They are designed to clean and moisten the nasal mucosa, and in some cases even to reduce swelling: nasal sprays with seawater or saline solution. But do they keep what they promise? We tested 30 products – and our ratings vary.
Just like the price: The cheapest suitable means costs only 1.15 euros, the most expensive 9.40 euros. Anyone who buys the products regularly will save a lot of money in the long run with the help of our test.
Nasal sprays with salt: Why the test is worth it for you
- Testergebnisse. We tested 30 nasal sprays and drops that are available in pharmacies, discount stores or supermarkets. Twelve are fully suitable, six less suitable.
- The best saline nasal spray for you. You can filter and sort the test results by provider or price, for example.
- background and tips. Our test report explains what isotonic and hypertonic salt solutions bring, how we assess certain additives and preservatives – and which nasal products are suitable for children.
- Magazine article as PDF. After activation, you will receive the magazine article from test 11/22 for download.
Saline nasal sprays: isotonic versus hypertonic
The nasal remedies in the test contain isotonic or hypertonic saline solution, the latter is also said to help with nasal congestion. We explain the difference and classify what consumers can expect from the various preparations.
Tip: If you click on the “List of 30 tested products” above under the table of contents, you will find out the names of all nasal sprays and drops that we have currently tested.
What additives are in it – and what do they bring?
There are other differences in the preparations – such as whether they contain table salt, sea salt or mineral salt. But also whether additional substances such as dexpanthenol, aloe vera or essential oils are buried. We also tapped these points in the test – and came to clear recommendations.
All test results for saline nasal sprays and drops 11/2022
How did Stiftung Warentest proceed?
For the evaluation, our experts examined the product information, advertising statements and documents from the providers as well as independent studies on saline solutions. In this way, they determined whether there was evidence of beneficial effects for the individual agents.
In addition, we examined in the laboratory whether the preparations comply with the advertised salt content and are microbiologically in order. By the way, almost all of them do without preservatives. This is good, because preservatives such as benzalkonium chloride can damage the nasal mucosa over time.
Tipp: Catches? The best remedies for cough, runny nose and fever can be found here.