Does LactiGo work? What one study of seven players found

Does LactiGo work? The short answer from the studies

The 2025 study of LactiGo gel, a pilot of seven elite male rugby sevens players, reported higher peak power in some sprints and no difference in mean power, heart rate or perceived exertion. A separate study of 15 trained male cyclists using a carnosine gel found no gain in repeated sprints.

LactiGo cites no study of soreness, cramps or recovery between workouts for its gel. Its pages make performance and recovery claims, which are LactiGo's claims, not findings; its Menthol gel page calls the referenced research third-party and not a direct study of any LactiGo product. A 100 ml bottle of Original or Menthol gel is $55.00, one-time, as read on October 4, 2026.

The rugby sevens study: who ran it, who paid and what changed

The 2025 paper is by Beaven, James, McMaster and Brockelbank. Twelve players began, five dropped out and seven elite male rugby sevens players finished; the authors call it a pilot. Each rubbed 10 ml of LactiGo or a clear ultrasound placebo gel on each leg 45 minutes before 12 six-second cycle sprints. Hong Kong Baptist University supported the work, with no conflict of interest reported.

Peak power, the highest power in a six-second sprint, rose 4.1% in sprint 1 and 11.4% in sprint 10, per the paper. LactiGo's own study page gives different sprint figures, so this guide quotes the paper. The test was 12 six-second sprints, not a long effort.

The cyclists study that found no gain

Harnish and Miller, 2023, gave 15 trained male cyclists a single recommended dose of a carnosine gel before repeated sprints and found no gain; the rugby paper cites it as a contrary result.

LactiGo's own 2016 study, by Sharpe and Macias, is described in the rugby paper as a 4% better average time over three all-out 1000 m efforts against the clock. Both of its authors are named inventors on LactiGo's patent; the paper's full text, its number of participants and its funder were not read.

Is LactiGo legit? Maker, patent, label and testing

Outplay Inc of Las Vegas makes LactiGo and is the assignee of US patent 10,973,868. The Menthol gel's DailyMed label is filed under "OTC Monograph Drug"; none was found for the Original gel. LactiGo's notice reads: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration."

Informed Sport, a banned-substance testing program, lists LactiGo as a brand. LactiGo says every batch is tested under the Informed Sport program, while Informed Sport says not every listed company has its whole range certified, so look up the exact product and batch; is LactiGo banned has the listing.

Pick LactiGo if one pilot study is enough for you to buy a first bottle: its store shows a 30-day money-back guarantee, and its refund page lets a first-time customer who orders one bottle claim a refund for up to two months. Pick Biofreeze, which lists menthol 4%, for a rub with more menthol than LactiGo's 1.25%, and PR Lotion for a sodium bicarbonate lotion. The LactiGo review has the price and the verdict.