What Advil does

Advil is an over-the-counter (OTC) pain relief brand owned by Haleon plc, offering ibuprofen-based pharmaceutical products across multiple delivery formats including tablets, caplets, gel-caplets, Liqui-Gels, suspensions, and, most recently, a topical cream. Founded in 1984 in the United States as one of the first OTC ibuprofen products available domestically, Advil has maintained market presence for over 35 years under successive corporate parents (Pfizer, GSK Consumer Healthcare, and since 2022 Haleon plc following its spinoff from GSK). The core technology rests on solubilized ibuprofen formulations that enable faster absorption compared with standard tablets, combined-action formulations pairing ibuprofen with acetaminophen for enhanced relief, and accessible packaging designs (e.g., Easy Open Arthritis Cap) tailored to specific user populations.

The product portfolio addresses general adult pain relief, nighttime pain plus sleep aid (PM line), cold/flu/sinus/allergy symptom relief, migraine, and pediatric needs through Children's Advil. The brand serves horizontal consumer segments — adults and children 12+ seeking headache, muscle ache, backache, menstrual, and minor arthritis relief, plus parents of infants and children 6 months to 11 years. Advil's go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via retail pharmacy, mass market, e-commerce, and its own website, supplemented by influencer marketing, content marketing through a symptoms-and-tips hub, and a loyalty program (Haleon Huddle). Revenue is generated through one-time OTC product purchases at standard unit pricing across retailers and online channels, with FSA/HSA eligibility under the CARES Act expanding the addressable payment base.

Advil operates within Haleon's global infrastructure, with localized presence in 12+ countries spanning North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, and contract manufacturing relationships (e.g., Howell Packaging in Elmira). The brand's competitive position rests on long-established brand recognition, broad distribution, formulation breadth, and recent innovation into topical pain relief via Advil Targeted Relief. The company is not independently capitalized — it is a wholly-owned brand within Haleon plc (LSE: HLN) — and therefore investment exposure occurs at the parent level rather than through the brand entity itself.

Name

Advil

Legal name

Haleon US Holdings LLC

Website

https://advil.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Advil is an over-the-counter ibuprofen-based pain relief brand owned by Haleon plc, offering tablets, caplets, Liqui-Gels, topical creams, and pediatric formulations to general consumers across 12+ countries via retail, pharmacy, and e-commerce channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Over-the-Counter Pain Relief Medication

NAICS

Health and Personal Care Retailers (456)

akta.pro primary industry

OTC Pain Relief & Fever (Analgesics, Anti-inflammatory, Topical Pain Relief) (CRADAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cold, Flu & Cough Remedies (HLAIADAB), Sleep, Stress & Mood Support (HLAIADAG)

Keywords

• OTC pain relief
• Ibuprofen medications
• Consumer healthcare
• Pharmaceutical manufacturing
• Headache treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Kings Mountain

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. OTC Pain Relief Products: One-time purchase consumer healthcare products sold through retail and pharmacy channels. Revenue generated from direct product sales of various Advil formulations including tablets, caplets, Liqui-Gels, PM products, and targeted relief solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Advil manufactures and sells over-the-counter ibuprofen-based pain relief medications across multiple formulations including tablets, caplets, gel-caplets, Liqui-Gels, dual-action combinations, topical creams, cold/flu products, and pediatric suspensions. Products address headaches, muscle aches, back pain, menstrual pain, arthritis, migraine, fever, cold/flu symptoms, and nighttime pain with sleep aid. Distributed through retail pharmacies, mass-market retailers, and e-commerce channels globally.

