Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9, known across several generations of chemical engineers and pharmaceutical specialists, traces its roots back to the mid-20th century. Researchers working on improving surfactant qualities wanted a molecule that balanced hydrophilicity with lipid solubility—a tall order for excipients in formulations. Early versions surfaced in industrial chemistry labs as ancillary materials for textile processing and cleaning products. As synthetic methods matured, the pharmaceutical community took notice. Rigorous purification methods transformed what once served as a basic cleaner into a pharmaceutical staple, subject to strict pharmacopeial standards—reflected in its BP, EP, and USP grades. With each iteration in the production process, specialists pushed for better clinical safety and tighter impurity controls, responding to both regulatory challenge and scientific curiosity.
Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 now occupies a key place in the catalogues of pharmaceutical excipients. It presents as a clear or slightly opalescent liquid, brought to high purity for compatibility with active pharmaceutical ingredients. It wears several hats: solubilizer in syrups, wetting agent in emulsions, and sometimes a mild detergent for sensitive biotechnological procedures. Its prominence in pharmacopeial texts hints at the scale of its adoption, with many multinational firms relying on its consistent behavior to meet batch-to-batch product quality standards.
The substance carries a chain of ethylene oxide units, nine at the end of its laurylic anchor, delivering a blend of moderate molecular heft and predictable amphiphilicity. Color ranges from colorless to a pale yellow, with a faint, neutral scent. It dissolves in water without complaint, preferring temperatures below boiling for optimal solubility and viscosity. Chemically, it holds up under gentle acid and base, but strong acids eventually cause cleavage of its polyoxyethylene chain. Shelf life hinges on storage away from sunlight and oxygen, which trigger slow oxidation and polymer breakdown.
Specifications match strict pharma demands—Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 arrives with assay values above 98%, heavy metal content below measurable thresholds, and negligible peroxide levels. Labels don’t just display batch numbers and expiry dates; they also carry detailed handling instructions, thorny for newcomers used to less regulated chemical sectors. Manufacturers use QR-coded traceability, supporting regulators chasing quality lapses anywhere between synthesis reactor and hospital pharmacy shelf.
Commercial production calls for careful alkoxylation, using lauryl alcohol and ethylene oxide under inert conditions. Process engineers watch for exothermic surges as ethylene oxide enters the reactor. Catalysts quietly steer the reaction toward a narrow oligomer distribution, critical for reproducibility. Once the primary reaction winds down, purification steps, often involving repeated washes and distillation, strip out unreacted alcohol and side products. Each new operational improvement directly addresses pressure from regulators and formulators, who won’t accept ambiguity in excipient quality.
Under controlled lab conditions or inside a production plant, Lauranyl Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 displays enough chemical versatility for further transformations: esterification to tweak solubility, phosphorylation to introduce additional ionic charges, or selective hydrogenation to enhance stability. Each modification opens the door to novel applications but demands careful toxicological review. Not every tweak makes it past regulatory hurdles meant to ensure patient safety, and so most manufacturers stick to well-characterized processes.
Depending on the region or supplier, this chemical shows up as Lauryl Alcohol Ethoxylate 9EO, Polyoxyl 9 Lauryl Ether, or C12E9. The naming diversity can trip up purchasing agents and chemists crossing linguistic or regulatory frontiers, often making catalog cross-referencing a routine part of every order. Some proprietary blends hide the substance behind tradenames, but transparency rules for pharmaceutical ingredients leave little room for branding games.
Regular training drills drive home the risks to lab workers and production staff: inhalation of aerosols, skin contact, or accidental splashing demand immediate response. Occupational exposure limits follow the conservative recommendations of workplace safety organizations. On the production floor, exhaust hoods, gloves, and containment cabinets aren’t optional. In labs, engineers use tight-sealing bottles and restrict transfer to trained hands. Allergen warnings most often stem from trace contaminants, not the core molecule, thanks to advancements in purification that reflect regulatory pressure and learned experience from earlier slip-ups.
