Menthol on the Skin: Thermosensory Illusion and Thermoregulation

This English version is provided as a courtesy to English-speaking readers. The full Aroma Deep Dive was written and published in French.

An extended English abstract is available for download at this page. It presents the article’s main arguments, evidence and conclusions. It is intended to make the work accessible to a wider international readership while preserving the full analysis in its original French version.

Readers who wish to consult the complete discussion, including the detailed analysis and full reference list, can access the original French article through the link provided below:

De Vuyst, G. (2026, 28 août). Le menthol sur la peau : illusion thermosensorielle et thermorégulation. Aroma Deep Dive. https://geertdevuyst.fr/deep-dive/id/30183/

Abstract

Menthol applied to the skin activates, among other targets, the TRPM8 channel and can produce a sensation of coolness. It can also modify physiological responses involved in thermoregulation, including sweating and cutaneous vascular responses, although the direction and magnitude of these effects vary across experimental conditions. Taken together, the evidence reviewed here does not support considering menthol applied to the skin a method of cooling the body.

The physiological studies reviewed concern mainly isolated menthol applied at defined concentrations in solutions or gels. Their findings cannot be transferred directly to aromatherapy preparations. In an essential oil rich in menthol, menthol concentration is one component of exposure, but it is not sufficient on its own to predict either the sensory or thermoregulatory response.

Menthol has been identified in several peppermint hydrosols. However, none of the studies reviewed directly measured the sensation of coolness or thermoregulatory effects produced by topical application of a peppermint hydrosol. Following spraying, perceived freshness can therefore be understood as a potentially multifactorial sensory experience, to which several mechanisms may contribute: water evaporation, the cutaneous action of menthol, nasal chemesthesis and olfaction. Their relative importance may also vary between individuals.

Inhaled menthol can also alter the perception of breathing, but the studies reviewed do not establish whether this effect contributes to perceived freshness during hydrosol spraying.

In studies of topical application, nasal exposure to menthol has not been systematically controlled, limiting the ability to distinguish effects arising from the skin from those involving nasal sensory pathways.

The relative contributions of water evaporation, the cutaneous action of menthol and nasal sensory pathways have not been quantified during hydrosol spraying. The presence of menthol in a peppermint hydrosol therefore makes a contribution to perceived freshness plausible, but neither its magnitude nor its relative importance among these concurrent mechanisms has been established.