A small aromatic alcohol, where it occurs, and how living things dispose of it

Published 26 October 2026 · REVIVE LAB UAE Research Desk · 5 min read
Benzyl alcohol, C7H8O, molecular weight about 108, is a colourless liquid with a faint aromatic odour, boiling at 205 degrees and dissolving in water to about 4 grams per 100 millilitres. It occurs naturally in jasmine, hyacinth and many fruits, and is a permitted food flavouring. In the body it is oxidised by alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases to benzoic acid, which is conjugated with glycine to hippuric acid and excreted in urine. The same pathway handles benzoic acid from food.

The molecule

The simplest aromatic alcohol: a phenyl ring attached to a CH2OH group. The ring makes it absorb ultraviolet light and gives it modest lipid solubility; the hydroxyl makes it partly water-soluble and lets it hydrogen-bond. It is a weak acid in name only — the hydroxyl is not appreciably ionised at any pH a solution reaches. It has no site that binds metals.

It is miscible with ethanol and most organic solvents.

Where it occurs

Free and as esters in essential oils — jasmine, ylang-ylang — and in fruits, tea and some wines. It is used as a solvent, as a flavour and fragrance, and as a preservative in injectables, cosmetics and topical products. Its long history of use in many settings is one reason it was adopted for preserved water.

Daily dietary exposure in adults is in the milligram range from food alone.

Metabolism

Oxidation to benzaldehyde and then benzoic acid is fast; conjugation with glycine to hippuric acid is the step that limits clearance and is immature in newborns, which is the biochemical basis of the 1982 syndrome. In adults the pathway clears the compound within hours.

Bacteriostatic water is supplied by REVIVE LAB UAE as a diluent for lyophilised research peptides, for laboratory research use only. It is not for human or veterinary use, and no dosing, administration or protocol guidance is provided.

What it costs

FormatStrengthPriceAvailability
Bacteriostatic Water3 mL × 2AED 99In stock

Delivery is AED 40 flat and free on orders over AED 700. Payment is cash on delivery anywhere in the UAE, or USDT (TRC20) in advance, which takes 5% off the order total.

Frequently asked

The molecule?

The simplest aromatic alcohol: a phenyl ring attached to a CH2OH group. The ring makes it absorb ultraviolet light and gives it modest lipid solubility; the hydroxyl makes it partly water-soluble and lets it hydrogen-bond. It is a weak acid in name only — the hydroxyl is not appreciably ionised at any pH a solution reaches. It has no site that binds metals.

Does REVIVE LAB UAE provide dosing guidance?

No. REVIVE LAB UAE supplies research materials and provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance of any kind. Every product is sold for laboratory research use only and is not for human or veterinary consumption.

How fast is delivery in the UAE?

Stock is held in Dubai. An order confirmed before 4 PM Dubai time is dispatched the same working day, reaching Dubai and Abu Dhabi the same day and the remaining emirates within 24 hours. Delivery is AED 40 flat and free over AED 700.

Bacteriostatic Water — in stock, dispatched from Dubai
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Related reading

Supplied for laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption. REVIVE LAB UAE provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance.