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Menthyl lactate
I appreciate all inputs.
Anyone has experience to use menthyl lactate that is used for cooling effect.
How long does the cooling effect last? Please share your experiences.Thanks in advance
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7 Replies
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I want to clarify that menthyl lactate is formulated with other ingredients to become the cream.
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My company makes what is basically Icy-Hot and we tried out menthyl lactate, methyl salicylate, and menthol.
I don’t recall specifics about menthyl lactate but for what it’s worth it made a lot more sense for us to use menthol. It works quite well functionally and was already something we had in supply and is relatively cheap.
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@alchemist01! thanks a lot. Would you explain for me how it works as cooling effect?
After formulating cream with menthol, here is what I think that it should take away or absorb the energy when we apply the cream on skin. That makes us feel cooling? but, i am not sure?What is your company name and where is it located?
Thanks
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@Dtdang, the cooling effect of menthol (and other menthyl derivatives) is only marginally caused by evaporative cooling (the same effect as spraying alcohol on your skin and blowing air on it).
True, menthol is a solid with a very high vapor pressure, and it can be sublimed. But most if not all of its cooling effect is that it reversibly binds and activate the cold sensitive receptor on skin and mucosae (CMR1/TRPM8). The receptor generates a response in nerves that is equal to when you touch a cold or freezing surface.
In a sense, it does the opposite of capsaicin receptors, that give a sensation of heat, when no heat was actually applied to the area.
Menthol is also a poor analgesic, as it weakly activated kappa-opioid receptors, that’s why is used in anti-itching formulations, together with anti-histaminics and more powerful analgesics.
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@Imosca, thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge.
Is menthol lactate better than menthol in terms of less irritating, longer cooling effects? -
@Dtdang, yes, it has a lower irritancy potential than menthol alone. The odor is weaker that pure menthol as well, and so it does not overpower you like someone just slapped you with a bag of life-savers.
As it does not have the same “power” of menthol, you do not experience the “mint-tingly” sensation. There are pros and cons as using one or the other, on one side menthol is a powerhouse of scent, cooling, and irritancy, on the other side menthyl lactate is an ok cooling agent, poor in the scent department, and virtually non irritating at low usage rates.
Mind you, I have only used products containing menthyl lactate but not formulated with it.
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@Imosca! Thanks a lot.
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