Stop Funding Billionaires! The Truth About Pain Relief Creams and Where Your Money Actually Goes

Small Business Small Batch VS Corporate Commodities

The Billion-Dollar Pain Game: Why Corporate Giants Don’t Want You Reading This

Let’s talk about what you’re really buying when you reach for that familiar pain relief cream at the store or pharmacy. It’s not just about soothing your aching muscles; it’s about padding the portfolios of billionaires who’ve built empires on cheap, questionable ingredients. While multibillion-dollar conglomerates prioritize shareholder profits over your well-being, cutting corners with harmful fillers and synthetic compounds that do just enough to get FDA approval, small businesses like Elixir Mind Body Botanicals are crafting superior formulations with ingredients chosen for efficacy, not profit margins. The difference? We’re not answering to Wall Street, we’re answering to our guests and customers.

Follow the Money: Who’s Really Profiting From Your Pain

Before we dive into ingredients and efficacy, let’s pull back the curtain on who actually owns these household pain relief brands. That tube of cream with the recognizable packaging and promises of relief? It’s likely feeding a corporate behemoth worth billions. Companies so large that they’ve lost sight of individual consumers in their quest for quarterly earnings reports. Below, you’ll find the real owners behind each brand, their staggering annual revenues, and a glimpse into the massive corporate machines your purchase supports. Contrast that with Elixir Mind Body Botanicals: a woman-owned small business where every sale directly supports a local entrepreneur, not a faceless board of directors demanding higher profit margins. When you see these numbers, you’ll understand that these corporations use cheaper, inferior ingredients and why they do.

Tiger Balm
Owned by Haw Par Corporation. Haw Par lists global revenue around $253 million and a market value of over $2.5 billion. Tiger Balm supports top-heavy operations and shareholder profit.

Biofreeze
Owned by Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB). In 2021, RB paid roughly $1.06 billion to acquire Biofreeze and a related brand. Biofreeze sales go into a vast global product portfolio. Your pain-relief needs support for global corporate expansion, not personalized care.

Bengay
Owned by Kenvue, the company spun out of Johnson & Johnson’s consumer health division in 2023. Kenvue trades publicly with thousands of employees and many brands. Bengay profits support massive overhead and big-company growth.

Icy Hot
Owned by Opella Healthcare Group (formerly part of a larger pharmaceutical company). Icy Hot belongs to a broad over-the-counter portfolio promoting global scale over small-batch quality.

Deep Blue Rub

Owned by DoTERRA, a multilevel marketing company with an annual revenue of over $2 billion. Former sellers and consumer advocates have accused doTERRA of exploiting vulnerable individuals, particularly women in wellness and yoga communities, through aggressive recruitment tactics and misleading representations of financial independence and community support.

What these numbers mean for your wallet and well-being

When you buy from these brands, large corporations use your purchase to fund global expansion, marketing, acquisitions, and shareholder dividends. They have little reason to invest in clean formulas. They answer to their investors.

If you want your money to support real care, local makers, and transparent ingredients, choose a small-batch business that answers to you instead of Wall Street.

The Formula Gap: Corporate Shortcuts vs. Small-Batch Standards

Below, you’ll find a side-by-side comparison that the big brands don’t want you to see: their ingredient lists, their price points, and the uncomfortable truth about where your hard-earned money actually goes. Because it’s time consumers stopped funding companies that see them as extraction opportunities instead of human beings deserving of genuine care.

When you pick up a tube of corporate pain relief cream, you feed a corporate empire. Below are some familiar corporate brands. These companies report billions in revenue, market value, and overall market share. Your money does not go toward improving value or care. It goes toward shareholder returns.

This ingredient breakdown exposes what you’re actually paying for: Elixir Mind Body Botanicals Relief Balm versus the mass-market alternatives. The gap isn’t subtle, and it reveals exactly what gets sacrificed when corporate brands prioritize margins over materials.

You’ll notice that Elixir Mind Body Botanicals Relief Balm does not have the following ingredients for good reason:

Methyl salicylate (oil of wintergreen)

It is widely available in many over-the-counter liniments, ointments, lotions or medicated oils for the relief of musculoskeletal aches and pains. Excessive usage of these preparations in patients receiving warfarin may result in adverse interactions and bleeding. Methyl salicylate in topical analgesic preparations may cause irritant or allergic contact dermatitis and anaphylactic reactions.

Blue Tansy

Medication Interactions: The chamazulene compound in blue tansy oil might interact with certain medications, including some antidepressants, antiarrhythmics, and estrogen-dependent medications.

Staining: The deep blue color can temporarily stain skin or fabrics when used in high concentrations. 

Osmanthus

Salicylic Acid Content: Osmanthus flowers contain salicylic acid (SA). While SA has health benefits (e.g., in aspirin), high concentrations of extracts applied topically can be corrosive and irritate skin and mucous membranes.

Elixir Mind Body Botanicals Relief Balm Ingredients

Every ingredient in Elixir Relief Balm serves a purpose. Here’s what you’re putting on your body and why it helps your recovery.

• Organic Aloe Vera

Used by Elixir as a base for our balm instead of water. This soothing plant extract helps reduce inflammation and pain. Aloe penetrates deep into the skin to deliver other healing ingredients directly to sore muscles and joints. It contains natural compounds that help calm irritated tissue and speed up recovery.

