Sodium Benzoate

Sodium benzoate comes up frequently in ingredient conversations, so I want to share my balanced, real-life perspective. It is classified as GRAS, meaning Generally Recognized As Safe, and there is an established ADI, or Acceptable Daily Intake, of 5 mg per kilogram of body weight per day for benzoic acid and its salts. On paper, that sounds reassuring.

However, what matters to me as a formulator and label reader is not just whether something is permitted, but how it functions in real life. Sodium benzoate is widely used. It appears in beverages, sauces, condiments, flavored waters, supplements, medications, and personal care products such as wipes, lotions, shampoos, and cleansers. Because of this, we are rarely exposed to it in isolation. Instead, exposure is often layered throughout the day from multiple sources.

While each individual product may fall within regulatory limits, cumulative intake can add up more quickly than many people realize, particularly in children with smaller body weights. Acceptable Daily Intake levels are calculated using controlled models that evaluate single-ingredient exposure with built-in safety margins. They are useful tools for risk assessment, but they do not always reflect stacked, real-world use across food and personal care products simultaneously.

Sodium benzoate is also recognized as a potential irritant for some individuals, particularly affecting skin and mucous membranes. This is one reason it is sometimes flagged for sensitive skin, eczema-prone individuals, infants, and those who tend to react to preservatives in general. “Safe” does not automatically mean universally well tolerated.

There is also nuance around benzene formation. Under certain conditions, particularly in beverages containing ascorbic acid, sodium benzoate can contribute to benzene formation when factors such as heat, light exposure, storage time, and trace metals are involved. This issue has been studied in soft drinks and other acidic beverages and has led to reformulation and improved manufacturing controls in many products. This does not mean every product containing sodium benzoate forms benzene, but it explains why the topic continues to surface in ingredient discussions.

Some toxicology research has examined sodium benzoate in animal models and in vitro studies at higher doses, evaluating markers related to oxidative stress, kidney function, reproductive parameters, and behavioral associations. These studies are designed to identify biological thresholds and mechanisms. High-dose animal or cell culture data do not automatically translate to typical human dietary exposure at regulated levels, but they do help establish margins of safety. When an ingredient demonstrates biological activity under stress conditions, it reinforces the value of thoughtful, limited use rather than unnecessary overuse.

For me, this ultimately comes down to formulation philosophy. I do not view sodium benzoate as an immediate danger, and I do not believe that a single exposure is catastrophic. At the same time, I do not see a reason to contribute to overall preservative load when alternatives exist that better align with my goals for sensitive skin support and cumulative exposure awareness. That is why it is on my Ingredients We Avoid list and why I choose not to use it in my products.

This does not mean I live in fear of it. Occasional exposure is not a crisis. If you enjoy a specialty coffee drink once in a while and it contains sodium benzoate, that alone is not cause for panic. If you are in a pinch and the only diaper wipes available contain sodium benzoate as the primary concerning ingredient, use the wipes. Context matters. Frequency matters. Total exposure matters.

Low-tox living is not about eliminating every questionable ingredient at all costs. It is about lowering the overall load where you reasonably can so the body is not constantly managing unnecessary inputs from every direction. That is the approach I take, the perspective I teach from, and how I evaluate ingredients in general: function, dose, cumulative exposure, and necessity.

Further Reading

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) — Re-evaluation of benzoic acid and benzoates (E210–E213) as food additives
https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/3590

European Medicines Agency (EMA) — Benzyl alcohol and benzoic acid group used as excipients in medicinal products
A regulatory document explaining use of benzoic acid and related compounds in medicines, with context on safety considerations.
https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/report/benzyl-alcohol-and-benzoic-acid-group-used-excipients-report-published-support-questions-and-answers-benzyl-alcohol-used-excipient-medicinal-products-human-use-emachmp5081882013-and-t_en.pdf

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — GRAS Notice Inventory
The FDA’s database of Generally Recognized As Safe notices, where companies submit data supporting GRAS status for food ingredients (including benzoates).
https://www.fda.gov/food/food-ingredients-packaging/generally-recognized-safe-gras

Benzene formation from benzoates and ascorbic acid — peer-reviewed review article
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4745501/

Study on benzene presence in beverages — PubMed
Research focusing on benzene levels in soft drinks and related consumer products under different conditions.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29842881/

Toxicology study — oxidative stress and related endpoints
An example of a peer-reviewed toxicology study exploring biochemical effects in animal models at higher doses.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24693251/