Benzalkonium chloride in eye drops

Benzalkonium chloride is a preservative found in many multi-use eye drops. Quell doesn’t contain it, or any other preservative.

Why it comes up

Preservatives such as benzalkonium chloride are a common source of irritation for people using drops several times a day. People who use drops on a schedule often look for it on labels for exactly that reason.

How to spot it

Look in the Inactive ingredients section of the Drug Facts panel. It is sometimes abbreviated to BAK or BAC. Because inactive ingredients are listed alphabetically, it usually sits near the top of the list when it is there.

Quell’s inactive list

Caprylyl Glycol, Dead Sea Salt (Sodium Chloride), Emu Oil, Glyceryl Laurate, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Manuka Honey, Polaxamer 188, Sterile Water, Terminalia Chubula and Tromethamine. Benzalkonium chloride isn’t among them, and the carton states Preservative-Free.

If you use drops often

Quell’s directions call for daily use: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. At that frequency the inactive list matters more than it would for an occasional drop.

What preservative-free means covers the rest of the picture.