Babies' Magic Tea Sleep Gripe Water Recalled After FDA Testing Finds Undeclared Ethanol, Methanol and Isopropanol

A liquid supplement marketed to soothe babies and help them sleep has been pulled from sale after federal lab testing found alcohols that the label never mentioned.

Pacific Health Sciences is voluntarily recalling one lot of Babies' Magic Tea Baby Sleep Gripe Water. The FDA published the recall notice Wednesday, Oct. 7.

What the FDA found

FDA testing identified three alcohols: ethanol, methanol and isopropanol. None appeared on the label.

Measured levels were approximately:

• 8.3% ethanol
• 0.35% methanol
• 0.48% isopropanol

The FDA said the substances may pose a risk depending on how much is consumed and on the age and body weight of the child. The agency noted that ethanol, methanol and isopropanol are known to impair normal central nervous system function. It also said infant exposure to ethanol has been linked to long-term developmental consequences.

According to the FDA notice, even the amount listed on the packaging can cause sleepiness, trouble with coordination, behavior changes, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. Larger amounts raise the risk of dangerously slowed breathing and other serious problems.

For scale, the consumer site Techlicious noted that 8.3% ethanol is in the range of a strong craft beer. It also pointed out that methanol is a poison that can cause blindness, organ damage and death in large enough amounts.

How to identify the recalled bottles

The recall covers lot 25122bw only. The best-before date is 12/2028.

The product comes in a 4-fluid-ounce (118 mL) amber bottle inside a blue cardboard box, packaged with an oral syringe. The lot number is printed on the bottom of the box and on a side panel of the bottle.

The lot was distributed to Secrets of Tea, which sold it through its own website, secretsoftea.com, and through other online retailers, including Amazon.

Parents and caregivers should stop using the product immediately. They can throw it away or return it to the place of purchase for a refund. Anyone whose child shows symptoms after using it should seek medical attention and contact Pacific Health Sciences at 310-457-1775 or myorder@pacifichealth.com. Reactions can also be reported to the FDA's MedWatch program.

What is not known

Pacific Health Sciences told the FDA it has received no reports of adverse events tied to this lot. No injuries have been reported to date.

The notice does not explain how the alcohols ended up in the product. It also does not say how many bottles were sold. Whether the alcohols came from an ingredient, the manufacturing process or something else has not been disclosed.

The product is sold as an over-the-counter herbal supplement. The notice lists gas and hiccup relief from ginger root and sodium bicarbonate, and a bedtime blend of chamomile, lemon balm and passionflower for relaxation.

The supplement-oversight argument

The recall has revived a familiar complaint about the supplement aisle. Cath RN, PhD, a nurse who posted on Bluesky on Oct. 8, wrote that independent lab studies show 20-40% of supplement labels don't match what is in the bottle. She also wrote that the FDA doesn't test supplements before they reach the shelves. Those figures are her claim, not an FDA finding, and the recall notice makes no such broad statement.

The FDA's own testing is what caught this lot. The agency has not said what prompted the testing or whether other Babies' Magic Tea lots or other gripe water brands are under review. No enforcement action beyond the voluntary recall has been announced.

Parents were already split on products like this. One parent on a Reddit new-parents thread wrote that their baby "loved this stuff for the first two months" and calmed quickly when gas pains hit. Other parents voiced concern about giving infants supplements that haven't been through FDA approval, or about leaning on them as a shortcut.

The law firm Parker Waichman LLP has already posted a page soliciting families who believe their children were harmed, saying they may have product liability or failure-to-warn claims. That is a law firm advertising for clients. No lawsuit has been reported, and no injuries have been confirmed.

What comes next

Parents with the product at home should check the lot number on the box and the bottle today. Pacific Health Sciences has yet to say what caused the contamination or how many units reached customers. Those two answers will decide whether this stays a one-lot recall.