Does Biofreeze Work For Real? (My Personal Review)

It’s time to review Biofreeze – a cream that is really really popular.

(I’m doing this review mostly because of the numerous questions I received about it.)

So does Biofreeze work for real? The thing is – I tried this product a very long while ago, so I think I know it well enough.

Now – compared to most creams, Biofreeze is pretty good:

• really takes away the pain (but only for a while)
• it has a decent price

However – as someone who’s tried hundreds of different products, Biofreeze isn’t a great choice for arthritis and pain in general.

But I will explain it you in detail why I’m saying this below.

Note: This review is based on my experience with Biofreeze – so it’s not the typical review with general info. I’m not trying to praise/criticize this product or its company – I am simply telling how it worked for me.

 

So Let’s Get To The Review

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Full Name: Biofreeze Pain Relief by Biofreeze

Forms: You can find it as a roll-on, cream or spray

Best Actual Price: Starting from $11.38 (depending on the type you choose)

Where I Bought It From: Ebay – but you can find it on Amazon too

Designed For: Minor pain mostly. According to the label, you can use it for: arthritis, backaches, strains or sprains.

But it also mentions one thing:

• it only works temporarily
• it’s not a pain treatment (I will explain that later)

My Rating: 7 out of 10 – It works, but only on the short term.

Worth Buying?: It depends. If you have a minor problem, it’s a great product. In fact, it’s one of the best creams I know. 

But if you have arthritis or chronic pain – I don’t really recommend it:

• it only numbs the painful area – so it works by masking the pain
• it doesn’t treat the cause of your pain in any way

In fact – for this kind of conditions, I wouldn’t recommend creams in general. They all hide the pain – instead of treating the cause. 

So supplements remain my #1 recommendation for arthritis and joint problems (based on my experience).

 

What I Liked About It

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• 3 forms available: cream, spray and roll-on
• Really affordable 
• Works pretty fast – you can feel a numbing sensation within minutes
• You can buy it both online and in real shops
• There are lots of customer reviews about it

 

What I Didn’t Like About It

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• Works by numbing the painful area – so you stop feeling anything
• Doesn’t treat the cause of the pain
• The cream form is really hard to apply (it doesn’t rinse easily)
• Smells way too strong and intense for a cream
• Only contains 1 ingredient
• Not good for the long term – it doesn’t treat the pain (only hides it)

 

 

 

Biofreeze – A Quick Look

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Let me start by giving you a fast overview on this cream. 

So it’s been on the market for a while – and people are pretty satisfied with it. And so was I:

• it relieves the pain (for about 2-3 hours, in my case)
• you can buy the version you like most – gel, spray or roll-on
• it’s really affordable, compared to others

But here’s the thing – Biofreeze is not going to help your arthritis in any way. How do I know?

Because of its ingredient list – there’s only menthol. This substance does one thing:

• it numbs the painful area
• every sensation disappears (including the pain)

But when the anesthesia goes away – the pain comes back as strong as before.

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SO THE THING IS:

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Biofreeze doesn‘t treat the cause your pain – it only hides it. So you can use it forever – but your pain will never get better. 

On the contrary, it could worsen – since it’s not treated.

The only result of this cream will be to make you addicted to using it. And unfortunately – that’s what happens with most creams. That’s why I don’t recommend them.

 

 

The Ingredients – Only 1

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Just like most topical products – Biofreeze looks pretty disappointing at this chapter.

What do I mean? It only contains 1 ingredient – menthol.

Now – what exactly can this substance do? Here’s the real thing:

• numbs and freezes the affected area (1)
• you basically stop feeling anything
• it doesn’t relieve the pain directly

So that’s the reason why I don’t like menthol in general and creams that are only based on it.

They just don’t relieve the pain for real – they only mask it.

Now – there are 3 different versions of Biofreeze.

I bought the gel, but I checked out both the spray and the roll-on:

• the gel and the roll-on contain 4% menthol
• the spray has around 10.5%

However, the spray isn’t any better. Most of the quantity you spray gets lost in the air.

