What is "salonpas"

Salonpas is a brand name of a line of over-the-counter (OTC) pain relieving products manufactured by Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co., Inc. of Tosu City, Japan. Introduced to the Japanese market in 1934, Salonpas is now sold in over thirty countries. The largest markets for the products are Japan and other Asian nations such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan. According to Hisamitsu, approximately 20 billion Salonpas transdermal patches have been sold in the last 20 years.

Similar products are marketed by other companies, including Absorbine Jr. Pain Relief, Excedrin Cooling Pads, and Icy Hot Patches.

In 2008, Salonpas Pain Relief Patch and Salonpas Arthritis Pain products were approved as the first (and sole) OTC topical analgesic patch by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).