Chapter 6: Preservatives
Sodium benzoate
- Made from a hazardous chemical
- Contaminant risk
The worst fact: mixed with vitamin C, it can form benzene, a known cause of cancer. The US FDA has found it in soft drinks.
Why brands use it: it's low in toxicity and approved as a food additive.
Take care if: you get chronic hives or asthma. Benzoates have been linked to both, though the evidence is weak.
Comes from: benzoic acid made from toluene (petroleum). Australia classes toluene as "May damage fertility or the unborn child". That doesn't mean it's in the product, but it's not a great starting point for something you clean with.
Myth check: "it's natural": benzoic acid does occur in berries, but the commercial kind is made from toluene.
Contaminants: benzene, mainly when vitamin C (or a similar acid) is also in the product. Heat and light speed it up. That's uncommon.
Fair to say: it's on the US EPA's safer list (green), and Europe's food safety authority found it low in toxicity and set a safe daily limit.
Correct as of November 2026. What the badges mean
Sources
- Safe Work Australia. Hazardous Chemical Information System (HCIS): classifications for each chemical and for benzene, ethylene oxide, toluene, phenol and benzyl chloride. hcis.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
The full source list is at the end of Chapter 6.