Hydroxyl benzyl alcohols (abbreviated customarily as HBA’s) are the biological relevant molecules due to their excellent neuroprotective effect and free radical scavenging ability. In addition, 4-HBA exhibits inhibitory effect on tyrosinase activity and melanogenesis and warrantee a potential agent for skin lightening to be used in cosmetic products. An efficient, high purity method amenable to the industrial scale manufacture of HBA’s is reported. The present work deals with preparation of HBA’s with absence of formaldehyde impurity required in pharmaceutical application by the reduction of aldehydes to the corresponding alcohols using sodium borohydride and ammonium carbonate as simple reducing system.