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How to use cooling gel

Updated: 21 October 2026

The bottle is already in your hand, and the cold feeling starts as soon as the gel touches intact skin. How to use cooling gel, for the products in this set, is a thin layer, clean hands afterwards, and a hard stop for broken skin, a bandage and a heat pad. Those shared limits come from the amazon.co.uk listings in this set and from NHS advice on sprains, checked on 19 October 2026. This is not a lab test and not a dose you invent for every brand. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Which bottle to buy is on the [cooling gel comparison](/hub/medical-protection/cooling-gel). A new sprain has its own method.

The bottle is already in your hand, and the cold feeling starts as soon as the gel touches intact skin.

Our top picks

Biofreeze Biofreeze pain relief gel, 473 ml pump

Best overall

Biofreeze Biofreeze pain relief gel, 473 ml pump
9.2/10about £22.99
View offer
Masterplast Masterplast freeze gel, 6 x 200 ml

Best value

Masterplast Masterplast freeze gel, 6 x 200 ml
9.0/10about £7.88
View offer
Pernaton Pernaton Recovery+ cooling massage gel, 250 ml

Alternative

Pernaton Pernaton Recovery+ cooling massage gel, 250 ml
8.8/10about £11.69
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.A thin layer on intact skin
  2. 2.Hands, smell and other creams
  3. 3.No bandage and no heat pad
  4. 4.A new sprain is a different method

A thin layer on intact skin

Put the gel on skin that is whole. A cut, a graze or broken skin is outside this step, and sunburnt skin is a poor place for a strong menthol. Spread a thin film over a forearm, a knee or one side of the lower back. A thick coat does not buy a deeper cold. The Biofreeze 473 ml pump says to apply and rub in until fully absorbed, and to avoid the eyes and mouth. Up to three or four times a day is printed on other Biofreeze packs, not on Masterplast, Pernaton, Aloe Pura or the SBC gel. If your tube prints a smaller area or a lower frequency, follow the tube.

Hands, smell and other creams

Wash your hands with soap and water after you apply the gel, including under the nails. Menthol on the fingers is how the cold signal reaches an eye or the mouth. One Pernaton reviewer describes a mint as strong as a chest rub that stings nearby eyes. Keep the bottle away from children. Do not put a second rub on the same skin. Masterplast’s spec says fragrance-free, yet one reviewer still reported a strong smell, so ventilate the room and wash up. If you use more than one product in a day, leave a gap and wash between them. The bottle types are in the cooling gel buying guide.
Biofreeze Biofreeze pain relief gel, 473 ml pump

Testsieger

Biofreeze Biofreeze pain relief gel, 473 ml pump
9.2/10about £22.99
View offer

No bandage and no heat pad

Leave the gel open to the air. A bandage or plastic film over wet gel holds it against the skin. The longer Biofreeze labels, on the 118 ml and 112 g packs, say not to bandage. A tights bullet is a thin smear, not a wrap. A heat pad, a hot bath or a heat cream on the same area is the failure people miss. NHS advice is to avoid heat for the first two to three days after a sprain. The pump lists isopropyl alcohol despite an alcohol-free line, so wash dried residue off clothes before they go near a flame.

A new sprain is a different method

For the first two to three days after a sprain or strain, the NHS says to avoid heat and massage. Ice on that page is a wrapped pack for up to 20 minutes every two to three hours. A menthol gel is not that step. Pernaton and SBC use the word massage for a familiar ache or ordinary heavy legs, not for a new sprain. Stop if the skin burns or the pain jumps. A misshapen, numb or cold limb is an emergency. The ice method is on cooling gel vs ice pack. Which bottle matches a familiar ache is on best cooling gel.

Common questions

How much cooling gel do I put on?
Use a thin film, then rub it in until absorbed if your pump says that. A thick coat stays on the surface and gets onto clothes and hands. The Biofreeze 473 ml page says to apply and rub in until fully absorbed. Three or four times a day is printed on other Biofreeze packs, not on every ASIN here. Follow the frequency on your own tube.
Do I massage it in?
On a familiar ache, yes if the listing says so. The pump says rub in until absorbed. Pernaton says massage several times a day after exercise. SBC is massaged into legs, ankles and feet. On a new sprain or strain, the NHS says to avoid massage for the first two to three days. Massage is for the later, familiar case. The acute window is ice, rest and no rubbing.
Can I use it on a cut, a graze or sunburnt skin?
Use it on intact skin. A cut, a graze or broken skin is off the shared list for every gel in this set. Sunburnt skin is named on longer Biofreeze labels for other packs, and a strong menthol on raw sunburn is a poor experiment. Aloe gels in this set are sold for hot or after-sun skin as cosmetics. They are still not a treatment for broken skin. If the skin is open, ask a pharmacist before you put anything scented or mentholated on it.
Why wash my hands, and what if it gets in my eyes?
Menthol on the fingers moves to the eyes and mouth. Wash with soap and water after every application. One Pernaton review says the mint stings the eyes nearby, at chest-rub strength. If gel gets in an eye, rinse with plenty of cool water and avoid rubbing. Keep the bottle out of reach of children. The pump’s own short direction already says to avoid the eyes and mouth.
When do I stop and speak to a pharmacist or NHS 111?
Stop if the skin reacts or the pain is worse. Contact NHS 111 if pain or swelling worsens, you cannot walk on it or you feel feverish. Emergency care is for a misshapen, numb or cold limb. One hot swollen leg or breathlessness is urgent, and pregnancy red flags go to the midwife the same day. Ask a pharmacist if you are pregnant, the skin is broken or feeling in the feet is poor.

Related pages

Cooling gel for heavy legs

Cooling gel

Best cooling gel for a known muscle, kit bag or skin

Cooling gel buying guide for muscle, skin and legs

Cooling gel vs ice pack in the first two to three days

Sources

Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these seven listings were read on 19 October 2026. Page updated 21 October 2026.

  1. NHS sprains and strains (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. NICE CKS sprains and strains (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. ASA healthcare: medicinal claims (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. ASA health: pain (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK cosmetics in Great Britain (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK register medical devices (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. NHS swollen ankles, feet and fingers in pregnancy (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. NHS oedema (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  9. Hyde Park Pharmacy, Biofreeze Gel 118 ml (retrieved 19 October 2026)