
Why Bayer uses castor oil in Testoviron (Test E/Test P mix) and Rimobolan (Primobolan Depot)
Bayer chooses castor oil because it is the only pharmacopeia-approved natural oil with the exact solvent characteristics needed for certain esterified hormones at pharmaceutical concentrations.
Let’s break it down scientifically:
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✔ 1. Castor oil dissolves certain steroid esters better than other oils
Testosterone enanthate, testosterone propionate, and methenolone enanthate all have:
medium/high hydrophobicity
moderate ester chain length
moderate crystal lattice energy
high melting point relative to shorter esters
Many oils struggle to dissolve these APIs at pharmaceutically acceptable concentrations (e.g. 100 mg/mL, 250 mg/mL) without co-solvents.
Castor oil has:
very high solubilizing power for long-chain esters
higher polarity than MCT or sesame oil (due to ricinoleic acid hydroxyl group)
a unique ability to keep certain steroid esters dissolved at room temp without crashing
excellent thermal stability
This is the single biggest reason Bayer uses it.
They want solubility + stability without needing harsh solvents.
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✔ 2. Castor oil ensures extremely low injection-site reactions
Because of its viscosity and polarity profile, castor oil:
releases API more slowly
causes less post-injection irritation
reduces “solvent bite”
remains stable in tissue
lowers risk of crystal precipitation in vivo
For Primobolan Depot this is especially important because methenolone enanthate is one of the hardest steroid esters to keep fully dissolved and non-irritating.
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✔ 3. Castor oil allows Bayer to avoid benzyl benzoate in high amounts
Most underground labs compensate for poor solubility using:
huge benzyl benzoate (BB) percentages
huge benzyl alcohol (BA) percentages
harmful co-solvents
Bayer cannot do that because:
regulated products must minimize BB/BA
they must meet injection comfort standards
they must pass multi-decade stability testing
Castor oil’s solvent power allows minimal co-solvents.
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✔ 4. Castor oil meets strict pharmaceutical pharmacopeia requirements
Castor oil is in:
USP
Ph. Eur
JP
And is specifically listed for:
long-acting depot preparations
intramuscular oily injections
It:
does not oxidize easily
passes peroxide value tests
remains stable for years
has consistent viscosity under sterile filtration
is compatible with sterilization conditions
This is why every major pharma company uses it for specific esters that need maximum stability.
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✔ 5. Bayer’s own historic patents mention castor oil’s superior solubility for their chosen esters
Bayer’s original formulation data for:
Testoviron Depot
Primobolan Depot
show that they selected castor oil because it maintained:
clear solution
long-term stability
low crystallization risk
acceptable viscosity for injection
No other oil hit those targets at commercial scale without introducing extra solvents.
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✔ 6. You can test this yourself:
Methenolone enanthate is extremely difficult to keep dissolved in:
MCT
sesame
grapeseed
cottonseed
But in castor oil, you get:
instant clarity
long-term stability
minimal crash risk
far less co-solvent required
This is why every medical-grade Primobolan formulation in history uses castor oil — including Schering/Bayer.