Pharmaceutical firms use Lauryl Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 in everything from tablet coatings to oral suspensions. Its non-ionic nature means it rarely triggers compatibility headaches in complex mixtures—a claim supported by decades of formulation records and heaps of stability data. Beyond pharma, the chemical pops up in personal care products and, less commonly, in select food technologies, but pharmaceutical-grade material stays tightly corralled for drug and vaccine applications. Veterinary medicine leans on similar grades for the same reasons: minimal interference with actives and reliable wetting action. My own experience managing QC teams in generics production showed that properly sourced Lauranol blends simplified troubleshooting during scale-up, letting us focus on actives rather than fighting excipient surprises.
Current research follows the familiar path of improving purity and cutting production footprints. Teams across Asia and Europe chase after greener synthesis paths, which promise waste reduction without sacrificing molecular performance. Formulation scientists test new blends in solubilization of hard-to-dissolve actives, eyeing bioavailability boosts for stubborn drugs. Advanced analytics—LC-MS, FTIR—dig deeper into impurity profiles, flagging undetected byproducts that could trip regulatory wires. Academics focus on biocompatibility, experimenting with reincorporation into novel dosage forms, including nanoparticles and microemulsions. Conferences echo with the same demand: keep the core properties, but push for safer, greener, and more sustainable processes.
Toxicologists have run Lauryl Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 through battery after battery of standard assays, including acute oral toxicity in rodent and non-rodent models. Chronic exposure rarely triggers systemic illness at therapeutic exposure levels, but high dosages produce classic surfactant effects—local irritation, mild hemolysis in sensitive species. In-vitro studies track inflammation markers after direct exposure to cell cultures, usually reporting safe margins at use concentrations. Regulators periodically revisit data, probing long-term reproductive and developmental impacts. The safety profile reflects real-world vigilance, not complacency—production inconsistencies in the past spurred new cleaning protocols and supplier audits.
Pressure mounts for lower impurity grades, less dependence on petrochemical feedstocks, and improved global supply chain transparency. Synthetic biology may soon offer alternate routes to ethoxylation, moving away from hazardous intermediates. Consumers—quite aware of what goes into their medicines—push pharmaceutical companies to demand not just efficacy, but evidence of cleaner, responsible production. Digitalization in inventory and safety documentation speeds up recall response and strengthens trust between regulators, producers, and patients. My years in pharmaceutical operations showed that every improvement in workflow pays off: not just in compliance but in better, safer products reaching the people who need them most. With each generation, Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 stands as a reminder that basic excipients can carry a heavy load of science, safety, and responsibility.
Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9, the pharma grade kind, has a mouthful of a name but delivers a pretty straightforward job in the lab and manufacturing floor. Think of it like a grease cutter for the tiniest, most sensitive environments—one that doesn't beat around the bush about getting molecules to behave. In my years talking with pharmacists and chemical engineers, I’ve seen this stuff show up where predictability matters, especially when money and patient safety are on the line.
This compound pulls its weight as a non-ionic surfactant, helping two things mix that would otherwise give up on each other. If you’ve ever tried to mix oil and water in your kitchen, you get the picture. Now imagine you’re dealing with an active ingredient that needs to dissolve just right, so the medicine actually gets into someone’s system fast enough—and not a drop sooner or later. That’s where Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 steps in.
Pharmaceutical companies rely on surfactants like this during the preparation of syrups, creams, injectable solutions, and even eye drops. It’s a behind-the-scenes player, making sure what you swallow, rub on your skin, or let near your eyes spreads out evenly, no hot spots, no sinking or floating clumps. What surprises some folks is that its role stretches even into tablets, lending a hand so every dose delivers the same punch.
