Ingredient Spotlight: What Is Deionized Water?

Deionized water is used as an ingredient throughout the medical industry, including inside hand sanitizers. In fact, its purity makes it desirable for use in other areas as well, like aquariums, fire extinguishing and automotive cooling. But what is deionized water? Learn what makes it different from regular drinking water and why hand sanitizer brands like Just Human use it in their products. 

What Is Deionized Water?  

Deionized water is a type of extremely purified water that has had all of its ions (minerals and contaminates) removed. To product deionized water, an electrically charged resin is used. The resin includes positive and negative charged resins that bind and attract salts when water is filtered through it.  

Distilled vs Deionized water 

Deionized water and distilled water are not the same. Each has been purified using a different process. While you can drink distilled and deionized water, not all deionized water has been designed for human consumption. Check the labels on any deionized water before you try to drink it. Because deionized water can be purified quickly (unlike the more time-consuming process used to make distilled water), it is used by many industries. Finally, deionized water is four times more pure than distilled water, making it key for industries that depend on perfectly clean solutions.  

DI Water Applications  

Since drinking water can contain impurities, minerals and trace amounts of chemicals, purified water is necessary for many industries. From labs to your shower, you may be surprised to learn how many everyday products depend on deionized water. 

Medical 

Deionized water is often used in lab tests throughout the medical industry. Ions in water could impact the results of an experiment by disrupting the ingredients of a formula. Lab techs will often use deionized water to dilute their formulas to ensure the integrity of the test.  

Additionally, most medical products use water during the manufacturing process. Pure water is key to avoiding contamination, especially since it will be used in a medical environment. If water inside a formula contained any impurities, it could cause some serious health issues. That’s why lab technicians and medical manufacturers depend on pure water like deionized water. 

Hygiene Products 

Products like shampoo, conditioners, moisturizers and hand sanitizers will often use deionized water as a thinner. Unlike conventional water which can be too hard or too soft, deionized water gives manufacturers more control over their product and allows them to ensure their consumers get the desired results without any unintended effects. 

Cleaning 

Once minerals and other contaminates have been removed, deionized water acts almost like a sponge, absorbing other elements to fill the void. That’s why cleaning with deionized water is so effective. It can easily remove grime from surfaces and doesn’t leave water spots or residue behind. More importantly, you can clean without using chemicals. 

Deionized Water in Hand Sanitizer 

We depend on hand sanitizers to keep our hands clean and protected from germs. Hand sanitizer manufactures depend on purified water to ensure nothing disrupts the effectiveness of the active ingredient (usually alcohol) in their formulas.  

Deionized water is often preferred over distilled water because it helps hydrate skin and is purer than distilled water. Hand sanitizer brands that don’t use alcohol will have larger percentages of water in their formulations. Deionized water is a great choice for these brands since it has gentle cleaning and hydrating benefits.