IcyHot
IcyHot is a topical analgesic heat rub meant for relieving pains such as arthritis, backache, muscle strains, muscle sprains, bruises, and cramps. IcyHot is known for its dual action pain relief, claiming it is "Icy to dull the pain, and hot to relax it away".[1] It comes in cream, a balm, a Chill Stick, and a 8cm x 12 cm patches. Recently, IcyHot has come out with sleeves, knee braces, and foam pads.[2] Although IcyHot does make its user feel heat and cold, IcyHot does not actually heat or chill the area to which it is applied. Instead, IcyHot stimulates nerve receptors, causing the user to first feel cool, and then feel heat. [3]
Background
IcyHot was first in stores as early 1971, and was owned by a company in Indianapolis, called J.W. Gibson. The product's marketing started exclusively as a mail order only product, and then the first chain store headquartered in Indianapolis, Hooks Drugs ordered for retail distribution. Hooks drugs is now indirectly in the lineage of CVS drugstores. The owner of J.W. Gibson and the person who launced Icy Hot was Bryan Auer. The product's sales grew to approx. $10 million dollars and then in the late 1970's was sold to G. D. Searle (maker of Metimucill) in Chicago. They later sold the product to Richardson Vicks the maker of Vick's vapo rub, and then they were acquired by Proctor and Gamble. Proctor and Gamble then disposed of the brand to Chattem Pharmaceutical and in the 1990's and Chattem has grown the brand to over $50 million and as of 2006 was the number one external analgesic in the United States.
Active Ingredients
The active ingredients vary by the version of the product.
- The patches contain 5% menthol
- The balm contains 7.6% menthol and 29% methyl salicylate.
- The sleeves contain 16% menthol.
- The Chill Stick contains 10% menthol and 30% methyl salicylate
- The foam contains 5% menthol.
See also
Notes
- The methyl salicylate that is the active analgesic ingredient of some varieties of IcyHot can be toxic if the cream is used in excess.[4]
References
- ^ http://www.icyhot.com
- ^ http://www.walgreens.com/search/search_results.jsp?_dyncharset=ASCII&term=icyhot§ion=A&%2Fsearch%2Fsearchbase%2FSearchOptions.resultsperPage=10&_D%3A%2Fsearch%2Fsearchbase%2FSearchOptions.resultsperPage=+&_DARGS=%2Fcommon%2Fnavigation%2Fheader_fg.jsp.1
- ^ http://dopamine.chem.umn.edu/chempedia/index.php/Icy_Hot
- ^ “Sports cream caused teen's death”, CNN.com, retrieved June 9, 2007
- Icy Hot Ointment. South African Electronic Package Inserts. February 2006.
- (Hernadez & Mayhall n.d.) Some Important Facts on Icy Hot. San Diego Miramar College. Retrieved August 31.
- Icy Hot - Chempedia. Chempedia. November 2006.
External links
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