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 devices.
But is Embr Wave actually 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? How does it work? And how do real users rate its effects?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions as we review clinical studies on Embr Wave to determine if it’s effective or not, document any potential side effects, explain how it works and share real, unsponsored user reviews of the device.
Is Embr Wave Proven to Work?
Embr Wave has been studied in legitimate clinical trials published in academic and medical journals, which is a good sign of the brand’s legitimacy.
A clinical trial published in 2020 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 the 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.
There is also an ongoing clinical trial directly testing how much Embr Wave can reduce hot flashes in women with a history of breast cancer. When the results are published, we will update this article.
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?
Neither of the completed clinical trials cited in the above section documented any side effects from using Embr Wave.
A post on the brand’s FAQ section of their 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.
Real, Unsponsored Embr Wave User Review
One of the most popular user reviews of Embr Wave comes from a YouTube creator named “money like honey.” She tested the effects of the device in various settings like an indoor cafe and at the gym.
We would prefer to share a video testing the effects of the device on a menopausal woman, but were unable to find any unsponsored videos including menopausal women. This video is still engaging and informative 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 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 published a video on their YouTube page that’s only 30 seconds and shows visually how the device works:
Embr Wave Customer Reviews
Embr Wave 2 (the brand’s newest model) is sold on Amazon, which is a more objective resource for customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Roge213” who claims that the device 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”
The top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “AustinsPA” who claims that the device was 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.”
