Dettol

Dettol Antiseptic Liquid Disinfectant is the name of commercial liquid and solid antiseptic products belonging to a household product line manufactured by Reckitt Benckiser.

The traditional liquid product is a light yellow colour, but becomes milky white when diluted in water. This diluted mixture can be used to clean cuts etc.

The active ingredient which defines its unique antiseptic property is an aromatic chemical compound known as chloroxylenol (C₈H₉ClO). This makes up 4.8% of Dettol's total mixture, with the rest composed of pine oil, isopropanol, castor oil soap, caramel, and water. Because several of the ingredients are insoluble in water, Dettol produces a white emulsion of oil droplets when diluted during use.

Diluted Dettol can also be used to treat acne in small quantities, but it must not come into contact with eyes, mouth, or nasal passage. Its topical application is a remedy for boils (skin abscess).

Like other household cleaners, Dettol is poisonous and should not be ingested. In an extreme case, a forty-two-year-old British man died from Dettol overexposure in May 2007.The company ran a controversial advertising campaign where it claimed that your toilet seat was cleaner than kitchen work surfaces. It was forced to withdraw the campaign.

In Australia, Dettol in a...
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