Dr Teal’s Sleep Spray is used on the body to promote restful sleep and relaxation. It’s naturally-derived and can be appealing to health-conscious consumers who want to avoid sleeping pills, and Dr Teal’s claims that their spray can “help promote a better night’s sleep.”
But can body spray actually improve sleep quality or is this an unscientific approach? Does the spray contain any unhealthy additive ingredients? Does Dr Teal’s spray contain ingredients shown in research studies to help sleep? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of Dr Teal’s Sleep Spray?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we analyze the ingredients in Dr Teal’s spray based on clinical studies to give our take on whether it’s likely to be effective or if it’s a waste of money.
We’ll also highlight some questionable additive ingredients, share our thoughts on whether body spray can improve sleep quality and feature Dr Teal’s Sleep Spray customer reviews.
Key takeaways:
- Contains some ingredients shown in studies to support sleep
- It's unclear whether these ingredients can absorb through the skin
- We do not currently recommend Dr. Teal's Sleep Spray
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Dr Teal’s Sleep Spray are shown above. Some of these ingredients have clinical backing for sleep quality improvement.
Chamomile was shown in a medical review published in the Phytotherapy Research journal to significantly improve sleep quality and anxiety.
Lavender was shown in a 2022 medical review to improve sleep quality and reduce the risk of insomnia.
Melatonin is one of the most well-studied sleep enhancers. As we documented in our Peptiva reviews article on another sleep product, melatonin is clinically shown to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep.
Unfortunately, Dr Teal’s Sleep Spray also contains a few ingredients with questionable health effects.
Fragrance was studied in a medical review published in the Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health journal, and the study authors concluded that fragranced consumer products can "impose serious risks to human health."
Benzophenone is another scent ingredient which is shown to be toxic to animals according to a 2006 meta-study.
Phenoxyethanol is a synthetic preservative shown to be toxic to human cells in a 2020 clinical trial.
Dr Teal’s Sleep Spray clearly contains some active ingredients with research backing, but can these ingredients really absorb through the skin and improve sleep? We’ll analyze that after sharing our experience trying this product in the next section.
We Tried Dr. Teal's Ourselves
As the author of this article, I wanted to try Dr. Teal's myself to share my thoughts on its taste and the product effects.
I bought a bottle of Dr. Teal's at my local CVS, and was hopeful it could make me tired earlier than usual, and improve my sleep quality, because I'm a night owl.
I sprayed the product four times on each foot and put socks on over it, and the smell was horrific. It smells so strong, and smells like my grandma's perfume or like a cheap soap shop at the mall.
My entire bathroom smelled for 10-15 minutes just from those eight total sprays.
The instructions say to spray either on the body or in the shower or in the room or on the bed.
I don't understand these instructions at all. Who would want some strong sticky spray all over their bed or body while going to sleep? It seems like a terribly inconvenient product with a strange value proposition.
I used the product for three days straight and didn't experience any improvements to sleep, so I decided to give it away.
Even by the mornings, when I took my socks off the scent of Dr. Teal's would be overpowering.
Overall, I would rate this product 1/10. It's one of my least favorite products I've tried to date for an Illuminate Health article.
Does Sleep Spray Even Work?
Dr Teal’s claims that their product can be used on the body and in the air. This suggests that it works via transdermal (through the skin) absorption and through inhalation (like an essential oil ambient spray).
Both lavender and chamomile are shown to be effective aromatherapy agents, meaning they are absorbed and can influence health when inhaled. A 2022 clinical trial found that inhaled lavender and chamomile reduced anxiety and stress in older adults.
Melatonin can be absorbed through the skin. As we documented in our Zleep patch reviews article, a clinical study found that melatonin is well-absorbed transdermally.
We consider Dr Teal’s Sleep Spray likely to be effective for improving sleep quality and reducing time-to-sleep given that its main active ingredients are clinically shown to be effective when absorbed through the lungs or skin. However, Dr. Teal’s Sleep Spray does not disclose the amount of each ingredient so we do not know if the amounts are enough to make a real difference.
A YouTube creator named Alexis Sia published an informative and engaging video showing how transdermal absorption works:
Influencer Tests Dr Teal’s Sleep Spray
A YouTube creator named “Jessica Be Brave” reviewed Dr Teal’s Sleep Spray. She explains if it works for her and shows how she uses it:
Does the Spray Cause Side Effects?
Dr Teal’s Sleep Spray doesn’t appear to have been studied in any clinical trials so it’s impossible to say for certain whether or not it causes side effects. However, we can make an educated guess based on its ingredients.
We believe this spray may cause skin irritation in some individuals.
Fragrance is toxic and sensitizing as documented in the ingredient analysis. But essential oils can also irritate skin depending on their concentration.
A 2018 medical review reported that lavender can cause skin irritation.
A clinical trial published in the Contact Dermatitis journal found that benzoic acid (a preservative in this spray) can irritate the skin.
Dr Teal’s does not publish the concentration of the essential oils in their spray.
Where to Get the Best Price
Dr Teal’s Sleep Spray is sold at a variety of online retailers. Here’s a price breakdown at the time of publishing this article (per bottle):
CVS: $7.79 (link)
Ulta: $7.49 (link)
Walmart: $5.87 (link)
Amazon: $5.87 (link to official Amazon listing)
The product is not currently sold at Target.
Our Clean Sleep Picks
Ritual BioSeries Melatonin is our top premium sleep supplement.
It provides an effective dose of melatonin, which is clinically shown to improve sleep quality, and which is arguably the best-studied compound for sleep support.
Nolah Weighted Bamboo Blanket is a great option for consumers who prefer non-supplement solutions for sleep. Weighted blankets are clinically shown to improve sleep quality in both older adults and in children, and early research suggests they may also reduce anxiety.
Both of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients or materials that we consider to be unhealthy.
Customers Rate Dr Teal’s Sleep Spray
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion. Dr Teal’s Sleep Spray has been reviewed over 1,200 times on Amazon with an average review rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from an anonymous Amazon Customer who claims it was effective for their son’s ADHD:
“So my son has ADHD also struggles with restlessness when he sleeps and getting him to sleep has been a battle. After trying this consistently for about a month now we have noticed a HUGE difference in his sleep hes not so restless in his sleep he stays asleep throughout the night and seems to wake up refreshed.”
The top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “medicalnurse” who dislikes the smell:
“The scent of this product has a much heavier underlying smell that I didn't care for and knew I couldn't sleep with it on my pillow. I was disappointed because I like the other Dr. Teal's products and I love the smell of lavender. I was hoping for a more pure lavender smell.”
