Current Japanese official product and medicine-bag information checked: 2 November 2026. This guide covers Vantelin Kowa Mini Tsubo-kun only; directions for other Vantelin products or round patches are not interchangeable.
The Vantelin name does not automatically mean indomethacin. Current Mini Tsubo-kun is a warming round patch, 2.3cm in diameter, with five active ingredients and no indomethacin. It is not simply a familiar large Vantelin patch made smaller.
Kowa launched this addition to the range on 1 October 2025—not as a newly launched 2026 formula. The useful question is not whether a small patch is weaker, but what is in this particular box, what provides the warming sensation and which instructions must not be borrowed from other patches.
- Read the box: 180 is a pack count; 2.3cm is a size
- Five ingredients: sensation and medicinal roles are different information
- A warming medicine is not an invitation to add heat
- Use this product’s directions—not another patch’s count or wear time
- Keep the medicine bag, not just the brand name in mind
- Official sources
Read the box: 180 is a pack count; 2.3cm is a size
The full name is バンテリンコーワミニツボくん / Vantelin Kowa Mini Tsubo-kun, a Japanese Class 3 OTC medicine. The photograph shows the current red-and-green 180-patch box. Each patch is 2.3cm in diameter. Neither pack count nor diameter specifies a daily dose, treatment duration or ranking of effectiveness.
Labelled indications are stiff shoulders, lower-back pain, joint pain, muscle pain, muscle fatigue, bruises and sprains. “Tsubo” in the name does not provide an acupoint self-diagnosis method or guarantee a treatment result. See the separate Vantelin Pap S, Pat EX and Pat EX Hot comparison for those products; do not transfer their indomethacin formula or directions to this one.
Five ingredients: sensation and medicinal roles are different information
The official quantities below are per 100g of plaster mass, not per patch. These are the manufacturer’s stated ingredient roles for this product, not a strength comparison or a calculation of an individual patch dose.
- Glycol salicylate 8.0g: pain-relieving action involving local stimulation, peripheral blood flow and peripheral sensory nerves.
- l-Menthol 7.0g: a cooling sensation and pain-relieving action.
- Tocopherol acetate 2.5g: promotes peripheral blood circulation.
- Glycyrrhetinic acid 0.19g: anti-inflammatory action.
- Nonivamide 0.03g: warming stimulation, promotion of peripheral blood flow and pain-relieving action.
A single patch can contain ingredients associated with both cooling and warming sensations. What you feel is not a substitute for reading its ingredients. The brand’s “maximum amount within approval standards” statement about glycol salicylate concerns an amount within a particular approval standard. It does not establish the strongest clinical pain relief or superiority over other ingredients. Class 3 does not mean free of side effects.
A warming medicine is not an invitation to add heat
The directions prohibit warming the treated area with a kotatsu, electric blanket or similar source. Do not turn “warming action” into “hotter is better.” Sweat or moisture is not an absorption aid: wipe a sweaty or wet area dry before applying. Sweating after application may cause irritation.
Remove the patch at least one hour before bathing, and wait about 30 minutes after bathing before applying it. Bathing with it on, or immediately after removing it, may cause irritation. These are this product’s instructions, not a universal rule for all patches or permission to reapply after a skin reaction once a timer has elapsed.
Use this product’s directions—not another patch’s count or wear time
The medicine bag directs users to remove the plastic film and apply to the affected area several times a day, following the stated directions. A box of 180 is not an instruction to apply many patches or use them for a set number of consecutive days. We do not import another article’s patch-count or wear-time limit. If the area, frequency or use alongside another topical medicine is unclear, show the actual products to a pharmacist or registered seller.
Children must use it under a guardian’s instruction and supervision. The current medicine-bag information does not state a numerical minimum age; this is not proof that every age is suitable, and another Vantelin product’s age limit must not replace this one’s instructions. People with sensitive skin should not apply it continuously to the same spot.
Stop and consult a doctor, pharmacist or registered seller, bringing the medicine bag, if symptoms do not improve after five to six days. Rash, redness, itching, pain or dermatitis calls for immediate stopping instead—do not wait until day five or six.
Keep the medicine bag, not just the brand name in mind
Store in a cool place away from high temperatures, direct sunlight and humidity, out of children’s reach. Do not transfer to another container. Return unused patches to the medicine bag after opening and fold the opening back to close it. Do not use beyond the expiry date printed on the box and bag. The manufacturer states that there is no separate enclosed leaflet; the official PDF reproduces the medicine-bag information, so keep that bag.
Three useful checks at the shelf are the full name rather than Vantelin alone; the five ingredients rather than a guess from the shape or sensation; and this product’s precautions rather than experience with another patch. Bring the names of other patches or topical medicines you use to the consultation, rather than trying to rank this one as simply stronger or weaker.
