Releev Vs Abreva, which one should you choose to get rid of painful and itching cold sores under your lips? According to WHO, cold sores affect around 67% of people under the age of 50. They might disappear from under your lips in 1-2 weeks, but during this whole period, they make you feel uncomfortable.

Furthermore, many people think that a cold sore is harmless, but in reality, a prolonged infection can lead to several health issues. You can use an antiviral solution at the onset of the cold sores symptoms to reduce the risks of an outbreak. These products give relief and prevent the spread of the infection.

Now let’s move to the main question, which product should you use to get rid of cold sores? In this article, we will help you choose the best one by making a detailed comparison between Releev and Abreva. In the end, you will get enough details to select the product that meets your requirements.

Releev Cold Sore Vs Abreva – Uses and Way of Administration

Releev cold sore solution is a topical product, which means you’ve to apply it directly on the affected area of the skin. You can use releev for treating cold sores along with the burning and itching sensation associated with them. In addition to this, Releev has antiseptic properties, which means that you can use it for cleaning and drying the sores.

On the other hand, Abreva is a topical antiviral drug used for cold sore treatment, just like releev. But unlike releev, Abreva acts by penetrating inside the skin, retarding the virus inside its source.

Consequently, protecting the healthy skin and preventing the virus from spreading. Abreva can boost the healing time and decrease the symptoms of cold sore such as itching and burning.

You cannot apply Abreva inside your mouth, whereas it’s possible to use releev on your oral mucosa inside the mouth cavity. But you need to take care so that it doesn’t get ingested.

Additionally, you need to apply Abreva cream five times a day, while in case of releev, it’s only three times a day. So, in terms of administration, releev gets some edge over Abreva.

Check these five things before using Releev and Abreva!

Effectiveness of these Products

Releev is effective when applied at the onset of cold sore symptoms such as itching and tingling. Furthermore, it contains antiviral ingredients that block the activities of the virus, which causes the cold sore. Its antiseptic property helps in cleaning the affected area with each application. 

Hence, reducing the chances of further infections. Releev can mitigate the symptoms of a cold sore in one day, but for prolonged relief, you’ve to apply it multiple times. 

Abreva antiviral cream inhibits and prevents the cold sore virus from invading healthy neighboring skin cells. Therefore, preventing the outbreak of cold sore on your skin. Moreover, just like releev, Abreva is more effective when applied during the onset of the infection. 

Abreva has a median healing time of about four days, with 25% of customers reporting recovery in 2 and a half days. However, Releev is better at giving relief against cold sore symptoms. It usually induces its effect in just 24 hours.

Chemical Composition and Active Ingredients

The active ingredient in releev is Benzalkonium chloride with approx. 0.13% concentration. The other ingredients include purified water, methylcellulose, methylparaben, Potassium sorbate, propylparaben, viracea. However, before using the product, make sure that you don’t have any allergic reaction to these chemicals.

Abreva is a non-prescription drug approved by FDA. The active ingredient in Abreva antiviral cream is Docosanol with a 10% concentration.

Additional ingredients in Abreva include benzyl alcohol, propylene glycol, sucrose, sucrose stearate, distearate, light mineral oil and purified water. 

You should seek more information related to the chemical composition of these two products because our list might not necessarily contain everything.

 Related Side Effects 

The active ingredient Benzalkonium chloride in Releev may cause various side-effects such as hives, rash, itching, peeling skin and many more. 

Rash, itching, swelling of the body parts like the face and tongue are associated with Abreva. Additional, side effects might include severe dizziness and breathing impairment.

Releev Cold Sore Vs Abreva – What People liked and Disliked?

Positive Feedback for Releev

One customer expressed opinions in this way: “It’s Amazing, dries clear and does not stink or hurt”.

Negative Feedback

Another one expressed deep grievance over the product in these wordings: “Made sore multiply over and over again”.

Based upon Amazon ratings, the product is rated 4.6/5.0 stars. Many customers are satisfied with the product, but still, others looked unhappy about it.

Check all reviews for Releev on Amazon!

Positive Feedback

David M. Allen writes: “ This stuff works quickly. Moreover, a tiny tube goes a long way”.

Negative Feedback

One user was unhappy and wrote: ” Abreva keeps the sore under control but does not heal it completely”.

The product has an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5.0 stars. There were fewer critical reviews for Abreva as compared to releev. It seems to me that although the product is a little bit expensive, still many people liked it, which is apparent in their feedbacks.

Check all reviews for Abreva on Amazon by clicking here!

Important Things you must Remember

1. Never ingest releev and Abreva.
2. Stop using them if you have any allergic reactions due to the chemicals in these products.
3. Refrain from using Abreva during pregnancy.
4. Never use releev for yeast infection.
5. Never share your tubes since cold sore is highly contagious.

The Final Verdict

Since both products share similar features, it becomes difficult to decide which one is better than the other. Releev has antiviral and antiseptic properties that make it a good candidate for cold sore treatment. Moreover, Abreva seems to be more effective, which is also apparent in the customer reviews for the product. 

So, after going through the features and benefits of releev and Abreva, I would conclude that Abreva is a better choice if you want a long-term remedy for cold sores. But always remember that there is no permanent treatment for cold sores. Therefore, you can only expect to reduce the recurrence of the infection.