Biofreeze13529 Pain Relief Gel, 4 oz. Tube, Pack of 2 (Packaging May Vary)

[ REVIEW & INGREDIENTS LIST UPDATED: JANUARY 2016 ]I have a rheumatic condition and a pinched nerve on my neck causing carpal tunnel/median nerve/ulnar nerve pain, shoulder pain, joint pain, stiffness and peripheral neuropathy. I bought the best selling products in the pain relief category along with cold pads, warm pads, computer gloves, a traction device + pillow, and supplements; each of them carefully researched. I've been using them on a daily basis for a little over a year now. If anyone's interested, I will keep the review updated with my progress.List of INGREDIENTS as of January 2016PENETREX:Note: The ingredients list has been updated. No more Parabens! (Thank you, Biomax!)Water (Aqua), Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetyl Esters, Steareth-20, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM/DMSO2), Glucosamine Sulfate, Ethoxydiglycol, Methyl Gluceth-20, Cetyl Myristoleate, Pentylene Glycol (and) Sea Whip Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Boswellia Serrata (Frankincense) Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Cinnamomum Camphora (Camphor), Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Dipotassium Glycyrrhizinate, Dimethicone, Ammonium Acryloyl-Dimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, DMDM Hydantoin, Iodopropynyl ButylcarbamateBIOFREEZE:Note: There are 2 different versions of Biofreeze now: Original & Colorless.The new colorless version is free of parabens and propylene glycol and made with USP grade ingredients and it seems to contain the same ingredients listed below, without the artificial dyes and P.Glycol.The new formula has 4% natural menthol and a number of botanical ingredients including Arnica Montana Flower Extract (Arnica), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract (Aloe), Boswellia Carterii Resin Extract (Boswellia), Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract (Calendula), Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (Green Tea), Arctium Lappa Root Extract (Burdock), Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract (Lemon Balm).Inactive Ingredients (Original Version): Camphor (for scent), carbomer, FD&C blue #1, FD&C yellow #5, Glycerine, Herbal Extract (ILEX Paraguariensis), Isopropyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Silicon Dioxide, Triethanolamine, Water, Vitamin E, Glycerin.SOMBRA:Note: List updated. Sombra no longer contains Silica.Active Ingredients:Menthol 3.0%, Camphor 3.0%Inactive Ingredients:Aloe Vera Extract, Carbomer, Capsaicin, Decyl Plyglucose, Deionized Water, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Green Tea Extract, Orange Peel Extract, Queen of the Prairie Extract, Rose Water, Sodium Hydroxymethyl Glycinate, Vegetable Glycerin, Witch Hazel, Yucca Extract.================***INGREDIENTS***SOMBRA is made of natural ingredients, no harmful parabens or artificial colors. Highlights: Green Tea, Capsaicin, Grapefruit Seed.BIOFREEZE now has more menthol but also artificial colors (Original). There's also a colorless version without dyes or propylene glycol, make sure it's labeled as "Colorless". They recently removed parabens from the formula and added Vitamin E. Highlights: Boswellia, Arnica, Lemon Balm.PENETREX has B6, Boswellia, MSM, Glucosamine, making it better for people with carpal tunnel and arthritis. No longer contains parabens.***PAIN RELIEF***I'm happy to say all of them do what they should: relieve pain.SOMBRA is supposed to give you a warming sensation, but it feels like it's just the menthol and camphor doing their job and that's a cold tingling sensation, not what I would call warm. It takes a few minutes to get some relief but it lasts for hours. It's a bit overwhelming at times, I use it on my shoulders and if I ever get it on my neck or the top of my shoulders my eyes will water for hours. It's REALLY strong. Good on back, arms, legs, anywhere that isn't remotely close to your eyes. **Note that there's multiple studies on Capsaicin and its effect on neuropathic pain. Do give Sombra a try if you suffer from neuropathy.BIOFREEZE's effect is pretty much immediate, it feels really cold, not as overwhelming as Sombra but it doesn't seem to last as long. You may need to reapply more often than Sombra. Perfect for your back, arms and shoulders, don't get it anywhere close to your mouth/eyes/nose (unless you want to clear up your sinuses)PENETREX doesn't have any fancy warming or cooling effects but the relief is also almost immediate. Use it at night on your hands and wake up without pain. Not overwhelming at all so you can use it freely on your neck and clavicle if you have TOS.***SCENT***SOMBRA: Has a citrus & menthol scent, it's really strong and the capsaicin makes it hard to remove the smell from your hands so I don't recommend using it for arthritis or carpal tunnel. My physical therapist has to wear gloves to apply it or she'll still have the smell on her hands the next day.BIOFREEZE: Smells like menthol, camphor and peppermint. Not as overwhelming as Sombra and it's easy to wash the smell off your hands.PENETREX: No strong smell. It has a soft peppermint oil scent.***TEXTURE & ABSORPTION***SOMBRA: The texture is creamy and fast absorbing. It's really good for a light rub or massage, not a deep massage (you'd need an ointment or vaseline-based rub). I use it on my back because it's the only one that I don't have to use either too much (Biofreeze) or too little (Penetrex, due to its cost) to get a light massage.BIOFREEZE: The original formula is a green colored gel; doesn't stain clothing but it may stain certain types of fabric & carpets since it does have artificial colors. The colorless version doesn't have that problem. It's absorbed really fast so it's not good for massaging but really good if you just want pain relief and don't want to have to massage the area for it to get absorbed.PENETREX: Creamy light texture, not greasy, doesn't stain, no stains on my mouse/keyboard when I use it on my hands. Fast absorption but it gives you enough time to lightly massage the area before it goes to work under your skin.***VALUE/COST***I bought a 32oz Sombra, 2 x 4oz Biofreeze & 1 x 2oz PenetrexBest value for your money? Probably Sombra for large areas; legs, back. Biofreeze for arms, shoulders and medium-small areas. Penetrex for really small areas like your hands and the back of your neck.

