Benzyl alcohol, a popular ingredient in natural beauty products, is an aromatic substance naturally found in essential oils including jasmine, hyacinth, and ylang-ylang.

Even in small dosages, benzyl alcohol may cause various toxic effects including respiratory failure, very low blood pressure, convulsions, and paralysis.

MSDA Safety Data Sheet for Benzyl Alcohol: "Toxicology: Harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Severe irritant for eyes, skin and respiratory system."

CancerWeb (UK): "Benzyl alcohol: a colourless liquid with a sharp burning taste and slight odour. It is used as a local anaesthetic and to reduce pain associated with lidocaine injection. Also, it is used in the manufacture of other benzyl compounds, as a pharmaceutic aid, and in perfumery and flavoring. Pharmacological action: anaesthetics, local, pharmaceutic aid. (12 Dec 1998)"

Benzyl alcohol has been proven to be toxic in a number of well-designed studies. Its use as a preservative and an antiseptic has been halted since the 1980s.

Benzyl alcohol was used up to 0.9 percent as a preservative in neonatal medications. After sixteen newborns died of acute toxic poisoning in 1982 benzyl alcohol was banned for use as a preservative.

Sixteen premature infants died of acute toxic poisoning with benzyl alcohol, which was contained in an antibacterial solution used to flush catheters and other medical equipment.

You may find the following information useful:

"Benzyl alcohol is used as a bacteriostatic preservative in parenteral (IV) medications. Benzyl alcohol is also known for its toxic effects including respiratory failure, vasodilation, hypotension, convulsions, and paralysis. Sixteen Neonatal deaths have been associated with the use of benzyl alcohol as a preservative in saline flush solutions... FDA has recommended that intravascular flush solutions containing benzyl alcohol not to used for newborns and that diluents with this preservative not be used as medications for these infants... Preservative free solutions are now being used for the infant population."

Source: "Neonatal Deaths Associated With Use of Benzyl Alcohol รข?? United States". Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 11 Jun 1982. 31 (22): 290-1.

Why would my child need a local anesthetic in her baby wipes? Still, benzyl alcohol is used in popular baby products such as Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes and Aveeno Baby Daily Moisture Lotion.

What's really funny, benzyl alcohol serves as a preservative in seemingly unscented products such as Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream and Lotion (also contain benzyl acetate), Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum. It also contains in high amounts in Old Spice Original aftershave and cologne.

Adults can freely choose their poison. Babies cannot. They let us choose the poison for them.