Pacific Health Sciences is recalling one lot of Babies' Magic Tea brand Baby Sleep Gripe Water after FDA testing found three alcohols that were not listed on the label: ethanol, methanol and isopropanol. The company announced the recall on October 6, 2026, and the FDA posted it on October 7. Gripe water is given to infants by mouth, so parents and caregivers who bought this product should check the lot number.
Recall details
- Product: Babies' Magic Tea brand Baby Sleep Gripe Water (dietary supplement)
- Package: 4 fl oz (approximately 118 mL) amber bottle inside a blue cardboard box, with an oral syringe included
- Lot number: 25122bw, printed on the bottom of the box and on a side panel of the bottle
- Best before: 12/2028
- Where sold: distributed to Secrets of Tea and sold through online retailers, including secretsoftea.com and Amazon
- What was found: approximately 8.3% ethanol, 0.35% methanol and 0.48% isopropanol, none of which were declared on the label
- Dates: company announcement October 6, 2026; FDA publication October 7, 2026
The company's hazard statement says: "Organic alcohols such as ethanol, methanol, and isopropanol are known to impair normal functioning of the central nervous system, while infant ethanol exposure has been linked to long-term developmental consequences." It adds that "exposure to the amounts recommended on this product's packaging can induce drowsiness, incoordination, behavioral changes, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain," and that higher amounts "can increase risk of respiratory depression and other serious adverse health consequences."
Pacific Health Sciences says it has received no reports of adverse events associated with this lot.
What to do if you have it
- Stop using any product from lot 25122bw.
- Throw it away or return it to the place of purchase for a refund.
- If a child shows symptoms after using the product, seek medical attention and contact the company.
- Questions or reactions can be reported to Pacific Health Sciences at 310-457-1775 or [email protected], Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
- Adverse reactions can also be reported to the FDA's MedWatch program online or by calling 1-800-332-1088 to request a form.
Why these three alcohols matter
Ethanol is the alcohol in beverages and is also used as a solvent in some liquid products. Isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol, or rubbing alcohol) is common in disinfectants and personal care products for external use. Neither is something parents expect to find in a product given to a baby, and an undeclared ingredient means caregivers have no way to know it is there.
Methanol, also called methyl alcohol or wood alcohol, is the most concerning of the three. In a 2020 report on poisonings linked to contaminated hand sanitizers, the CDC noted that early signs of methanol poisoning include headache, blurred vision, nausea and vomiting, and that "if left untreated methanol poisoning can be fatal." Survivors can be left with permanent vision damage. The FDA has said methanol is not an acceptable ingredient in hand sanitizer.
Infants are especially vulnerable to small exposures because of their low body weight. As the recall notice puts it, the risk depends "on the amount consumed and the age and body weight of the person using the product."
Tips for choosing infant products
- Keep the box and lot number for anything you give your baby by mouth, so you can check it against recalls.
- Remember that dietary supplements, including many gripe waters, are not approved by the FDA before they are sold.
- Ask your pediatrician before giving any supplement or remedy to an infant.
- Read the full ingredient list, and be cautious with products that list "alcohol" or "ethanol" for children.
You can read more in our ingredient profiles for Alcohol (Ethanol) and Isopropyl Alcohol, or paste any ingredient list into our label checker.
Sources
- FDA: Pacific Health Sciences Voluntarily Recalls One Lot of Babies' Magic Tea Brand Baby Sleep Gripe Water Dietary Supplement (October 7, 2026)
- CDC MMWR: Serious Adverse Health Events, Including Death, Associated with Ingesting Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers Containing Methanol (August 14, 2020)
- FDA: FDA updates on hand sanitizers consumers should not use
