Welcome to my Carmex Cold Sore Treatment Review. In this article, I’m going to teach you whether or not Carmex really works for cold sores, or if it’s just hype.
There are a superabundance of cold sore treatment products on the market, and it can be difficult to figure out which ones actually work the best.
I’ve put in my diligent research on this product, Carmex Cold Sore Treatment, and I also used it on my own cold sores several years ago.
As a result of my studies, personal use, and anecdotal evidence of others using the product, I’ve created this comprehensive Carmex Cold Sore Treatment Review article for your convenience.
Carmex Cold Sore Treatment Review – Ingredients
Carmex Cold Sore Treatment is one of many products made by Carmex.
Carmex Cold Sore Treatment does three things:
- Relieves pain
- Relieves itch
- Minimizes the appearance of a cold sore
This product is used for the treatment of cold sore symptoms. It does not heal cold sores. However, it does make them a lot more bearable.
Carmex Cold Sore Treatment relieves pain and itch due to the active ingredient, benzocaine 10%, which is an external analgesic/anti-itch medication.
Here is another fun fact on benzocaine.
Did you know that some condoms have benzocaine on the inside of them, and are designed to prevent premature ejaculation?
Benzocaine largely inhibits sensitivity of the penis, and can help an erection to be maintained for longer by delaying ejaculation.
Okay, nothing to do with cold sores, however, I know premature ejaculation (PE) is a big issue…and maybe now this article will be extra-helpful.
The Durex Performax Condom on Amazon.com contains benzocaine, which is commonly referred to as a “delay lubricant.” This product has almost 500 reviews, with an average of 4-Stars, so it seems like it’s helping some people.
Alright! Back to my Carmex Cold Sore Treatment Review.
Along with relieving pain and itching (benzocaine), Carmex Cold Sore Treatment also helps to minimize the appearance of a cold sore with something called TriPLEX Formula.
TriPLEX Formula does this by smoothing out and filling in the cold sore.
The inactive ingredients consist of: cyclomethicone, polyethylene glycol 600, dimethicone, silica, petrolatum, phenyl trimethicone, PEG/PPG-19/19 dimethicone, mica, peg 12 dimethicone, titanium dioxide, polyurethane-40, menthol, tin oxide.
Carmex Cold Sore Treatment Review – Directions
Like I said before, Carmex Cold Sore Treatment does not help to heal cold sores. It’s used for the temporary relief of symptoms of cold sores.
Here are the directions:
- For adults and children 2 years of age and older – Apply to affected area (lips) not more than 3 to 4 times daily.
- For children under 2 years of age – Ask a doctor.
According to WebMD.com, adhere to the following warnings:
- For external use only
- Allergy Alert: Do not use this product if you have a history of allergy to local anesthetics such as procaine, butacaine, benzocaine, or other “caine” anesthetics
- When using this product keep out of eyes. Rinse with water to remove.
- Do not exceed recommended dosage.
- Stop use and ask a doctor or dentist if cold sore symptoms do not improve in 7 days; irritation, pain, or redness persists or worsens; swelling, rash, or fever develops.
Carmex Cold Sore Treatment Review – Price
You can purchase Carmex Cold Sore Treatment on Amazon.com for around $9, which is well-worth it in my opinion.
You can also buy Carmex Cold Sore Treatment on many other websites, and you can typically find it in, or close to the “Cough & Cold” section at drug, discount, and grocery stores.
You can also get a $2.50 Carmex Cold Sore Treatment Coupon by clicking here.
Why Carmex Cold Sore Treatment Doesn’t Help To Heal Cold Sores
As you’ve learned, Carmex Cold Sore Treatment can effectively reduce pain and itch, and it can help to minimize the appearance of cold sores (awesome benefits).
However, this product does not assist to speed up the cold sore healing process.
Here’s why:
Cold sores, also known as fever blisters, are groups of small blisters that form on or near the lips. Cold sores are a result of something called herpes simplex virus (HSV).
There are two types of HSV, and both can cause cold sores. HSV-1 typically is responsible for cold sores, and HSV-2 is most often the cause of genital herpes.
However, both types of HSV can cause cold sores or genital herpes.
After primary infection, the virus resides in the associated dorsal root ganglion where it lies dormant until an external stimuli (such as stress or immunosuppression) initiate reactivation of the virus from dormancy.
The virus lives on forever, and that’s why people continue to get cold sores over and over again.
Carmex Cold Sore Treatment does not slow down the replication of HSV.
According to the Carmex Official Website, Carmex Cold Sore Treatment is “For treatment of symptoms associated with cold sores. Product does not treat viral infections or heal cold sores.”
The only nonprescription medicine approved by the FDA to shorten healing time of cold sores is Abreva Cream.
Carmex Cold Sore Treatment Review – Conclusion
Overall, I really like Carmex Cold Sore Treatment for the three things it does:
- Pain relief
- Anti-itch
- Minimize visibility of cold sores
I actually give it 5 out of 5 Stars for the treatment of cold sore symptoms. However, it doesn’t help heal cold sores, so it gets 1 out of 5 Stars in that category.
Thus, my overall rating for Carmex Cold Sore Treatment is 3 out of 5 Stars.
Out of all the over-the-counter topical remedies I tried, Carmex Cold Sore Treatment was my third favorite. Abreva Cream worked the best for me, and Super Lysine + Cream came in second place.
I will mention that everyone is different. So just because these were my results, doesn’t mean you will experience the same results.
Carmex Cold Sore Treatment might be a miracle product for you. I’ve read tons of reviews from very happy customers, who state this is the only product they use on cold sores.
Furthermore, it was voted “Product of the Year” in a 2015 Consumer Survey of Product Innovation. Click here to learn more about this.
Here is a quick look at my Carmex Cold Sore Treatment Review…
The Pros:
- Works on contact
- Relieves pain and itch with benzocaine
- Minimizes the appearance of a cold sore with TriPLEX Formula
- Inexpensive
- Easy to use
- No prescription required
The Cons:
- Possible side effects
- Possible allergic reaction (though rare)
- Does not treat viral infections or heal cold sores
The key to cold sores is to prevent them from forming in the first place.
Thus, I encourage you to check out my Ultimate Guide to Preventing Cold Sores.
It’s free and has absolutely everything you need to know.
If you have any questions or comments after reading this Carmex Cold Sore Treatment Review, please feel free to post them in the comment box below.
Kathy says
I will not buy this product again! Wanted something to help my cold sore to not get so bad. This did nothing! A waste of money! I could get the same results by doing nothing!