Navage is a nasal irrigation device that's used to clean the nose. The brand claims that their device can help users "breathe better, snore less and feel healthier."

But how does Navage actually work? Has it been proven to be effective in clinical studies? Are there any risks to its use? And is it better or worse than popular nasal irrigation products like SinuSonic?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as our writer and doctor review the device specifications to give our take on whether or not Navage is likely to be effective.

We'll also discuss side effects and compare Navage to other popular nasal irrigation devices to pick our winners (and losers).

Key takeaways:

• Navage doesn't appear to be clinically tested
• Nasal irrigation is proven to be effective for relieving allergy symptoms
• Assuming clean water, minimal risk of side effects

How Does Navage Even Work?

Navage is a nasal irrigation device, which is a category of health device that's been used for hundreds of years.

Running saline water through the nasal passages clears out mucus and allergens.

Navage's device has a technology they call "powered suction," that the brand suggests makes it more effective than other nasal irrigation systems.

Theoretically, Navage's powered suction technology could improve the efficiency of nasal passage clearance, but we can't find any clinical trials on Navage so we can't find any proof that this device is more effective than other nasal irrigation devices.

A YouTube video published by Navage shows how the product works with a live demo:

Is Nasal Irrigation Proven to Work?

Since we've established that we're unconvinced that Navage is a better option than any other nasal irrigation device, the next logical question is whether or not nasal irrigation devices generally are effective.

Thankfully, nasal irrigation devices have been studied in clinical trials.

Nasal irrigation was shown to be effective for relieving allergy symptoms in a 2018 meta-study, and saline irrigation was shown to be even more effective than non-saline irrigation.

Patients experienced relief from symptoms like perceived nasal obstruction and nasal itching.

Another comparative study published in the Rhinology journal concluded that squeeze bottle nasal irrigation devices were more effective than syringe nasal devices (likely due to the increased pressure), which suggests that Navage may be more effective than syringe nasal irrigators.

Nasal irrigation even caused COVID-19 symptom relief due to its ability to "hasten viral clearance" according to a medical review published in the Frontiers in Public Health journal.

Does Navage Cause Side Effects?

One of the best things about saline nasal irrigation is the low risk of adverse effects.

The first meta-study cited in this article analyzed data from 747 participants and reported "no adverse effects."

The comparative study cited in this article concluded that there were "minimal side effects."

The FAQs page on Navage's website states that distilled or otherwise filtered water should be used to prevent bacterial risks.

Overall, we consider the risk of side effects to be very low with proper use of the Navage device, which gives it a more favorable side effect profile than surgery or pharmaceutical treatment in our opinion.

Navage vs. Popular Nasal Devices

Here's how Navage compares to other popular nasal health devices in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:

SinuSonic

Clears mucus via positive airway pressure (PAP), and is clinically shown to be therapeutic in various nasal conditions. 

Lower risk of side effects in our view.

Winner: SinuSonic

Breathe Right Strips

Breathe Right strips improve nasal breathing by widening the nasal passages mechanically.

This is one of the safest methods of improving nasal breathing because it's external, rather than internal, as we documented in our article examining are Breathe Right strips bad for you.

Winner: Breathe Right Strips

NeilMed

NeilMed is a very similar device to Navage, but it's manually (rather than electronically) controlled.

This makes it (slightly) less likely to be effective, particularly in the elderly or individuals with disabilities.

Winner: Navage

Navage Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Saline irrigation can relieve allergies
• Saline irrigation may reduce COVID-19 symptoms
• Very low risk of side effects
• Pressure technology may make device more effective than standard nasal irrigation

Cons:

• Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
• Requires distilled or filtered water

Conclusion

Navage seems like a low-risk, high-reward way for allergy sufferers to reduce their symptoms.

While Navage itself doesn't appear to be clinically tested, its underlying technology (squeeze bottle saline nasal irrigation device) has been shown to be highly effective in research studies.

The risk of side effects from this type of device appears to be very low, and essentially zero when properly filtered or distilled water is used.

In our opinion, this type of device seems like a great option for patients to discuss with their doctor, because the side effect profile may be more favorable than pharmaceutical treatment or surgery.

Because we can't find any clinical studies suggesting that Navage is more effective than any other saline squeeze bottle nasal irrigation device, consumers on a budget may benefit from considering cheaper products in the same category.

We consider Navage to be a better option than NeilMed, but an inferior option to SinuSonic or Breathe Right strips.