Trolamine salicylate (Aspercreme, Aspergel) is an

organic compound In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. The ...

with the

chemical formula In chemistry, a chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, ...

. It is a

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

triethanolamine Triethanolamine, or TEA is a viscous organic compound that is both a tertiary amine and a triol. A triol is a molecule with three alcohol groups. Approximately 150,000 tonnes were produced in 1999. It is a colourless compound although samples m ...

and

salicylic acid Salicylic acid is an organic compound with the formula HOC6H4CO2H. A colorless, bitter-tasting solid, it is a precursor to and a metabolite of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). It is a plant hormone, and has been listed by the EPA Toxic Substance ...

. It is used as an ingredient in

sunscreen Sunscreen, also known as sunblock or sun cream, is a photoprotective topical product for the skin that mainly absorbs, or to a much lesser extent reflects, some of the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation and thus helps protect against sunburn and ...

analgesic An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or pain management). It ...

creams, and cosmetics. The salicylic acid portion contributes to both the sun protection effect (by absorbing

UVB radiation Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation i ...

) and to the analgesic effect. The triethanolamine neutralizes the acidity of the salicylic acid. One benefit of this topical analgesic is that it has no odor, in contrast to other topical analgesics such as

menthol Menthol is an organic compound, more specifically a monoterpenoid, made synthetically or obtained from the oils of corn mint, peppermint, or other mints. It is a waxy, clear or white crystalline substance, which is solid at room temperature and ...

. The

US Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food s ...

has not reviewed any of the over-the-counter products listed in the

Daily Med DailyMed is a website operated by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) to publish up-to-date and accurate drug labels (also called a "package insert") to health care providers and the general public. The contents of DailyMed is provided and ...

database that contain trolamine salicylate. Also, the producers of trolamine salicylate products have not provided evidence to the FDA in support of claims that this chemical is directly absorbed through the skin into underlying tissue. Due to health concerns, in 2019 the FDA issued a proposed rule classifying the sunscreen use of trolamine salicylate as "not generally recognized as safe and effective." One study reported that trolamine salicylate does penetrate into, and persist within, underlying muscle tissue. The test subjects used either the trolamine salicylate product or a placebo while engaging in an exercise regimen designed to induce muscle soreness. The experimenters observed that those using the trolamine salicylate product exercised longer before reporting the onset of soreness, reported less intense soreness, and reported that their soreness did not last as long as the people who used the placebo."Effect of a Topical 10% Trolamine Salicylate Cream on Delayed Onset Muscular Soreness", ''Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise'', vol. 20(2), Supplement, #141 (1988), online a
Peak Performance website
retrieved 23 April 2011 All of the trolamine salicylate-containing products listed in the two cited references are 10% solutions. These products are sold under various brand names, e.g. Aspercreme, and are marketed as topical analgesics for temporary relief of arthritis, simple backache,

muscle strain A strain is an acute or chronic soft tissue injury that occurs to a muscle, tendon, or both. The equivalent injury to a ligament is a sprain. Generally, the muscle or tendon overstretches and partially tears, under more physical stress than i ...

s, and

sprain A sprain, also known as a torn ligament, is an acute soft tissue injury of the ligaments within a joint, often caused by a sudden movement abruptly forcing the joint to exceed its functional range of motion. Ligaments are tough, inelastic fibers ...

References

Salicylates Ethanolamines Sunscreening agents 3-Hydroxypropenals {{dermatologic-drug-stub

See also

References