bacteriostatic saline | Benzyl alcohol + 0.9% NaCl | Multi-draw, isotonic |
Sterile water for injection (SWFI) has no preservative. Once the seal is broken there is nothing to hold back microbial growth, so it is a single-use diluent — fine for a one-shot reconstitution, wrong for a vial you plan to draw from over weeks.
Bacteriostatic saline adds 0.9% sodium chloride. For most lyophilized research peptides that extra salt is unwanted; preservative water introduces nothing beyond the peptide and the preservative, which is why it is the standard choice unless a protocol specifically calls for an isotonic diluent.
Section 03 — Sourcing
Sourcing bacteriostatic water domestically removes the two problems that come with ordering a reagent from offshore: the customs wait and the currency markup. A Canadian-domestic shipment never crosses a border, so there is no customs hold and no risk of a package being detained or returned.
Helix North supplies bacteriostatic water as a research reagent, priced in Canadian dollars and shipped by Canada Post Xpresspost from our British Columbia origin. It is stocked in a 30 mL multi-use size — enough diluent to reconstitute several compounds, which is why it is the common choice for a lab running more than one peptide at a time.
Every order ships with tracking in plain, unmarked packaging. Because bacteriostatic water is stable at ambient temperature during a domestic transit, no cold pack is required — the flat $30 Xpresspost rate covers it to any postal code in the country.
Section 04 — Handling
Reconstitution is straightforward and the diluent volume is the only real decision, because that volume sets the concentration of the finished stock. Concentration is simply mass divided by volume.
Wipe both stoppers with an alcohol prep pad. Draw the chosen volume of bacteriostatic water into an insulin syringe, then add it slowly down the inside wall of the peptide vial rather than jetting it onto the powder. Swirl gently until the solution is clear — do not shake, which can shear a delicate peptide. Refrigerate the reconstituted vial at 2 to 8°C and use within the protocol window.
A 10 mg vial reconstituted with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water gives a 5 mg/mL stock; the same vial with 4 mL gives 2.5 mg/mL. Researchers pick the volume that makes downstream draws land on convenient marks on a standard insulin syringe. Our bacteriostatic water guide works the math in full, and compound-specific steps live in the retatrutide reconstitution guide.
Section 05 — Delivery
Xpresspost reaches every postal code in Canada — major cities, rural routes, PO boxes, and the northern territories. From our British Columbia origin the West Coast lands in 1 to 2 business days, with the rest of the country following within the transit windows below.
| Region | Cities | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| West Coast | Vancouver, Victoria | 1–2 business days |
| Prairies | Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg | 2–3 business days |
| Central | Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal | 2–4 business days |
| Atlantic | Halifax, Moncton, St. John’s | 3–5 business days |
| Northern | Whitehorse, Yellowknife | 3–7 business days |
Bacteriostatic water is stable at ambient temperature for the duration of an Xpresspost transit, so it ships without a cold pack in plain, unmarked packaging. Tracking is included on every order and the $30 flat rate applies to every province and territory regardless of cart size.
Section 06 — Common questions
Add bacteriostatic water to your order, or browse the full research peptide catalog. Questions about sizing or bulk quantities — get in touch.