I have to add my review to the positive ones here. I have cervical 5-7 issues that lead to shoulder pain in the front and back. You can look at my other reviews and know I am not fake. What I am is always sore, and I have tried every homeopathic supplement, every pillow, etc out there. I even own my own traction device. Someone from work gave me a tiny tiny sample packet of this to try, so I put it on my neck and shoulders. I have no idea how, and I am not saying it cured me or was a huge or long term fix. It absolutely did give me some immediate relief, more than any over the counter naproxen or tylenol type medicine or heating pad or massager did. When you are in pain, you will take whatever relief you can get, and this DOES give you some relief. I honestly cannot say if it feels hot or cold, but it doesn't feel bad in any way. It's like it is distracting my muscles so they can unclench. This is not going to replace surgery, but the people who say it lessens pain, in my experience, are telling the truth. I was so surprised that it worked that I bought another gel, with even higher menthol, thinking the more the merrier. This one is better than the other one. Mine has 4 percent menthol and the ingredients listed in the review that outlines the non-fake version I'm too lazy to look up again. Honestly, I stopped at something or other leaf. :) I would not know the difference, but I know this product, bought here, makes me feel a little better after I use it. I hope other potential buyers, at least those with issues like mine. give it a shot. I would not have known about it, if a kind colleague didn't keep samples in his pocket.I am passing on that care.

Great

I got this because I will be camping and working in the woods for 3 months this summer and won't have access to ice packs...I have mild to moderate sciatica from an unknown issue (my guess is tense, overworked muscles from my current job) and ice always, always helps. Luckily I haven't had a bad issue with it since buying Biofreeze, so I can't say whether it helps much with that compared to ice, but it was nice on my lower hip/thigh muscles when I felt them getting tense and I have used it elsewhere.Hand and foot aches = gone in about 15 minutes. I had bilateral carpal tunnel surgery less than a year ago and have occasional aches, which this helps with quite a bit (just as well as ice). My foot was terribly sore after a long hike in bad boots and a night of Biofreeze made it feel SO much better.Anyway, this stuff feels cool (pun intended) and does feel like it's more than just superficial relief, but I'm not completely sure since I haven't used it on the deep pains I intended it for, but will update when I do.Oh, and wash your hands with soap after use... I touched my tongue about 15 minutes after rinsing my hands and my tongue was feeling the freeze. It was awkward.