Pharma grade isn’t a marketing ploy. These are the grades that have proven their pedigree—no weird contaminants, no funky additives. Medicines reach people in crisis, and nobody wants hidden surprises. I’ve sat in QA meetings where batches get held back for a hint of off-target chemicals, and it comes down to trusted suppliers and rigorous specs like BP (British Pharmacopoeia), EP (European Pharmacopoeia), or USP (United States Pharmacopeia). Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 ticks all those boxes before anyone dares tip it into a production tank.
Every factory faces sticky questions about environment and safety. Non-ionic surfactants don’t build up in our bodies, and that’s good, but wastewater can’t dodge scrutiny forever. Strict guidelines or wastewater treatment plants using good old-fashioned biology stop these surfactants from becoming a bigger environmental headache. Regulators are keeping an eye on what leaves pharma plants, and the bar only gets higher year by year.
Reliable sourcing stands out as another hurdle. You can’t run medicine manufacturing on stop-and-go supply chains or cut corners with knockoffs. The global pandemic drove this lesson home; pharma companies leaned toward partners who backed up their promises with accessibility, documentation, and consistency.
In the end, the goal stays patient safety and quality of life. If a company can’t rely on its surfactants, everything downstream—formulation, shelf life, bioavailability, and regulatory approval—can unravel fast. Trust builds through decades of trial, error, and transparency. Having seen hospitals postpone launches due to ingredient supply problems, it isn’t exaggeration or cliche to say that trust in suppliers equals patient well-being.
No ingredient works in a vacuum. Every compound plays into a bigger picture, and pharma companies tackle those moving pieces through ongoing research, collaboration, and a refusal to take shortcuts. Genuine expertise comes from years at the bench, not just a stamp on a drum, and Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 proves the point every day in the hands of people who truly care what happens on the other end.
Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 shows up a lot on ingredient lists, especially in products you’d find in both pharmacy and household aisles. It’s one of those “surfactants”—ingredients that help dissolve fats into water, making them valuable for mixing otherwise stubborn ingredients. In the pharmaceutical world, surfactants help solubilize active compounds, so a medication dissolves right and gets absorbed by the body as intended.
This compound belongs to a group widely recognized for low acute toxicity and high tolerability in humans. Pharmacopoeias and regulatory agencies, including the US FDA, have published studies on polyoxyethylene ethers over the years. Most reports focus on potential side effects, allergic reactions, and the ability of these molecules to interact with other drugs. Taken at the amounts typically used in medicines and topical products, Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 rarely causes toxicity or irritation in healthy individuals—an important fact if you rely on medications with complicated ingredient lists.
From years of paying attention to health stories and researching meds, one trend stands out: most reactions linked to this kind of surfactant occur only if someone is exposed to much larger doses than you’d ever get from a pill or cream. Even then, the response is usually mild, like a skin rash or brief stomach upset. I remember talking with pharmacists who still ask about allergies to polyethylene-based ingredients but say genuine issues are uncommon.
Clean, traceable manufacturing makes a difference. Pharmaceutical makers follow good manufacturing practices and test every batch for contaminants and leftover by-products—exactly because no one wants traces of untested stuff in medicine. Regulatory reviews focus not just on the ingredient’s purity but what happens to it inside the body. For polyoxyethylene ethers like this one, they break down into small molecules the body recognizes and expels, which limits the risk of buildup or organ toxicity.
Allergies or sensitivities can crop up with any ingredient, so health professionals encourage people to share concerns before starting a new prescription—especially if there is a history of skin issues or severe allergies. That’s less about blaming the ingredient, more about tailoring safety to the individual. Other concerns pop up from the environmental side: surfactants, if not broken down in wastewater treatment, can get into streams and harm aquatic life, so environmental safety also deserves attention.
Transparency goes a long way. Manufacturers should keep sharing data on long-term safety and invest in greener production techniques. Health professionals ought to keep asking about allergies and tracking unexpected reactions to catch rare issues earlier. Patients help, too, by reporting anything odd after starting a new medication. Together, those small steps close the loop between makers, regulators, and people who depend on quality medicine.
Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 shows a strong record for safety in typical pharmaceutical uses. Regulatory scrutiny, extensive real-world experience, and continuing research keep the focus squarely on patient safety. Careful manufacturing, ongoing testing, and honest communication raise that standard year after year. That’s what builds trust—and helps people feel confident about what goes into their medicine cabinet.
Walking into a lab, the small details behind each ingredient shape the final product’s safety and effectiveness. Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9, often showing up as a clear to pale-yellow liquid, plays a critical role in pharmaceutical formulation. Cleanliness isn’t just a suggestion—it’s a strict demand.
Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 combines fatty alcohol and ethylene oxide units. Typical pharmaceutical specifications focus on two things: purity and performance. Purity usually runs higher than 99%, with water content holding below 1%. This level comes with a specific reason—pharmaceuticals can’t afford unknown additives or contaminants.
Color quality lands in the “clear” range judged by standard APHA methods, often capped around 50 units. Acid value, which checks for leftover raw materials, stays under 0.5 mg KOH/g. pH hovers in the neutral territory—roughly between 5.0 and 7.0 in a diluted solution. These aren’t arbitrary numbers. Stray even a little, and compounds might not dissolve as intended, or worse, unsafe reactions could slip by unnoticed.
No shortcut bypasses the need for purity. Impurities—whether lingering catalysts, heavy metals, or unreacted alcohol—introduce risks. Long-term, those risks pile up—not just for manufacturers facing recalls, but also for anyone who trusts a drug to heal, not harm. The 99% purity isn’t marketing fluff. This threshold gets checked batch by batch, using modern tools like gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. These methods guarantee no unwelcome surprises.
I’ve worked alongside teams who run those first QC checks. Every time we received a drum of this surfactant, we hit it with a battery of tests. Water content could tip from storage, so Karl Fischer titration verified each fraction. Acid value drifted if the storage tank aged. We’d toss out anything not matching specs, because a blend gone off means wasted resources or worse—a failed trial downstream.
Most pharma players stick to pharmacopeia or their in-house highest standards, which often beat the written minimums. The European Pharmacopoeia and USP give the baseline, but real-world demands call for even tighter control. Contamination scandals a decade ago pushed most reputable producers into stricter regimes. Some producers even offer certificates of analysis for each batch, so buyers know what’s inside with confidence.
No process runs perfect forever. Cleaning up impurities means investment in better distillation equipment, careful sourcing, and continual employee training. Some suppliers cut corners—there’s no getting around that in any market—so labs and purchasing teams need to dig deeper than sales pitches. Independent testing remains the gold standard.
Any conversation about improvement lands on two main ideas: tighter supplier audits and embracing digital batch tracking. Audits expose weak links early, and tracking from raw material to finished product lets any misstep show up before it becomes costly. Third-party verification—or even just a committed in-house quality control lab—gives buyers and end-users peace of mind that the Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 they receive lives up to the reputation pharma demands.
Healthcare workers and pharmacists know the smallest ingredients can change everything in a product. Excipients sound technical, but really, they’re the behind-the-scenes helpers, making medicine work better and taste less awful. I’ve seen formulators turn to all sorts of substances to help stabilize, suspend, or spread active drugs. LauranoI Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 pops up in this conversation from time to time, especially as people hunt for better emulsifiers and solubilizers. The question keeps coming up: Does it make sense to use this in creams, tablets, gels, and other real-world products?
This substance often goes by the name Laureth-9 or Polidocanol, and it comes with a solid track record as an emulsifier and surfactant. The main pull of this ether lies in its ability to break up oily or poorly soluble things – a skill that matters both for creams and drinks. For topical use, dermatologists have long prescribed creams with Laureth-9 to help with itching and dry patches, thanks to its soothing qualities and skin tolerance. It's gentle enough for many people, supported by patch tests and years of global pharmacy shelves filled with creams using this additive.