So it’s pretty normal to have a higher concentration. But even so – it’s not as effective as the other forms. 

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MY CONCLUSION:

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Biofreeze’s ingredients are pretty weak – but that’s something normal for creams.

As their goal is to only hide the pain, they don’t need to contain any useful substances.

So if you use a product that’s only based on menthol – don’t expect more than a temporary anesthesia.

 

 

What Form Is The Best?

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I already mentioned that you can find Biofreeze in 3 versions:

• cream (gel)
• roll-on
• spray

As I said a few lines above – the spray contains the highest percent of menthol (10.5%).

However, it’s far from the best form. Over 50% of the quantity you spray gets lots – because of the air. So it needs to be more concentrated anyway.

Now, between the cream and the roll on – which is the best?

I have only tried the first one, but it’s easy to make a pick. The roll-on is way better than the other 2:

• it doesn’t get on your hands
• the whole quantity you apply gets to the painful spot

I made the mistake to choose the cream – that’s because I thought it to be the most practical.

But it has a few major downsides – so if you’re planning to get the cream, here’s what you should know.

 

 

3 Facts About The Cream Form

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If you decide on Biofreeze, the cream version is the last one I recommend. The spray may not be as effective – but it’s not as annoying as the cream.

And the roll-on – well, it’s probably the most practical. 

But here’s why I don’t like the cream.

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#1 – Terrible Smell

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The fragrance of Biofreeze isn’t that bad – but it’s way too intense.

Now – it’s not the first menthol cream I try. And the other ones had a pretty strong smell as well.

But Biofreeze smells way too much – so deep it would make my eye sting sometimes. Not to mention that it bothers my pets a lot: they always went away whenever I used this cream.

So its smell is way too strong and too stingy for a cream – in my opinion.

(The roll-on doesn’t smell that strong, from what I read.)

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#2 – Sticks To Your Hands

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I haven’t experienced that with any other cream.

So basically – every time I applied Biofreeze, a high quantity would stick to my hands. The cream isn’t very sticky – so it was pretty surprising.

But a high quantity would get wasted. So compared to other creams – this was really a problem.

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#3 – Hard To Rinse

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That’s what made things worse, actually. 

As a lot of cream would stick onto my hands, I would wash my hands to remove it. So far so good – the cream went away easily.

At least that’s what it seemed – because it reality, it would build up in my hands.

How do I know?

• My hands felt pretty stingy
• If I touched my eyes, they started stinging as well
• The smell also didn’t go away after washing

So I had a very hard time getting rid of this cream off my hands. I would wash my hands 2-3 times with soap (sometimes even more).

It’s really uncomfortable to use – believe me.

 

 

 

A Few Words About My Pain

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Obviously, I bought Biofreeze to see what it can do for my pain.

I was lucky enough to have 2 types of arthritis – both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. So I had plenty of pain:

• my hands were the most painful (around 6 on the pain scale)
• they also felt very stiff sometimes – especially in the morning
• the OA I had only affected my knees – so this pain wasn’t that bad (but I had flexibility problems)

Now – I only made hopes from Biofreeze in terms of pain.

I was absolutely sure it could not improve my knee flexibility – that’s something only glucosamine supplements can do.

But anyway, I was hoping it would relieve my pain. So here’s what it did.

 

 

How Biofreeze Worked For Me

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As I said before – I bought the cream version (because I didn’t read any reviews before).

So I will be referring to this form – even though there’s basically no difference.

Now – here’s the thing. This cream worked right from the start. I mean, I could tell the difference soon after applying it:

• the area felt very chill at first
• then I stopped feeling anything
• I could still feel some pain, but it was lower than it used to be

So the point is – this cream gave a cold sensation at first. After that, it completely numbed the area where I applied it.

If I tried pinching – I didn’t feel absolutely anything.

Surprisingly, my pain didn’t decrease completely – even though that area was completely numb. But it did decrease – I could tell that. (2)

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OVERALL:

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So that’s what happened every time I applied Biofreeze:

• it would numb my body
• and then I was unable to feel the pain as before

In terms of working, this approach works.

