icy hot natural alternative

At Reco Mode, part of our core thesis is that ingredients matter. They really matter. Earlier on in the development of MuscleGoo we took a look at the makeup of some of it’s would-be big brand competitors and boy, were we shocked. Biofreeze contains FD&C Yellow #5 just to make it look pretty. Icy Hot contains a drug called Licodain that’s used to block nerve signals going to your brain and the controversial PEG-150 that’s used to penetrate your skin. Bengay contains Lye. If that’s not enough to get you to look away from those products forever, check out our comparison overview page and our ingredient deep dives on each brand to see what we mean.

We don’t like any of that stuff one bit. That’s why we created MuscleGoo. It’s made from plants, literally.

First, an acknowledgement of a huge oversight. Our product MuscleGoo DOES NOT have a reference to temperature and intense cold in its name. In a competative landscape dominated by names like Icy Hot and Biofreeze this is a huge oversight. Our extensive market research process simply did not indicate this was a critical element to making a great product.

“Dude, it’s pretty much goo. Let’s just call it ‘goo’.”

– Reco Mode market research session, circa 2018

ANYWAY, LET’S GET INTO IT.

MuscleGoo Ingredients

Water, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Carbomer, Menthol Crystals, Witch Hazel Distillate, Glycerin, *Aloe Vera Powder, *Matcha Green Tea Powder, Triethanolamine, Sweet Basil Leaf Essential Oil, Black Pepper Essential Oil, Roman Chamomile Flower Essential Oil, German Chamomile Flower Essential Oil, Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil, Citronella Essential Oil, Eucalyptus Leaf Essential Oil, Helichrysum Flower Essential Oil, Ginger Root Essential Oil, Pink Grapefruit Peel Essential Oil, Juniper Berry Essential Oil, Lemongrass Essential Oil, Peppermint Essential Oil, Scotch Pine Needle Essential Oil, Ravensara Essential Oil, Rosemary Leaf Essential Oil, Spearmint Essential Oil, Wild Oregano Essential Oil, White Camphor Essential Oil, Neem Extract, Ivy Gourd Extract, Eggplant Extract, Henna Extract, Basil Extract, Turmeric Extract, Amber, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Phenoxyethanol

Water – Several studies show, water is pretty great.

Hemp Seed Extract – Steam distilled with all cannabinoids removed, hemp is known to provide a lot of beneficial properties and is part of Goo’s secret sauce.

Meadowfoam Seed Oil – Oil from the North American Limnanthes alba flower is 98% long chain fatty acids which makes it super stable as part of Goo’s foundation.

Carbomer – See above Re: White fluffy powder for consistency.

Menthol Crystals – Menthol has cooling local anesthetic qualities, and our crystals are made by flash freezing cornmint essential oils. The crystals are then melted back down into Goo cuz science.

Witch Hazel Distillate – Distilled from witch hazel twigs for it’s cooling and refreshing properties.

Glycerin – Our friends above also have some glycerin, read above.

Aloe Vera Powder – The aloe vera plant has been applied to skin for centuries and is widely known to provide relief and moisturize.

Matcha Green Tea Powder – We like drinking Matcha, and it does great things when applied topically too. This is one of our secret ingredients, unfortunately the FDA says we can’t keep it a secret.

Triethanolamine – a pH balancing compound.

Sweet Basil Leaf Essential Oil, Citronella Essential Oil, Roman Chamomile Flower Essential Oil, Eucalyptus Leaf Essential Oil,Helichrysum Flower Essential Oil,Ginger Root Essential Oil, Scotch Pine Needle Essential Oil, Ravensara Essential Oil, Wild Oregano Essential Oil – This list would be pretty long and repetitive if we didn’t condense some of the 19 essential oils here. For predominance, see the listing above. All of these EO’s may relieve inflammation and pain, and that’s why they’re here.

Black Pepper Essential Oil – Creates a powerful warming sensation.

German Chamomile Flower Essential Oil – Especially high content of azulene which is known for calming effects.

Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil – Like black pepper, it promotes warmth.

Pink Grapefruit Peel Essential Oil – Known to stimulate circulation and contains limonene and citronellal.

Juniper Berry Essential Oil – May have relaxing properties. Also, Gin.

Lemongrass Essential Oil – A recent study showed a 30% reduction in pain in arthritis patients using lemongrass EO over a 30 day period. But still the official word is it may be good for pain relief.

Rosemary Leaf Essential Oil – May increase circulation, relieve pain, reduce inflammation.

Spearmint and Peppermint Essential Oil – While having very similar properties, peppermint is much stronger and generally contains more menthol. Both are known for cooling and relieving properties.

White Camphor Essential Oil – White Camphor EO is a prominent ingredient in many massage oils and may be effective for cramping and sour muscles.

Neem Extract – The whole damn Neem tree is folk medicine if you start doing some reading. The uses of it’s leaves, bark, wood, roots and fruits over the centuries are far ranging.

Ivy Gourd Extract – Extract from the tropical gourd is said to reduce inflammation

Eggplant Extract – There are a lot of doctor’s out there talking about how eggplant extract can cure skin cancer. Muscle Goo does not cure cancer, but this stuff contains a lot of Vitamin C and is known to have anti-inflammatory properties.

Henna Extract – Studies have shown it has anti-bacterial and anti microbial properties.

Basil Extract, Turmeric Extract – Frequently used for pain.

Amber – Extracted from fossilized resin from the bark of a tree you and I cannot pronounce. It is said to have anti inflammatory and regenerating properties.

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate – Made-from-plant preservative booster.

Phenoxyethanol – Preservative.

Summary of MuscleGoo Ingredients

MuscleGoo gets the job done with 19 essential oils, hemp seed extract, and 97% organic ingredients. It is clean and plant powered. We’ve tweaked, tested, and improved Muscle Goo for months and the results and ingredients speak for themselves. It contains no artificial colorants, diaper stuff, or indigestion medications and doesn’t make you smell like a nursing home. MuscleGoo is for those of us who care what goes onto our skin.

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