Young children love to explore and experiment. These children had gotten some of the contents of tubes containing these seemingly-innocuous ointments or creams into their mouths. They were each dead minutes later. The dangerous ingredient is called dibucaine. It is a powerful, topical anesthetic in the same class as Novocain or lidocaine.
Topical use is usually safe.
Dibucaine is an important ingredient in some ointments and creams commonly used to treat sunburn, insect bites, minor burns, cuts, scrapes, and scratches. It is sold as a pain relief cream, an anti-itching cream, and as an ointment used to relieve discomfort from hemorrhoids. Somehow, first-aid creams seem safer than prescription drugs. Tubes of cream seem safer than bottles of pills. Appearances can be quite deceiving.