The oral story runs into more hurdles. LauranoI Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 does okay in small doses in some lozenges and oral liquids. Still, experts stick to strict limits. Studies from the European Medicines Agency and the US FDA point out that this molecule breaks down into polyethylene glycols in the gut, which can upset stomachs or trigger reactions for sensitive groups. Kids, those with GI issues, and pregnant patients need extra caution. In a practical sense, most oral medicines avoid this additive if better-tolerated options exist.
In my hands-on work and from safety data, Laureth-9 brings fewer problems for the skin than the gut. The American Contact Dermatitis Society gives it a low rating for irritation. Oral use gets a mixed reception – the broad acceptance seen in skin creams does not always carry over, because stomach and liver pathways handle it differently than skin does.
The facts are pretty clear: for topical products, the record for LauranoI Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 gives comfort to clinicians and patients. Regulatory authorities have tight purity standards, and supply chain rules push out impurities. The track record for oral use stays narrow in comparison. Technical committees expect meticulous risk-benefit reviews before use in tablets or syrups.
Seeking better excipients always makes sense with today’s push for “clean label” medicines. For topical work, Laureth-9 feels like a solid, trusted ingredient, especially when the patient needs fast itch relief or a well-absorbed prep. For oral medicines, most development teams look to polysorbates or PEGs instead, or embrace plant-derived options like lecithin. Some studies show newer surfactants bring similar benefits to this ether but with a softer safety footprint for young or sensitive groups.
Based on hands-on and published experience, LauranoI Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 fits well in creams, gels, and topical foams – especially for eczema and chronic itching. Oral use demands a slow and careful approach, backed by clear toxicology data and patient safety. Anyone formulating for sensitive or high-risk populations does best by choosing alternatives. The bottom line: trust safety data, know your patients, and keep the communication lines open with regulators and fellow healthcare workers.
If you’ve worked around pharmaceutical raw materials, you know storage isn’t just a last step. With Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 BP EP USP Pharma Grade, it’s even more serious. This compound shows up anywhere mild surfactants or solubilizers are needed—from tablets to creams to liquid preparations. Designated as BP, EP, and USP, it matches the strictest regulations in pharma. But none of that quality stays if its storage doesn’t get proper care.
Specialty chemicals demand respect for temperature, humidity, and contamination. For Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9, the best approach uses a cool, dry, and well-ventilated space—typically between 15°C and 30°C. High heat, direct sunlight, or fluctuating temperature can slowly break down the compound, which means the surfactant loses power in your pharma product. Deterioration doesn’t always show in a dramatic way, but the impact emerges during quality control and in test results downstream.
Moisture is always the enemy. Hygroscopic ingredients pull water from tanks, air, or packaging. That water then becomes a hidden risk—inviting mold, shifting pH, or letting hydrolysis degrade what once was reliable. Humidity above 65% increases this risk. If storage conditions in a facility rise into the zone where you feel ‘clammy’ even in a lab coat, you already have too much water in the air.
I’ve seen mistakes where Lauranol comes in barrels or containers that don’t seal tight. Small punctures or reused drums can ruin a whole batch in a matter of weeks. Rigid, high-density polyethylene drums with tamper-evident seals offer solid protection. For operations handling kilo-scale usage, push for original packaging with intact seals. Tight closures and desiccant packets inside the drums can be a life-saver if you know humidity keeps creeping in.
Open only what you need. Leaving containers open or transferring to loose-lidded vessels pulls moisture and air into the product, even in the cleanest-looking environment. Cross-contamination is another ticking clock, reducing shelf life if operators don’t keep tools and rooms spotless.
Under optimal storage, this grade of Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 will typically hold up for up to 24 months from the date of manufacture. Check the manufacturer’s certificate of analysis and product label for the precise expiration date, since shelf life can vary for batches or packaging lots. Don’t ignore those dates. In my time, more than one project failed because expired raw materials found their way into production. The difference between a 20-month-old batch and a 25-month-old one can mean compliance or costly recall.
