Dictionary: Bitrex

Soooo, it came to my attention that I haven't done a Dictionary post since February, wow, that really is not good is it? I love doing these posts, because I always find that I learn something from writing them.
Anyway, this is one that I've been meaning to do for quite some time and I thought I'd started a post about it, but apparently, I haven't! Basically, this week I'm looking at....*drumroll please*...

Bitrex

If you've ever bought a Nail Varnish Remover, and odds are that if you're reading this blog, you probably have!! Well, you might have come across the logo on the left (checks hands) yep, the left. Of course not all Removers have this logo, the one I'm currently using is a Tesco brand, and typically doesn't include it, but I'm pretty certain that some from Boots do.
Anyway, if it does feature the little logo on the left (and now I definitely know it really is my left!), then your Remover contains, yup, you guessed it Bitrex. But...

What is Bitrex?

It's a fair question to ask, and until I typed Bitrex into Google a while ago, I had absolutely no idea. Quite simply, Bitrex is made up of substance that is incredibly bitter. The idea being that if the substance is consumed, perhaps by a small child, they will automatically spit it right out again, because it tastes that bad!!

What exactly is this "substance"?

In short: Denatonium Benoate. The substance is alleged to be the most bitter substance ever, and was discovered the 1950s by an Edinburgh-based research company called MacFarlan Smith .
Inevitably, Nail Varnish Remover aren't the only potential products that could contain this amazing ingredient.

What else contains Bitrex?

Oh, you're just full of good questions today, aren't you? There are many products that might contain Bitrex, such as cleaning products and antifreeze, and it really does make sense for these types of products to contain it, because let's face it, surely it's better for a kid to spit it straight out than get the chance to swallow too much of it! Plus, after tasting it, I can only imagine, but I really doubt that they will never do it again.
So, there you go. Next time you see the "Contains Bitrex" logo on the back of a product, you will know exactly what it means :)

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