The best cold sore remedies over the counter are the ones you start at the first tingle: a propolis or beeswax lip cream, a zinc oxide cream or a cold sore patch. In trials, a 0.5% propolis lip cream healed cold sores in a median of 3 days, a day faster than a standard antiviral cream. A zinc oxide cream shortened cold sores from 6.5 to 5 days, and hydrocolloid cold sore patches healed sores about as fast as an antiviral cream while hiding them. Numbing gels only ease the pain, and an SPF lip balm helps prevent the next one. None of these cure herpes, because the virus stays in the nerve, but used early they make a cold sore shorter and less painful. For natural remedies you can use at home, see our complete guide to cold sores, our guide to herpes on lips and our overview of natural herpes remedies.
The short version
- Best to shorten a cold sore: propolis or beeswax lip cream, zinc oxide cream, or a cold sore patch.
- Best for pain: a numbing gel or ibuprofen, which don’t make it heal faster.
- Best to prevent the next one: SPF lip balm and lysine.
- Timing matters most: start at the first tingle, not when the blister appears.
- See a doctor if a cold sore hasn’t healed in two weeks, is near your eye, or you get many a year.
How Over the Counter Cold Sore Remedies Work
A cold sore is herpes on the lips. The virus sleeps in a nerve and, when triggered, travels to the skin and multiplies. A study that checked cold sores every day found that the amount of virus and the pain are highest in the first 24 hours. That’s why every product on this list works best when you start it early. By the time a blister has burst, most products can only protect the skin and ease the pain while it heals.
Over the counter products do one or more of these things: calm the virus at the skin, protect the sore so it heals faster, numb the pain, or help prevent the next cold sore. Here’s what each type does, and what the research says.
1. Propolis and Beeswax Lip Creams
Propolis is a resin bees use to protect their hive, and it’s one of the best studied natural products for cold sores. In a large double blind trial of almost 400 people, a lip cream with 0.5% propolis extract healed cold sores in a median of 3 days, compared with 4 days for a standard antiviral cream, with no irritation or side effects. Reviews of bee products describe real antiviral activity against herpes.
Beeswax works alongside it. It forms a soft protective layer, and a 2025 study found beeswax extract is strongly anti inflammatory and antibacterial. This is what I use myself. I put a beeswax ointment on at the very first tingle, and in my experience the cold sore is usually gone within about two days. It doesn’t sting, and it smooths the skin straight away.
The ointment I use at the first tingle
The Aromafisis beeswax ointment with oregano is handmade from olive oil, beeswax, oregano oil, clary sage and mastic oil, with no preservatives. I use it on every outbreak, and it’s usually gone within about two days.
Not an affiliate link. I recommend it because I use it myself. It’s comfort care for the skin, not a cure for herpes.
2. Cold Sore Patches
Cold sore patches are small, clear hydrocolloid stickers you put over the sore. They keep it moist and protected, which helps the skin heal, and they hide the sore and stop you touching it. In a randomised trial, a hydrocolloid patch worked as well as an antiviral cream, with a median healing time of 7.6 days compared with 7.0 days, a difference too small to matter. Patches are a good choice once a blister has formed, when you have to go to work or a meeting, and to stop the virus spreading from your fingers.
How to use them: clean and dry the lip, put a new patch on and replace it when it turns white or starts to lift. Don’t pull it off while the sore is still wet.
3. Zinc Oxide Creams
Zinc helps the skin heal and calms the virus. In a placebo controlled trial, people who started a zinc oxide cream within 24 hours had cold sores that lasted 5 days instead of 6.5, and the symptoms were less severe. A zinc treatment in an earlier study shortened cold sores from 9.7 to 4.2 days. Look for a cold sore cream with zinc oxide in the pharmacy, or use a simple zinc oxide cream on the lip.
4. Lemon Balm Creams
Lemon balm (Melissa) creams are sold in many pharmacies, especially in Europe. In a double blind trial, 41% of people rated their healing as very good with lemon balm cream, compared with 19% on a placebo. It’s gentle and works best when started early. We cover lemon balm and other plant based options in more depth in our guide to essential oils for cold sores.
5. Lysine Supplements
Lysine is an amino acid sold as tablets in every pharmacy. It works against the amino acid arginine, which the herpes virus needs to multiply. A review of the research found that people taking more than 3 grams a day had 2.4 times fewer outbreaks, but lower doses didn’t work as well. Lysine is more useful for preventing cold sores than for treating one you already have. Check with your pharmacist first if you’re pregnant or take medication.