Product overview

Advil is a comprehensive over-the-counter (OTC) pain relief brand owned by Haleon, offering ibuprofen-based pharmaceutical products. The portfolio spans multiple delivery formats (tablets, caplets, gel-caplets, Liqui-Gels, suspensions) and specialized formulations. Core products include standard ibuprofen pain relievers (Advil Tablets, Caplets, Gel-Caplets, Liqui-Gels, Liqui-Gels Minis) and dual-action formulas combining ibuprofen with acetaminophen (Advil Dual Action, Advil Dual Action Back Pain). The PM line provides nighttime pain relief with sleep aid (Advil PM Caplets, Liqui-Gels, Liqui-Gels Minis). Cold/flu and sinus products address respiratory symptoms (Advil Multi-Symptom Cold & Flu, Sinus Congestion & Pain, Allergy & Congestion Relief, Cold & Sinus variants). Specialized offerings include arthritis-friendly easy-open packaging (Easy Open Arthritis Cap, Easy Open Arthritis Liqui-Gels) and migraine-specific formulas. Children's products include Infants' Advil Drops, Junior Strength Chewables, and multiple suspension flavors (Grape, Bubblegum, Berry, Blue Raspberry, Fruit, White Grape). The recent innovation is Advil Targeted Relief, a topical pain cream representing Advil's first venture into topical formulations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Children's Advil: Pediatric pain relief and fever reduction products including suspension drops, chewables, and liquid formulations in various flavors for children.