But it doesn’t actually solve the problem – what’s causing the pain is still there (and it only gets worse).

That’s why I can’t call Biofreeze a pain reliever – it’s only a pain hider.

 

 

 

Take Care About 1 Thing

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Firstly – that’s only available if you buy the cream. I wouldn’t recommend this form, but if you already bought it, that’s it!

So here’s the thing – the cream is really stingy and hard to take off your hands.

Even if you wash your hands, it’s still there. And it’s pretty uncomfortable in terms of sensation.

Besides, it’s pretty dangerous for the eyes. Every time I would touch them, they felt like stinging.

That’s why I recommend you to be cautious with this cream:

• wash your hands 2-3 times with soap
• don’t touch your eyes or mouth immediately
• try to use some gloves while applying this cream

I was pretty sorry for not buying another form – it would have been much easier. Because the cream is really hard to apply – and pretty dangerous, if you ask me.

So if you’re already using this form – you probably know what I’m talking about.

 

 

Biggest Advantage – Price

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Honestly, there are several things I like about Biofreeze:

• 3 forms available
• works really fast

However, there’s one thing that is the best one about it – in my opinion: the price. 

It depends on what form you choose – but each of them is really affordable. Compared to other alternatives, they really have a decent price:

• $11.38 for the roll-on
• $11.61 for the cream (gel)
• $11.14 for the spray

Now – these are the best prices I found at this point. But if you do a closer research – you can even find them cheaper.

Also, these prices are for the 4 oz versions in all 3 forms. To me, that is super cheap – everyone can afford that.

So that’s the thing I appreciate more about Biofreeze – even though it works, it doesn’t have a huge price (like many brands do).

From this point of view, it’s kind of worth buying – the company is really honest with people.

 

 

Biggest Downside – Doesn’t Treat Anything

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Biofreeze is not a joint treatment – that’s for sure. 

It works by numbing the painful area for a little while – which isn’t really a treatment. It’s actually a way of masking the pain, I’ve said it before.

As the cause of your pain isn’t treated, it will probably get worse with time.

But here’s the thing: Biofreeze helps a lot now – and you don’t care that it only hides the pain.

• But what’s going to happen when your joints are impossible to move?
• Or when you can’t bend your knees anymore?
• Or even worse – you can’t walk anymore?

At that point, you’re going to be sorry for choosing a cream instead of a real treatment.

That’s one of the few reasons why I wouldn’t recommend Biofreeze:

• it does nothing for the real cause of the pain
• it only helps for a very short while

Now – it’s all up to you. If you’re ready to pay the price for a temporary relief, creams are the best thing for you.

But if you want something that will treat the cause of your pain – natural supplements work much better.

 

 

My Verdict – Is Biofreeze Worth Buying?

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Short answer: Yes, if you only have a minor problem (like an injury or sprain). Otherwise (for arthritis) – I wouldn’t recommend it.

Now – compared to other creams, it’s a great deal:

• works for real – and pretty fast
• doesn’t cost a lot

Besides, you can find it in 3 different forms – spray, roll-on or cream (gel). I recommend the second one, though.

So, at first sight it looks pretty good. And it really works – I can tell that. But here’s why I don’t recommend it:

• it doesn’t treat the cause of the pain
• it doesn’t repair or re-build the joints
• only numbs the painful area and masks the pain
• on the long term, it could cause more harm than good

That’s because the real cause of your pain will surely worsen with time.

And if you only use Biofreeze (or another cream), you’re just hiding the pain. 

Would I buy it again?: For sure no. Instead of wasting my time with creams – I prefer something that works from the root.

So if you want something that really works (especially on the long term) – choose a natural supplement.

Because of their ingredients, they actually treat the problem – so the fact that they relieve the pain is just a consequence.

That’s what I would choose – but as I said, it’s up to you. So I hope you can take a wise decision.

References: 

1 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4178917/

2 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2682942/