Table 1.
Classes and representative molecules of common preservatives in ocular therapeutic formulations [2–7].
| Chemical class | Component(s) | Proprietary name (if applicable) | Commercial formulation examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quaternary ammoniums (detergents) | Benzalkonium chloride | Many | |
| Polyquaternium-1 | Polyquad (Alcon) | Travoprost PQ | |
| Polyquaternium-42 | – | ||
| Cetrimide | Some artificial tears | ||
| Oxidizing agents | Sodium perborate | GenAqua (Novartis), Dequest (TheraTears) | Some artificial tears |
| Stabilized Oxochloro Complex (SOC) | Purite (Allergan, an AbbVie company), OcuPure (AMO) | Brimonidine P | |
| Ionic buffers | Borate, sorbitol, propylene glycol, and zinc | SofZia (Alcon) | Travoprost Z |
| Amidines | Chlorhexidine | Some contact lens solutions | |
| Parabens | Methylparaben | Some artificial tears | |
| Propylparaben | |||
| Alcohols | Chlorobutanol | Some artificial tears | |
| Phenylethanol | |||
| Mercury-based | Thimerosal | Pilocarpine | |
| Phenylmercuric nitrate/acetate |