Embr Wave is a medical device sold by a company called Embr Labs that claims to provide hot flash relief for menopausal women. The device is worn on the wrist and has a sleek design like a watch or bracelet, and the brand claims they’ve already sold over 100,000 units.

But is Embr Wave proven in clinical trials to work, or is this another health tech startup making bold claims but underdelivering? Are there any risks associated with use of Embr Wave? Which retailer sells it the cheapest? And how do real users rate and describe its effects?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we review clinical studies on Embr Wave to determine whether or not it's effective against hot flashes.

We'll discuss the potential for side effects, explain how the device works, feature unsponsored customer reviews and provide a cost comparison to show which retailer sells this product for the best price.

Does Embr Wave Reduce Hot Flashes?

Embr Wave has been studied in clinical trials published in peer-reviewed journals, which is the gold standard for product research.

A 2020 clinical trial evaluated whether Embr Wave could optimize body temperature and improve comfort for individuals in indoor environments.

The device was shown to influence skin temperature by up to 3° Celsius, which is equivalent to the difference between rooms that are 65° Fahrenheit and 70° Fahrenheit.

The above-linked trial was not conducted on menopausal women, so while it proves that the device works, it does not prove that it provides hot flash relief.

A clinical trial published in the Behavioral Sleep Medicine journal examined the effects of Embr Wave on sleep in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.

20% fewer women reported that hot flashes interfered with their sleep when using Embr Wave. 66% of the women in the trial reported that Embr Wave improved their body temperature control and ability to return to sleep after waking.

Embr Wave did not affect sleep quality or energy expenditure in healthy adults in a 2021 clinical trial.

Overall, we are impressed by the legitimate research backing of Embr Wave.

We consider the device likely to be effective for reducing hot flashes and improving quality of life in menopausal women.

Does Embr Wave Cause Side Effects?

None of the clinical trials cited in the previous section documented any side effects from use of Embr Wave.

A post on the FAQ section of the brand's website states that the device can cause mild irritation or redness after use due to the local effects of temperature change on blood vessels.

This potential side effect should only affect the skin directly in contact with the Embr Wave.

Overall, we do not consider there to be a risk of any significant side effects due to Embr Wave use. This is a huge benefit compared to pharmacological treatments for hot flashes in our opinion.

Real People Try Embr Wave

A YouTube creator named “money like honey” tested the effects of Embr Wave in various settings like an indoor cafe and at the gym:

A TikTok creator named "simplysmallscreations" shared some of the frustrations she had trying Embr Wave for menopause:

@simplysmallscreations #embrwave #embrwave2 #menopause #menopauserelief #personal #thermostat #earlymenopause #cancer @cheetoandpickle ♬ original sound - Simplysmallscreations

How Does Embr Wave Work?

In our opinion, Embr’s website doesn’t do a good job of describing how the device technically operates, but the medical research cited in the first section of this article does. 

The clinical study on perimenopausal and postmenopausal women documented that Embr Wave “utilizes a thermoelectric heat pump to modulate temperature against the wearer’s inner wrist and provides heating or cooling waves upon activation.”

The type of heating and cooling device used by the Embr Wave, called a Peltier heat pump, is not novel, but the company’s sleek design and clinical application of it is novel. Many portable coolers and camping devices use Peltier heat pumps.

Embr Labs' YouTube page has a video that’s only 30 seconds long and visualizes how the device works:

Real Customers Review Embr Wave

Amazon is a better resource for unbiased customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.

Embr Wave has been reviewed over 500 times on Amazon, and has an average review rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars at the time of updating this article.

A top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Roge213” who gave the product a 5/5 star rating, and claims it improved their quality of life:

“...the improved quality of life that we're enjoying now outweigh these small negatives. I would ask the designers to bring back the design of the original Wave and add a USB C connection for faster charging, instead of micro USB. If you suffer from hot flashes, night sweats, feeling cold too easily, I recommend giving the EMBR Wave 2 a try. And the seller does a great job of sending it out quickly to you too”

A top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “AustinsPA” who gave the product a 1/5 star rating, and claims that it's annoying to use at night:

“First the bright blue light stays on for the full 8 hours I found it annoyingly bright. Next it will kill the battery around 4 am. Then the unit will overheat duh the light and it’s motor going for 8 hours was not tested properly this thing is more hot than cold.”

Embr Labs currently has an average review rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars on Facebook.

Embr Wave 2 currently has an average review rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars on Google.

Where to Get the Best Price

Embr Wave is sold at a variety of online retailers.

Here's a price breakdown for a one-time purchase of Embr Wave 2 at the time of updating this article:

FSA Store: $339.99 (free shipping, link)

Brand website: $299 (free shipping, link)

Walmart: $259 (free shipping, link)

Amazon: $259 (free shipping, link to Amazon listing)

Embr Wave 2 is currently 13% cheaper at Walmart and Amazon than the brand's official website.

Our Clean Menopause Support Picks

Relizen by Bonafide is our top premium menopause symptom pick.

This supplement contains two forms of purified pollen extract, which was shown to reduce hot flashes, night disturbances and depression caused by menopause in a meta-analysis published in the Menopause journal.

Performance Lab Vitamin C is our top value menopause symptom pick.

Vitamin C supplementation is clinically shown to be effective for treating hot flashes in menopausal women.

MBG Omega-3 Potency+ is our top postmenopause health pick.

Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation caused a "significant reduction" in triglycerides in postmenopausal women, and had favorable effects on cholesterol levels overall, according to a 2023 medical review.

All of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.

Embr Wave Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons of Embr Wave in our opinion:

Pros:

• Clinically shown to relieve hot flashes
• Clinically shown to support sleep quality
• Unlikely to cause side effects
• Non-invasive
• Sleek design
• Free shipping from brand's website

Cons:

• Somewhat mediocre online customer reviews

Conclusion

Embr Wave is proven in legitimate clinical studies to reduce the intensity of hot flashes and to improve sleep disturbances associated with menopause symptoms.

We’re impressed by this brand’s commitment to funding clinical trials on their product, and think Embr Wave is definitely something that women with hot flashes could benefit from speaking with their doctor about.

Embr Wave is unlikely to cause any significant side effects, because it’s a wearable device. The worst-case scenario seems to be a bit of redness and irritation on the wrist which fades over time.

Although the product costs $300, that amortizes to a relatively inexpensive purchase if it’s used for a year or more, and would likely end up being cheaper over long periods of time than supplements or pharmaceutical medications for hot flashes.

While the actual heating and cooling mechanism of this device appears to be based on technology that’s been around for a while, Embr Labs seems to have found a novel application of this technology that can help women reduce discomfort in an essentially risk-free way.