Grab Green Baby Witch Hazel Soothing Solution is a gentle formula designed to calm and refresh delicate baby skin. It has continued to be a choice for parents for their babies. But recently, people started questioning the safety of this product.
Recent posts on social media claimed that Green Grab Baby Witch Hazel Soothing Solution contains harmful ingredients like sodium benzoate and citric acid which react with each other to form carcinogenic substances.
The claim states that Green Grab baby Witch Hazel Soothing Solution contains ingredients like sodium benzoate which is generally considered as safe and citrus products like citric acid, ascorbic acid and other Vitamin C. When sodium benzoate reacts with citric ingredients, it makes the product carcinogenic.
However, Fact Crescendo found the claim to be misleading. Sodium Benzoate when reacted with citric acid does not produce carcinogenic substances.
Fact Check-
What is Sodium Benzoate?
According to a report, Sodium benzoate is a preservative which is found in food, beverages and cosmetics. It is effective against bacteria, yeast and fungi etc and helps in increasing the shelf life of the products. It has been declared Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the FDA and other global authorities.
Reaction of Sodium Benzoate with Citric Acid:
Fact Crescendo contacted former Project Associate-2 of CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad. We were told that sodium benzoate undergoes a double displacement reaction with citric acid, leading to the formation of benzoic acid and sodium citrate. While concerns exist about benzene formation, the likelihood is low under normal conditions, as its formation requires complex reaction mechanisms, catalysts like copper or zinc, and specific environmental factors like UV exposure. Additionally, sodium ascorbate, sometimes mentioned as a byproduct, acts as an antacid rather than a hazard. Overall, sodium benzoate remains safe in regulated concentrations.
Apart from this, previously consumers had raised concerns about the presence of both sodium benzoate and citric acid in various beverages. The FDA first learned in 1990 that benzene could form at low levels in soft drinks containing benzoate salts (like sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate) and ascorbic acid, especially under heat and light. Beverages use citric acid and not ascorbic acid. In 2005, the FDA surveyed various soft drinks and found no detectable benzene in the beverages containing both benzoate salts and citric acid.
From the above points, it is clear that Sodium Benzoate and Citric acid do not react in normal conditions to form Benzene (a known carcinogen). Sodium Benzoate reacts with Ascorbic acid (another form of Vitamin C) to produce Benzene.
Do Grab Green products contain Ascorbic acid?
Grab Green Baby Witch Hazel Solution (Rosewood) is a non-aerosol skincare liquid. According to its Safety Data Sheet, the product is not classified as hazardous and contains no substances identified as harmful at their current concentrations. Its primary active ingredient is glycerin (5–10%), a well-known moisturizing agent considered safe for topical use. The solution has a pH of 5.2, is water-soluble, and does not contain ascorbic acid (vitamin C), thus posing no risk of benzene formation. It is stable under normal conditions, with no expected hazardous reactions, and shows low toxicity overall
In the post, an image of the list of ingredients written on the label of the Green Grab product has been posted. In that list, it can be seen that the product contains citric acid and not ascorbic acid. As stated above, Sodium Benzoate does not react with citric acid to form Benzene. Therefore, the product is free from the dangers of Benzene which is carcinogenic in nature.
Conclusion:
Fact Crescendo found the claim to be false. Presence of Sodium Benzoate and Citric acid in Grab Green Baby Witch Hazel Soothing Solution do not for Benzene a known carcinogenic. According to study, benzoate salts react with ascorbic acid to form benzene. But the product does not have ascorbic acid as an ingredient. So, Grab Green products are safe to use.
Title:Is Grab Green Baby Witch Hazel Solution carcinogenic due to the presence of Sodium Benzoate and Citric acid?
Written By: Siddharth SahuResult: False