Products and services

• Advil Tablets Standard ibuprofen tablets (200mg) providing pain relief for headaches, muscle aches, backaches, menstrual pain, minor arthritis, and common cold aches. Targeted at adult consumers seeking OTC pain management.
• Advil Caplets Coated caplet form of ibuprofen for easy swallowing, providing relief from minor aches and pains. Targeted at consumers who prefer caplet form over tablets.
• Advil Gel-Caplets Gel-coated caplets containing ibuprofen for pain relief, offering a smooth coating for easier swallowing than standard tablets.
• Advil Liqui-Gels Fast-acting liquid ibuprofen capsules providing rapid relief from headaches, backaches, muscle aches, menstrual pain, minor arthritis, and common cold symptoms. Uses proprietary solubilized ibuprofen technology for faster absorption.
• Advil Liqui-Gels Minis Smaller, easy-to-swallow liquid ibuprofen capsules for convenient pain relief, targeting consumers who prefer smaller dosage forms.
• Advil Dual Action Combination product containing both ibuprofen and acetaminophen for enhanced pain relief, providing up to 8 hours of relief. Targeted at consumers seeking stronger pain relief.
• Advil Dual Action Back Pain Targeted dual-action formula specifically designed for back pain relief using ibuprofen and acetaminophen combination. Targeted at consumers with back pain.
• Advil Targeted Relief Advil's first-ever topical pain relief cream with a unique combination of 4 pain-fighting ingredients that starts working on contact, providing up to 8 hours of powerful relief at the source. Targeted at consumers preferring topical over oral pain relief.
• Advil Migraine Ibuprofen formulation specifically marketed for migraine relief. Targeted at consumers suffering from migraines.
• Advil Easy Open Arthritis Cap Ibuprofen tablets in an easy-open bottle cap designed for users with arthritis or grip difficulties. Targeted at arthritis sufferers with limited hand dexterity.
• Advil Easy Open Arthritis Liqui-Gels Fast-acting liquid ibuprofen in easy-open packaging for users with arthritis. Targeted at arthritis sufferers seeking fast-acting relief with accessible packaging.
• Advil PM Caplets Pain relief combined with a sleep aid for nighttime use, containing ibuprofen and diphenhydramine citrate. Targeted at adults with nighttime pain disrupting sleep.
• Advil PM Liqui-Gels Fast-acting liquid ibuprofen combined with diphenhydramine for pain relief and up to 8 hours of sleep. Targeted at adults with nighttime pain seeking fast-acting relief.
• Advil PM Liqui-Gels Minis Smaller fast-acting liquid ibuprofen capsules with sleep aid for nighttime pain and sleep support. Targeted at adults preferring smaller capsule format.
• Advil Multi-Symptom Cold & Flu Cold and flu symptom relief combining ibuprofen with other active ingredients for multiple symptoms. Targeted at consumers experiencing cold and flu symptoms.
• Advil Sinus Congestion & Pain Combination product for relieving sinus congestion and pain symptoms. Targeted at consumers with sinus congestion and pain.
• Advil Allergy & Congestion Relief Allergy and nasal congestion relief product. Targeted at consumers with allergy symptoms.
• Advil Cold & Sinus Caplets Cold and sinus symptom relief in caplet form. Targeted at consumers preferring caplet format for cold/sinus symptoms.
• Advil Cold & Sinus Liqui-Gels Fast-acting cold and sinus symptom relief in liquid capsule form. Targeted at consumers seeking fast-acting cold/sinus relief.
• Advil Allergy Sinus Allergy and sinus symptom relief product. Targeted at consumers with allergy and sinus symptoms.
• Infants' Advil Drops Ibuprofen drops formulated for infants, providing fever and pain relief for babies 6-23 months. Targeted at parents and caregivers of infants.
• Junior Strength Advil Chewables Chewable ibuprofen tablets for children ages 6-11, providing pain and fever relief. Targeted at parents of school-age children who prefer chewable format.
• Children's Advil Suspension Grape Flavor Liquid ibuprofen suspension in grape flavor for children's fever and pain relief. Targeted at parents of children who prefer grape flavoring.
• Children's Advil Suspension Sugar-Free Dye-Free Berry Sugar-free and dye-free berry-flavored liquid ibuprofen for children. Targeted at parents seeking formulations without sugar or artificial dyes.
• Children's Advil Suspension Bubblegum Bubblegum-flavored liquid ibuprofen suspension for children. Targeted at parents of children who prefer bubblegum flavoring.
• Children's Advil Suspension Dye-Free Blue Raspberry Dye-free blue raspberry-flavored liquid ibuprofen for children. Targeted at parents seeking dye-free formulations in blue raspberry flavor.
• Children's Advil Suspension Fruit Flavor Fruit-flavored liquid ibuprofen suspension for children. Targeted at parents of children who prefer fruit flavoring.
• Children's Advil Suspension White Grape Dye-free white grape-flavored liquid ibuprofen for children. Targeted at parents seeking dye-free formulations in white grape flavor.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.15% organic engagement rate in Canadian gaming campaign
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Gaming Influencers (Canada)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdvil partnered with gaming influencers in Canada to target the six million gamers with a campaign featuring gaming settings to reduce headaches. The campaign delivered a 3.15% organic engagement rate and a 51% rise in brand awareness for fighting gaming headaches.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Icy Hot / Aspercreme (Sanofi Consumer Health): Sanofi's leading topical OTC pain relief brand portfolio — directly competitive with Advil Targeted Relief in the topical analgesic category, with strong distribution across US drug and mass channels.
• Excedrin: Haleon-owned OTC analgesic combining acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine; specifically targets headache and migraine — overlapping directly with Advil Migraine and the broader Advil pain portfolio.
• Aleve: Bayer's OTC naproxen brand, positioned for longer-lasting pain relief. Competes with Advil across the same shelf and the same consumer occasions (headache, back pain, muscle aches, arthritis).
• Voltaren: Haleon's topical diclofenac pain relief brand. Directly competes with the newly-launched Advil Targeted Relief in the topical OTC pain category and serves as the internal benchmark for Advil's topical expansion.
• Panadol: Haleon's paracetamol/acetaminophen global OTC analgesic brand. Sits in the same Haleon portfolio as Advil and is a sister brand, but competes directly in international markets outside the US where Advil has limited share.
• Tylenol: Johnson & Johnson's flagship OTC analgesic (acetaminophen) and the most direct head-to-head competitor to Advil across the same retail, pharmacy and e-commerce channels for headaches, muscle pain, fever and cold/flu symptom relief.
• Motrin: Johnson & Johnson's branded ibuprofen line — directly competes with Advil on the same active ingredient, same OTC pain occasions, and same retail shelf; effectively the closest molecular substitute.

Broad incumbents

• Bayer Aspirin: Bayer's heritage OTC analgesic (aspirin) brand — competes with Advil on pain relief, headache and cardiovascular indications and is sold across the same mass and pharmacy channels in the US and globally.
• Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health: Parent of Tylenol and Motrin, the two largest direct OTC analgesic competitors to Advil. J&J's consumer health division provides scale, R&D and distribution that materially shape Advil's competitive environment.

Emerging players

• Store-brand ibuprofen (private label): Walmart (Equate), CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, Costco and Amazon Basics all sell private-label ibuprofen at materially lower prices on the same shelf as Advil, exerting continuous price pressure on the brand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/advilrelief
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/advil
• Facebookfacebook.com/Advil
• Instagraminstagram.com/advilrelief

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Advil