Benzethonium chloride
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{{Drugbox| | IUPAC_name = N-benzyl-N,N-dimethyl-2-{2-[4-(2,4,4-trimethylpentan-2-yl)phenoxy]ethoxy}ethanaminium chloride | image = Benzethonium-chloride-2D-skeletal.png | width = 250 | CAS_number = 121-54-0 | ATC_prefix = D08 | ATC_suffix = AJ58 | ATC_supplemental = | PubChem = 8478 | DrugBank = | C=27| H=42| Cl=1 | N=1 | O=2 | molecular_weight = 448.081 g/mol | smiles = [Cl-].CC(C)(C)CC(C)(C)c2ccc(OCCOCC[N+](C)(C)Cc1ccccc1)cc2 | bioavailability = | metabolism = | elimination_half-life = | excretion = | pregnancy_AU = | pregnancy_US = | pregnancy_category = | legal_AU = | legal_CA = | legal_UK = | legal_US = OTC | routes_of_administration = Topical }}
Benzethonium chloride is a synthetic quaternary ammonium salt. This compound is an odorless white solid; soluble in water. It has surfactant, antiseptic, and anti-infective properties, and it is used as a topical antimicrobial agent in first aid antiseptics. It is also found in cosmetics and toiletries such as mouthwashes (disguised as grapefruit seed extract; see below), anti-itch ointments, and antibacterial moist towelettes. Benzethonium chloride is also used in the food industry as a hard surface disinfectant.[1]
The FDA's tentative final monograph (21CFR333) for first aid antiseptics specifies that benzethonium chloride's safe and effective concentrations are 0.1 - 0.2% for these products. Aqueous solutions of benzethonium chloride are not absorbed through the skin. It is unapproved in the USA and Europe as a food additive ingredient. In Switzerland it is classified as a class-2 poison.
In addition to its highly effective antimicrobial activity, benzethonium chloride contains a positively charged nitrogen atom covalently bonded to four carbon atoms. This positive charge attracts it to the skin and hair. This contributes to a soft, powdery afterfeel on the skin and hair, as well as long-lasting persistent activity against microorganisms.
Benzethonium chloride exhibits a broad spectrum of microbiocidal activity against bacteria, fungi, mold and viruses. Independent testing shows that benzethonium chloride is highly effective against such pathogens as: MRSA, VISA, Salmonella, E. coli, C.diff, Hepatitis B and C, Herpes, HIV, RSV, and Norovirus.
It is available under trade names salanine, BZT, diapp, quatrachlor, polymine d, phemithyn, antiseptol, disilyn, phermerol, and others.[2] It is also the principal component of various chemically denatured grapefruit seed extracts, which are controversially marketed as "natural" health supplements / ingredients.