6. Numbing Gels
Numbing gels with benzocaine or lidocaine take the sting out of a painful cold sore for a while, which helps when eating or talking. They don’t help it heal. Don’t use benzocaine products on children under two, as benzocaine can in rare cases cause a serious blood reaction called methemoglobinemia. A cool, damp cloth or an ice cube wrapped in a tissue is a simple alternative.
7. Pain Relievers
Ibuprofen or paracetamol can help on the first painful day or two, especially with a first cold sore, which can come with fever and swollen glands. Follow the dose on the pack.
8. SPF Lip Balm
Sunlight is one of the best proven cold sore triggers. In a controlled trial, 71% of people exposed to UV light got a cold sore, but none did when sunscreen was applied to the lips first. An SPF 30 or higher lip balm is one of the cheapest cold sore remedies over the counter, and it works on prevention rather than treatment. Use a separate balm during an outbreak and throw it away afterwards, so you don’t spread the virus.
What About Antiviral Creams?
Pharmacies also sell antiviral cold sore creams. They can shorten a cold sore a little when started early, but as the trials above show, natural options like propolis cream and a cold sore patch have performed just as well or better when compared directly. We focus on natural care on this site, so if you want advice on antiviral creams or tablets, ask your pharmacist or doctor.
What to Avoid
- Toothpaste, alcohol, vinegar or strong drying products. They sting and can irritate the skin, which slows healing.
- Undiluted essential oils, which can burn the lips.
- Picking or popping the blister. It spreads the virus and can cause a scar or infection.
- Sharing lip balm, cups or towels, or kissing while you have a cold sore.
Which Over the Counter Remedy Should You Choose?
| Stage | Best choice |
|---|---|
| Tingling, no blister yet | Propolis or beeswax lip cream, zinc oxide cream, lemon balm cream |
| Blisters or open sore | Cold sore patch, beeswax ointment, a numbing gel for pain |
| Crusting and healing | Beeswax ointment to keep the crust soft and stop it cracking |
| Between outbreaks | SPF lip balm, lysine, a strong immune system |
To recognise the tingle early, read about the first signs of a herpes outbreak. For what to expect day by day, see how long a herpes outbreak lasts, and to keep cold sores from coming back, read how to avoid a herpes outbreak.
Is It Really a Cold Sore?
Before you buy anything, make sure it is a cold sore. Cold sores appear on the outside of the lip as a cluster of small blisters. A painful white sore inside the mouth is usually a canker sore, which needs completely different care. Here’s how to tell a cold sore or a canker sore apart.
The products on this page are made for the lips. Don’t use lip creams or numbing gels on genital skin. For sores in the genital area, see our guide to genital herpes outbreak treatment at home.
When to See a Doctor
- A cold sore that hasn’t healed after two weeks, or keeps getting bigger. See your GP or a dermatologist.
- A cold sore near your eye, or a painful red eye. See an eye doctor the same day.
- Six or more cold sores a year. See your GP to look at why they keep coming back.
- A first cold sore with fever, or sores all over the mouth, especially in a child. See your GP.
- A baby with a blister, fever or poor feeding. Go to the emergency room straight away. Read more about cold sores in babies and newborns.
- A weakened immune system, from illness or medication. Speak to your doctor.
Knowing exactly what you’re dealing with is what lets you care for it the right way naturally.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best cold sore remedy over the counter?
Start a propolis or beeswax lip cream, a zinc oxide cream or a cold sore patch at the first tingle. In trials, a propolis lip cream healed cold sores in about 3 days, and zinc oxide cream shortened them from 6.5 to 5 days.
Do cold sore patches work?
Yes. In a trial, hydrocolloid cold sore patches healed cold sores about as fast as an antiviral cream, and they also hide the sore and stop you touching it.
What cold sore cream can I buy over the counter?
Pharmacies sell propolis lip creams, zinc oxide creams, lemon balm creams, numbing gels and antiviral creams. Propolis and zinc oxide creams have good research behind them and are gentle on the skin.
Does lysine help cold sores?
Lysine is better for prevention than treatment. Research found that more than 3 grams a day led to 2.4 times fewer outbreaks, while lower doses didn’t work as well.
How can I get rid of a cold sore fast with pharmacy products?
Start treatment at the very first tingle. Apply a propolis, beeswax or zinc oxide cream several times a day, switch to a cold sore patch once a blister forms, and don’t touch or pick it.
This article is for general information and does not replace a diagnosis. Check with your pharmacist before using a new product if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication, and see a doctor if a cold sore doesn’t heal.