• Meadowfoam Seed Oil

A lightweight natural oil that creates a protective layer on your skin to lock in moisture. It helps keep skin soft and hydrated while allowing other ingredients to work effectively. Won’t clog pores or feel greasy.

• Menthol

The cooling ingredient from peppermint creates that refreshing, icy sensation on your skin. It works by temporarily distracting pain signals and providing quick relief for sore muscles, stiff joints, and tension headaches. You’ll feel the cooling effect within minutes.

• Capsicum (from Cayenne Pepper)

Creates a warming sensation that increases blood flow to sore areas. The heat helps flush out inflammation and speeds healing. Starts with gentle warmth that helps relieve deep muscle and joint pain.

• Camphor

Provides both cooling and warming sensations that help numb pain and reduce discomfort. It also has natural germ-fighting properties that keep skin clean and healthy. Great for immediate relief from aches and stiffness.

• Arnica

A mountain flower extract trusted for centuries to reduce bruising, swelling, and muscle soreness. Clinically proven to work as well as over-the-counter pain medications for arthritis and sports injuries. Helps speed recovery after workouts or physical activity.

• Peppermint Oil

Delivers an intense cooling sensation that soothes tired, achy muscles. Increases blood circulation to help muscles recover faster while providing natural pain relief. Perfect for post-workout soreness or tension relief.

• Basil Oil

A warming oil that fights inflammation and improves blood flow to painful areas. Works similarly to ibuprofen to reduce pain naturally. Helps relax tight muscles and ease discomfort.

• Black Pepper Oil

Creates gentle warmth that penetrates deep into muscles to relieve cramps, pulls, and spasms. Increases circulation to stiff joints, providing fast relief for arthritis and rheumatism. The warming sensation helps muscles relax.

• Chamomile (Roman & German)

Known for its calming properties, chamomile helps relax tight muscles and reduce tension. Soothes inflammation and helps your body naturally release stress and tightness. Gentle enough for sensitive skin.

• Cinnamon Oil

Provides soothing warmth that melts away muscle stiffness and joint pain. Increases blood flow to speed healing and reduce soreness. The warming effect helps loosen tight, frozen muscles.

• Citronella Oil

Relaxes muscles while reducing swelling and inflammation. The warming sensation triggers sweating, which activates your lymphatic system to help ease soreness.

• Eucalyptus Oil

Delivers a refreshing, cooling sensation that instantly relieves muscle and joint pain. Reduces inflammation and swelling while providing that spa-like, invigorating feeling. Great for post-exercise recovery.

• Helichrysum Oil

Supports healthy skin regeneration and helps repair damaged tissue. Keeps skin moisturized and supple while reducing inflammation. Known as the “everlasting flower” for its powerful healing properties.

• Ginger Oil

A time-tested natural pain reliever that reduces inflammation throughout the body. Especially effective for arthritis, muscle aches, and headaches. The warming sensation penetrates deep to provide lasting relief.

• Grapefruit Oil

Helps your body eliminate waste and excess fluid that causes puffiness and discomfort. Supports healthy lymphatic drainage to reduce swelling and improve overall circulation. Leaves a fresh, uplifting scent.

• Juniper Oil

Promotes healthy circulation and helps your body eliminate waste like uric acid that causes joint pain and gout. Reduces swelling and provides relief from arthritis and rheumatism. Supports lymph flow.

• Lemongrass Oil

Reduces pain and inflammation in muscles and joints. Helps blood vessels improve circulation. The refreshing citrus scent provides natural aromatherapy benefits while relieving discomfort.

• Pine Oil

A natural pain reliever and germ fighter that’s perfect for sports injuries and muscle strains. Provides relief from arthritis and rheumatism while helping prevent infection in minor cuts or scrapes. Fresh, forest-clean scent.

• Ravensara Oil

Eases all types of pain, including headaches and muscle aches. Also uplifts your mood and promotes feelings of energy and positivity. Helps your body eliminate waste products that contribute to soreness.

• Rosemary Oil

A powerful pain reliever widely used for headaches, sore muscles, and arthritis. Improves circulation to speed healing and reduce stiffness. The invigorating herbal scent helps boost mental clarity.

• Spearmint Oil

Protects muscles and skin from infection while promoting faster healing. The cooling, relaxing effect helps release muscle spasms, cramps, and pulls. Provides gentle, minty pain relief.

• Oregano Oil

A powerful natural defender against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Also fights damaging free radicals that harm your cells and slow healing. Supports overall immune health and tissue repair.

• Frankincense Oil

An ancient healing oil known for supporting overall wellness and vitality. Promotes healthy immune function.

• Myrrh Oil

Warms and stimulates your entire body system while boosting circulation. An ancient remedy used for thousands of years to promote healing and vitality. Supports overall body wellness and comfort.

The Bottom Line: Your Money, Your Choice

Every dollar you spend is a vote. Corporate pain relief brands bank on you not asking questions, not reading labels, not following the money trail, not wondering why their ingredient lists look like chemistry experiments gone wrong. Elixir Mind Body Botanicals Relief Balm offers a different equation: transparent ingredients, small-batch integrity, and a formula that answers to people, not profit margins. The research is here. The comparison is clear. What you do with it is up to you.

Ready to feel the difference? Get Elixir Mind Body Botanicals Relief Balm here and support a business that prioritizes your body over boardroom bonuses.