The Formulator’s Guide to Bringing Professional-Grade Cooling Technology to the OTC Pain Relief Market

Today’s consumers expect more from over-the-counter pain relief products. Beyond effective relief, they’re looking for convenient applications, immediate sensory feedback and products that fit seamlessly into increasingly active lifestyles.

For personal care brands, OTC product developers and formulators, these evolving expectations are creating opportunities to rethink the role of formulation technology in topical analgesics.

In its new white paper, The Formulator’s Guide to Bringing Professional-Grade Cooling Technology to the OTC Pain Relief Market, Solstice Advanced Materials explores how advanced hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) propellant technology can help brands differentiate their products through enhanced sensory performance and formulation flexibility.

At the center of the discussion is Solstice® Propellant, HFO-1234ze(E), a technology designed to deliver an immediate physical cooling sensation upon application. When incorporated into OTC topical analgesic formulations, this cooling effect can complement the subsequent action of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), creating a distinctive dual-sensory experience.

The guide examines how propellant selection influences more than product delivery. It can also affect spray consistency, foam texture, spreadability and the overall consumer experience.

Inside the white paper, readers will discover:

• Market opportunities: The consumer and industry trends driving innovation in OTC topical analgesics.
• Sensory differentiation: How immediate cooling can complement an API’s analgesic effect to create a two-stage product experience.
• Formulation flexibility: The potential for fine mist sprays, targeted applications and rich, creamy foams.
• Environmental and regulatory considerations: How propellant properties such as global warming potential, VOC classification and flammability factor into product development.
• Technical insights: Research on cooling performance, compatibility with common OTC active ingredients, and formulation stability.
• Commercialization support: Practical considerations for testing, optimizing and scaling new topical analgesic formulations.

For brands seeking to stand out in a competitive OTC market, the white paper offers a technical perspective on how propellant innovation can contribute to the development of differentiated products.

Download the full white paper from Solstice Advanced Materials to explore the supporting research, formulation considerations and technical insights behind next-generation cooling technology for OTC topical pain relief.