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Evidence rating: Moderate — the actives are FDA-monograph analgesics, and a randomized trial exists on this specific style of terpene-plus-DMSO topical
What ArcticBlast Claims To Be
ArcticBlast is a liquid topical applied by dropper for sore muscles and joints — two or three drops rubbed into the area, with relief advertised within minutes. It is worth clearing up one thing at the outset: despite being sold alongside dietary supplements, this is not a supplement. It is a registered over-the-counter external analgesic drug, and its label is on file with the FDA’s DailyMed.
That is unusual in this corner of the market, and it is a point in the product’s favour, because it means the actives and their strengths are published rather than hidden in a proprietary blend.
What’s Actually In It
From the DailyMed label, the active ingredients are:
- Menthol 10% (100 mg/mL)
- Camphor (synthetic) 3% (30 mg/mL)
Both sit within the FDA external analgesic monograph. The inactive list is long and does most of the marketing work:
Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), emu oil, aloe vera leaf juice, arnica montana flower extract, calendula extract, Hypericum perforatum (St. John’s wort), olive oil, methyl salicylate, glycerin, propylene glycol, polysorbate-20, isopropyl alcohol, SD-alcohol 40B, phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin.
DMSO is the ingredient the sales page leans on hardest. It is a solvent that carries dissolved compounds across the skin barrier — genuinely powerful, and, as covered below, a double-edged one.
What The Research Shows
According to PubMed, this class of topical has more direct support than most affiliate products do.
A randomized placebo-controlled trial tested almost exactly this combination. Sixty-two patients with plantar fasciitis were randomized to a topical solution of plant terpenes — camphor, menthol, eugenol, eucalyptol and vanillin — with skin permeation enhanced by 15% DMSO plus limonene and rosemary oil, applied twice daily. By day 10, 78.1% of treated patients reported an 85% or greater drop in total pain score on the validated Foot Function Index, while placebo produced no effect (p \< 0.01). This is not ArcticBlast, but it is the same design logic: counterirritant terpenes carried by DMSO. DOI
Menthol on its own measurably reduces pain sensitivity. A randomized study measured pain pressure threshold across nine upper- and lower-body muscle and tendon sites before and 15 minutes after applying a menthol-based topical analgesic. Threshold rose — meaning sensitivity fell — by an average of 11.6% overall, and the effect held regardless of body region. DOI
It also adds something on top of heat therapy. In a randomized trial of patients with symptomatic hand osteoarthritis, adding 20% of a menthol-based topical analgesic to paraffin bath treatment produced significantly greater improvement in pain at rest, pain with movement and hand function over 12 sessions than paraffin alone. Notably, the immediate 15-minute effect was the same in both groups — the advantage only emerged with repeated use. DOI
DMSO really does move things through skin. In a randomized trial of 160 patients undergoing shock wave lithotripsy, DMSO mixed with lignocaine outperformed EMLA cream on both visual analogue and verbal pain scales (p \< 0.05). The relevant lesson is about the vehicle: DMSO delivered an anaesthetic through intact skin better than a purpose-built topical anaesthetic cream did. DOI
A related terpene has its own placebo-controlled trial. Borneol — a bicyclic terpene chemically adjacent to camphor — was tested topically against placebo in 122 postoperative pain patients and produced significantly greater pain relief, with the mechanism traced to the TRPM8 cold receptor. TRPM8 is the same channel menthol acts on. DOI
The counterpoint you should hear. A review of topical therapies for chronic pain lays out which agents carry the strongest backing, and counterirritants are not at the top of that list. Topical NSAIDs, capsaicin and lidocaine are the ones with head-to-head data against oral drugs and with rheumatology guideline support for hand and knee osteoarthritis. Menthol and camphor are cheap, pleasant and monograph-approved, but they are not in the same evidentiary tier. DOI
The Honest Verdict
What holds up: The actives are real analgesics at real strengths, published on a public FDA label — no proprietary-blend guessing. The counterirritant mechanism is well characterised at the receptor level, menthol has randomized data for reducing pain sensitivity, and the terpene-plus-DMSO delivery concept has a placebo-controlled trial behind it. For short-term, localised musculoskeletal ache, the case is reasonable.
What doesn’t: The benefit is symptomatic and temporary. Nothing here modifies joint disease, repairs tissue, or substitutes for the topicals that actually carry guideline backing. The trials showing the biggest effects used specific formulations at specific concentrations, not this one. And DMSO deserves respect rather than enthusiasm: because it carries dissolved substances through skin, it will also carry whatever else is on the skin — lotions, residues, contaminants — along for the ride. Apply to clean skin only. Garlic-like breath and taste are a well-known and harmless DMSO side effect.
Who this makes sense for: Someone with everyday muscle soreness or a stiff joint who wants a fast-acting topical and prefers a dropper to a greasy cream.
Who should skip it: Anyone with broken skin at the application site, anyone on anticoagulants (methyl salicylate is absorbed and can interact), anyone taking medications that interact with St. John’s wort, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and anyone whose pain is undiagnosed, worsening, or accompanied by swelling, numbness or fever. Persistent joint pain is a physician question, not a purchase decision.
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View ArcticBlast on the official site
This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dietary supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Talk to your dentist or physician before starting any supplement, especially if you have a diagnosed condition or take medication.
Research cited via PubMed:
- Burke BE, Baillie JE. Sci Rep. 2024;14(1):17621. DOI
- Behm DG, et al. J Sport Rehabil. 2021;31(1):24-30. DOI
- Myrer JW, et al. Disabil Rehabil. 2011;33(6):467-74. DOI
- Kumar S, et al. Urol Res. 2011;39(3):181-3. DOI
- Wang S, et al. EMBO Mol Med. 2017;9(6):802-815. DOI
- Stanos SP, Galluzzi KE. Postgrad Med. 2013;125(4 Suppl 1):25-33. DOI