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? Are there any risks associated with its use? How does it work? And is Embr Wave better or worse than popular hot flash products like Hormone Harmony?

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

We'll discuss the potential for side effects, explain how the device works, and compare it to other popular hot flash treatments to pick our winners.

Key takeaways:

• Embr Wave is clinically shown to reduce hot flashes
• Unlikely to cause serious side effects
• We currently recommend Embr Wave

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.

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:

Embr Wave vs. Popular Hot Flash Products

Here's how Embr Wave compares to other popular hot flash products in terms of potential efficacy and healthiness, in our opinion:

Hormone Harmony

Research-backed active ingredients and no harmful additives. One of the most potent dietary supplement formulations for hot flash relief.

Brand makes questionable health claims on their site, and doesn't appear to be clinically tested.

Winner: Embr Wave

Equelle

Contains an active ingredient that's clinically shown to reduce frequency of hot flashes, as we documented in our Equelle review article.

Not clinically proven to work.

Winner: Embr Wave

MENO Vitamins

Contains an inactive ingredient that's banned in the EU over genotoxicity concerns.

Winner: Embr Wave

Our Clean Menopause Support Picks

Illuminate Labs Panax Ginseng Extract is our top menopause support pick. 

A meta-study on natural products for treating female sexual dysfunction found that panax ginseng was effective for improving sexual arousal and sexual desire in women.

Pique Japanese Sencha Green Tea is our top menopause health support pick. 

Green tea is clinically shown to have mood-boosting effects and also clinically shown to support optimal cholesterol and glucose levels in menopausal women.

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

Embr Wave Pros and Cons

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.

We consider Embr Wave to be a better option than dietary supplements for hot flashes like Equelle, Hormone Harmony and MENO Vitamins due to its clinical backing.