Hippuric acid is a white crystalline substance that is present in the urine of herbivorous animals and, to a much smaller extent, in the urine of humans. Hippuric acid levels are significantly higher in individuals that have been exposed to toluene.

Contact with toluene can be incidental or intentional. Since toluene is a solvent, workers in certain industrial environments are more likely to have frequent interaction with the substance and, therefore, generally exhibit increased bodily levels of hippuric acid in studies. However, toluene is one of the most popular inhalants abused by juveniles, as well. Therefore, tests determining urinary levels of hippuric acid are a common drug test utilized when individuals are suspected of intentional toluene inhalation.

Consumption of cranberries is sometimes associated with augmented hippuric acid production. A long time folk remedy, eating cranberries or drinking cranberry juice may have significant benefits, including good urinary tract health. Although the mechanisms are not yet clearly understood, when the body metabolizes the benzoic acid that naturally occurs in cranberries the result is elevated amounts of hippuric acid, which in turn is believed to inhibit microbial growth.