Parents who give their babies gripe water should check the label this week. The UAE’s medicines regulator has ordered a batch of a popular infant product off the market after finding alcohol that was not listed among its ingredients.
The Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) ordered the recall of an affected batch of Babies’ Magic Tea – Baby Sleep Gripe Water, after detecting undeclared alcohol in the product. It also confirmed that the product lacks valid marketing approval in the UAE.
What the regulator has said
The recall was announced under Administrative Circular No. 45 of 2026, issued as part of the EDE’s oversight of pharmaceutical and healthcare products. The circular is dated October 27, and it directs health facilities and practitioners in the private sector to follow the instructions on withdrawing the affected batch.
The local distributor has been told to pull the affected quantities from the market and prevent their redistribution or circulation. Health and pharmacy facilities are asked to stop selling, supplying and using the product, to account for and isolate existing stock, to return it to the local supplier, and to report any complaints or adverse events.
Which batch
The EDE urged parents to stop using the product and not to buy it, and to check for batch number 25122bw. The product is marketed to relieve colic and gas and to help with sleep. Parents should compare the number on the box or bottle with the one in the notice, and not assume that every bottle is affected.
The US connection
The UAE action follows a recall in the United States. The US company Pacific Health Sciences voluntarily recalled one lot of the same brand after Food and Drug Administration testing identified undeclared alcohols, including ethanol, methanol and isopropanol. UAE regulators cited the same batch number. The EDE has not said how the UAE batch reached the market, or in what quantities.
Why alcohol in infant products matters
Babies’ bodies handle substances differently from guidance generally advises against giving alcohol to infants in any form. An undeclared ingredient makes the risk harder for parents to spot, since the label gives no warning.
The second finding is just as significant. A product without valid marketing authorisation has not been through the UAE’s approval process for quality, safety and labelling. That is why the regulator treated the absence of approval as a ground for the recall, alongside the alcohol.
What parents should do
Neither the regulator’s notices nor the reports describe any injury linked to the product in the UAE. Still, parents can take sensible precautions:
- Stop using the product if the batch number matches.
- Do not throw the bottle away immediately. Keep it, and the packaging, in case a pharmacy or health authority asks for it.
- Contact your paediatrician or pharmacist if your baby has used the product and you are concerned, or if the baby seems unwell.
- Report any problem to your health provider so that it can be passed to the regulator.
- Check other supplements marketed for infants to see whether they carry a UAE registration number.
A reminder about ‘natural’ products
Gripe water is often sold as a gentle, herbal remedy. Regulators in many countries repeat that this wording says little about what is inside. Products sold online or through informal channels may not meet the same standards as pharmacy-registered ones.
The EDE’s decision is a reminder that parents are best served by buying infant products from licensed outlets, reading labels carefully, and asking a pharmacist before giving a baby anything new.
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