Salonpas Medicated Patch 40s review: the cheapest patch per use

The Salonpas Medicated Patch 40s is our Best Budget topical pain reliever: 40 patches at around ₱210, which works out near ₱5 a patch, with four published actives on a 6.5cm x 4.2cm sheet.

What is actually in it?

Four actives, and Hisamitsu prints all four with their strengths, which puts this ahead of most of the shelf before you even open the box.

• Methyl salicylate 36mg does the main counterirritant work
• l-Menthol 33mg adds the cooling
• dl-Camphor 7.1mg adds warmth
• Tocopherol acetate 12mg, which is vitamin E

The methyl salicylate and menthol are close to equal here, which is why this patch feels balanced rather than purely hot or purely cold. Hisamitsu invented this style of patch, and the Philippine formulation is printed on the pack.

Worth being clear on one thing: these are counterirritants. They change how the pain feels rather than reducing swelling. That is fine for stiffness and everyday aches, which is what most people are treating.

How well does it stay on?

This is the honest weakness of any patch, and it applies here.

On a flat area, a shoulder blade or a thigh or the back of a calf, it holds for the full 12 hours without complaint. On a knee or an elbow that bends all day, the edges lift. On sweaty skin in Philippine heat, it lifts sooner.

The 6.5cm x 4.2cm size is a genuine strength for joints, because a small patch follows a curve where a big sheet tents over it. It is a weakness for a lower back, where you will use two or three at once and the maths changes.

The medicinal smell carries straight through a shirt. That is not a flaw so much as something to plan around before a meeting.

Is the Salonpas Medicated Patch 40s sulit?

Around ₱210 as of August 30, 2026. Check the latest price on Shopee.

Forty patches at roughly ₱5 each is the cheapest cost per use of anything in our ranking, and by a clear margin. A single Rhinobun sachet is around ₱33. The large Salonpas patch is near ₱23 each. The KINETIQQ magnesium patch is near ₱48.

If your problem is one shoulder and one patch a day, this box is about two months of relief for the price of a jeepney week. That is the argument, and it is a strong one.

Sold through Southstar Drug rather than a random reseller, which matters on anything you stick to your skin.

Who the Salonpas Medicated Patch 40s suits

Buy this if you deal with everyday aches, in a specific joint, on a regular basis: a shoulder from a desk, a knee from stairs, an elbow from lifting. It is the right choice for the household drawer, the one you restock rather than think about. If your sore spot is a whole lower back, buy the large-patch version instead, or you will be sticking three of these on at a time.

If the Salonpas Medicated Patch 40s is not right

If your problem is a lower back rather than a joint, the Salonpas Pain Relief Patch 5s is a 7cm x 10cm sheet with 105mg of methyl salicylate, roughly triple the active in one piece. If the area is actually swollen rather than just sore, Voltaren Emulgel uses diclofenac and acts on the inflammation itself.

See how it ranks against the rest in our best topical pain relievers in the Philippines roundup, or compare formats in our topical pain reliever buying guide.