Characteristics of Best-Selling Topical Pain Relief Medications at Major Online Retailer

Introduction Treatment of acute and chronic pain is multimodal. Topical analgesics are a common formulation for targeting joint and muscle pain. There are a variety of cutaneous conditions that have neuropathic and inflammatory pain. Objective The purpose of this study was to assess characteristics of the best-selling topical pain relief medications at a major online retailer. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed. Amazon.com was queried under the “Pain Relief Medications and Treatments” category on October 15th, 2023. The results were sorted by “Best Seller.” No other restrictions on search were selected. Data for the 50 best-selling products was collected. Results The median price for a medication was $16.86 ($5.99-$39.99). The median price per ounce was $4.24 ($1.49-$20.00). The average consumer rating was 4.4/5, with an average of 7,564 consumer reviews. The ‘Joint and Muscle’ category contained 78% of the products, the next highest being ‘Arthritis’ (12%). Cream was the predominant vehicle type (76%), followed by gel (6%). The most abundant active ingredient was menthol (38%), then arnica (28%), 4% lidocaine (18%), and camphor (10%). Lidocaine 5% was present in one product. Regarding class of medication, 66% were natural, 16% were lidocaine, and 10% contained non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Overall, only 26% contained an FDA-approved ingredient. Top marketing claims included non-greasy (52%), maximum strength/powerful (42%), and natural/plant-derived (32%). Conclusion There are a variety of affordable topical pain medications with high consumer ratings. Consumers value creams most as formulations. Products contain a diversity of active ingredients, though most are not FDA-approved.