Does menthol actually unblock your nose, or just feel like it?
Feeling more airflow isn’t the same as measuring a more open airway.
In this article
In the studies discussed here, menthol changed how breathing felt without consistently reducing measured resistance to airflow.
Two questions that sound the same
“Does my nose feel clearer?” and “Is air moving through with less resistance?” are different questions. A person’s experience can change even when an instrument does not record a matching physical change.
What the 31-person study found
Eccles and Jones measured nasal resistance in 31 people before and after five minutes of menthol vapour exposure. Most reported cooling and a greater sensation of airflow. The researchers found no consistent change in nasal resistance and no evidence of a decongestant action in that experiment. [1]
A later study measured upper-airway resistance
In 2013, Pereira and colleagues studied ten healthy participants in a randomised, sham-controlled crossover experiment. Upper-airway resistance did not differ significantly between menthol and sham exposure during quiet, awake breathing. [2]
It was a small study in healthy people. Its result should be described in that setting, rather than stretched into a promise about every person or every breathing condition.
The honest answer
A cooling sensation can feel refreshing. These experiments do not justify describing menthol as physically opening a blocked nose, or a viff inhaler as a decongestant. Enjoying a scent and treating congestion are different uses.