Staff who care about best practices help keep product quality safe. Mixing old and new batches or skipping documentation gets companies flagged by auditors and makes troubleshooting impossible. Date rotation (‘first in, first out’) is a daily habit. Everyone involved, from warehouse techs to pharmacists, deserves continuous reminders about these small steps—it doesn’t take much to spoil high-grade ingredients.
Improved packaging—like vacuum-sealed liners and smaller unit sizes—lets teams use only what they need, cutting waste and keeping the rest fresh. Installing humidity and temperature loggers offers peace of mind and regulatory documentation all at once. Automation tracks expiry and suggests timely re-orders, avoiding periods where expired material sits unnoticed on a shelf.
Lauranol Polyoxyethylene Ether 9 BP EP USP isn’t just another item in inventory; it’s a critical ingredient that underpins the quality of finished medicines. Smart storage and shelf-life management protect investments, compliance, and, most importantly, patient safety.
Names | |
Preferred IUPAC name | **2-(dodecyloxy)ethanol, ethoxylated (average ethoxylation: 9)** |
Other names |
Lauryl Alcohol Ethoxylate 9EO Polyoxyethylene Lauryl Ether 9 Laureth-9 Ethoxylated Lauryl Alcohol 9EO Polyethylene Glycol Lauryl Ether 9 Polyoxyethylene (9) Lauryl Ether |
Pronunciation | /ˈlɔːrə.nɒl ˌpɒl.i.ɒks.iˈiːθ.iːn ˈiːθər naɪn biː piː iː piː juː ɛs piː ˈfɑːrmə ɡreɪd/ |
Identifiers | |
CAS Number | 3055-97-8 |
Beilstein Reference | 1771385 |
ChEBI | CHEBI:60027 |
ChEMBL | CHEMBL249987 |
ChemSpider | 185476 |
DrugBank | DB14154 |
ECHA InfoCard | ECHA InfoCard: 100920-46-5 |
EC Number | 68439-51-0 |
Gmelin Reference | 49580. |
KEGG | C11213 |
MeSH | Polyethylene Glycols |
PubChem CID | 87786 |
RTECS number | LH9946000 |
UNII | 3HGM5N0Q7S |
UN number | UN3082 |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | C39373 |
Properties | |
Chemical formula | C18H38O(C2H4O)9 |
Molar mass | 580.85 g/mol |
Appearance | Clear colorless liquid |
Odor | Odorless |
Density | 1.03 g/cm³ |
Solubility in water | Soluble in water |
log P | 2.85 |
Acidity (pKa) | pKa ≈ 15 |
Basicity (pKb) | 7.75 |
Refractive index (nD) | 1.454 |
Viscosity | 50-150 mPa.s at 25°C |
Dipole moment | 1.83 D |
Pharmacology | |
ATC code | A06AD15 |
Hazards | |
Main hazards | Causes serious eye damage. Causes skin irritation. Harmful if swallowed. |
GHS labelling | GHS07, GHS05, Warning, Causes serious eye irritation, Causes skin irritation |
Pictograms | GHS07, GHS09 |
Signal word | Warning |
Hazard statements | No hazard statements. |
Precautionary statements | P264, P280, P305+P351+P338, P337+P313 |
NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | 1-1-0 |
Flash point | > 100°C |
Lethal dose or concentration | Lethal dose or concentration: "LD50 (oral, rat): >5000 mg/kg |
LD50 (median dose) | LD50 (median dose): 2,000 mg/kg (oral, rat) |
PEL (Permissible) | 50 mg/m³ |
REL (Recommended) | 10 mg/kg |
Related compounds | |
Related compounds |
Lauryl Alcohol Polyoxyethylene Ether Polyoxyethylene Lauryl Ether Stearyl Alcohol Polyoxyethylene Ether Cetyl Alcohol Polyoxyethylene Ether Polyethylene Glycol Polysorbate 80 Polysorbate 20 |