Skip to content

How it Works

What is Glycolic Acid

The Pure Tech Difference

PureTech Scientific delivers best-in-class Glycolic Acid solutions for its customers through its continuous manufacturing process. Through both technical grade and high-purity mediums, as well as form factor variations (liquids at varying concentrations and solids), we provide tailored solutions to healthcare and consumer end markets, focused specifically on high performance disinfection products, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, electronics, and industrial cleaning.

PureTech Scientific is the only North American manufacturer of Glycolic Acid, based in Belle, WV, PureTech Scientific has 85 years of operating experience.

Benefits of Glycolic Acid
Glycolic Acid History and Origins
History
  • 1848: First Synthesis by Treating Wine with Nitrous Acid
  • 1940: First Dupont / Chemours Manufacture (Ethylene Glycol Intermediate)
  • 1950: Dupont / Chemours Commercial Sales of a Technical Grade 70% Solution
  • 1990’S: >$2MM Investment to Improve Capacity, Reliability and Environmental Performance
  • 1992: EPA renewed registration for use as a disinfection
  • 2000: First registrations for use as a pesticide
  • 2021: Further registrations for Glyclean® D
  • 2023: PureTech Scientific established by Iron Path Capital
  • 2024: Further investments in purification
Occurs Naturally
  • Sugar Cane & Beets
  • Unripe Grapes
  • Mammalian Metabolism (tricarboxylic acid cycle, aka. Krebs Cycle)

Glycolic is widely used

Glycolic Acid is as highly versatile chemistry that can be used in applications from personal care, to disinfection, to industrial applications. PureTech Scientific provides engineered and purified grades to each of these distinct end markets.

Industrial

  • Boiler Cleaning
  • Metal Cleaning
  • Concrete Removers
  • Dairy Cleaning
  • Leather Tanning
  • Polymers
  • Water Treatment

Personal Care

  • Skin Resurfacing
  • Skin Toning
  • Hair Care
  • High Temp Hair Styling

Disinfection

  • Hard Surface
  • Hospital Grade
  • Broad Spectrum
  • Wipes
  • Toilet Bowl

Efficacy and Kill Claims

North American Products

Summary of Glyclean D70 Efficacy Studies

European Products

Summary of hard surface cleaner and disinfectant efficacy studies

European: Summary of hard surface cleaner and disinfectant efficacy studies

Modes of Action

Glyclean® D has three distinct mechanisms of action which provide efficacy while reducing the likelihood of microbial resistance developing.

Glyclean® D has three distinct mechanisms of action which provide efficacy while reducing the likelihood of microbial resistance developing.

Glyclean® D Compared to Other Disinfectant Actives

Glyclean® D is a clear choice for the next generation of household, industrial, and institutional cleaning products. Glyclean® D combines sustainability, safety, cleaning performance and disinfectant efficacy into one easy to use and quick to market active. PureTech Scientific using our 85 years of science and production history is proud to offer this innovation in Glycolic Acid science. The time is now to future proof your disinfection products with Glyclean® D.

= Very Effective/Minimal Concern

= Effective/Some Concerns

= Not Effective/Many Concerns

Glyclean® D vs. Quats

As the environmental and safety issues around quaternary ammonium-based disinfectants are becoming more apparent there is an industry need for an alternative active chemistry. Glycolic acid can be part of that solution.

Glyclean® D has distinct safety advantages when compared to Quats. Glyclean® D has an approx. 100-fold toxicity improvement over the most common Quats (ADBAC, DDAC)

Glyclean® D can also be easily identified and quantified with direct analysis techniques, which quats cannot. This simplification of identification allows for different product labeling around hazard class and hazard statement codes. For further information please contact us for study details.

100-fold toxicity improvement over the most common Quats

Acute Toxicity Studies DeLeo et al. Ecotoxicol Environ Safety 2020, 206, 111116

Glyclean® D glycolic acid data from European Chemicals Agency

Comparative Studies

NOTES:

  • Anti-microbial activity determined by the use dilution method at the DuPont Glasgo Laboratory
  • A claim of disinfectancy requires a minimum of 99.9% kill
One-Step Cleaning

Glyclean® D in formulation (including formulations available for sub-registration) are effective as one-step clean and disinfect products. Two key parameters for one step clean and disinfect products are soil removal, and residue evaluations.

Soil Removal Study

Soil Removal Study

*Glyclean® formulations are available to sub-register and license

Residue Study

GlycleanD Residue Study

*Glyclean® formulations are available to sub-register and license

Back To Top