What cream is good for sore muscles? Four kinds compared

What cream is good for sore muscles: the short answer

Menthol rubs are the products whose makers describe a use for muscles and joints: Biofreeze lists menthol 4%, Icy Hot's roll-on 16% and LactiGo's Menthol gel 1.25%. Those are the makers' statements, not findings. Two other kinds are sold for training: LactiGo's carnosine gel, $55.00 for 100 ml, one-time, as read on October 4, 2026, and PR Lotion, a sodium bicarbonate lotion at a one-time list price of $34.99 a bottle.

A supplement such as beta-alanine or a device such as a massage gun is a different purchase and is left out of this table.

Menthol rubs: Biofreeze and Icy Hot

Biofreeze's gel page lists menthol 4% and words its use as pain relief for muscles and joints. Icy Hot's roll-on page lists menthol 16%, which Icy Hot calls the maximum-strength concentration sold over the counter, and its label gives the use as the temporary relief of minor aches and pains of muscles and joints.

Biofreeze marks its gel as flammable. Icy Hot's label warns that rare cases of serious burns have been reported with products of this type.

Menthol with camphor: Tiger Balm

Tiger Balm Ultra Strength ointment lists menthol 11% and camphor 11%, and Tiger Balm says the menthol creates a cooling sensation. Tiger Balm Muscle Rub, a 2 oz cream, lists methyl salicylate 15%, menthol 5% and camphor 3%, and its page says it is designed for use before, during and after workouts. Both pages tell the reader not to use a heating pad with the product.

Gels and lotions sold for training: LactiGo and PR Lotion

The store describes LactiGo's Original gel as everyday body care for active routines and the Menthol gel as a cooling sensation for active routines; only the Menthol gel has a drug label. LactiGo cites no study of its gel for soreness: the 2025 rugby sevens study measured power in cycling sprints, and the menthol paper on its studies page compares topical menthol with ice.

PR Lotion is sold by Momentous, whose page describes a topical sodium bicarbonate formula to help boost training capacity. Its 10.6 oz (300 g) bottle is $34.99 at the one-time list price, and its ingredient panel also lists menthol with no amount.

How to choose by label, menthol and where it is sold

• By label: Biofreeze, Icy Hot and LactiGo's Menthol gel carry wording about muscles and joints; LactiGo's Original gel and PR Lotion are sold for training.
• By menthol: 16% in Icy Hot, 11% with camphor in Tiger Balm Ultra Strength, 4% in Biofreeze, 1.25% on LactiGo's Menthol page, none in LactiGo's Original gel.
• By where it is sold: LactiGo and PR Lotion show prices at their own stores; Biofreeze, Icy Hot and Tiger Balm point to retailers.

Pick Biofreeze or Icy Hot for a rub whose page describes relief for muscles and joints, and Tiger Balm for menthol with camphor; all three are sold through retailers. Pick LactiGo for a gel sold for training: its store pages show a 30-day money-back guarantee, and its refund page lets first-time customers who order one bottle claim for up to two months.

More gels are in best muscle recovery gel and sore muscle cream after workout; the LactiGo review covers LactiGo's range.