Often simply useless: ÖKO-TEST criticizes cold baths

The ingredients, effectiveness and benefits of cold baths were the focus of the test, which ÖKO-TEST first published in the November 2020 issue. Consumer advocates sent 20 cold baths to the labs and tested them examined by experts. Among them were 13 drugs and seven cosmetics. The difference? Cosmetics should not have an effect comparable to a medicine. Otherwise, he would have to comply with the Medicines Act. This way, manufacturers avoid medical claims and advertise their products as “beneficial” and “liberating.”

ÖKO-TEST recommends that consumers preferably use a cold bath sold as medicine. After all, eight of these tested products are “satisfactory”, including bath additives from Rossmann, Rewe, Edeka and Dm. However, no cold bath is better than “satisfactory”. Even worse: ÖKO-TEST rated a total of six bath additives as “unsatisfactory”.

From the point of view of the experts commissioned by ÖKO-TEST, there is not enough evidence for the effectiveness of the drugs or the promised effects of the cosmetics. Additionally, several manufacturers use the ingredient camphor, which can have serious side effects. External use may cause skin eczema. If babies or young children ingest the substance, there is a risk of poisoning.