Tsujimoto Market: Our Guarantees
Description
Hisamitsu Butenalock Vα Liquid — 18 ml
Overview
Butenalock Vα is Hisamitsu's once-daily topical treatment for athlete's foot, jock itch and tinea versicolor. Its antifungal is butenafine hydrochloride at 1% — a benzylamine that persists in the stratum corneum, which is why one application a day is enough where the older azoles ask for two. Around it sit six supporting actives for the itch, the sting and the secondary bacteria.
This is 指定第2類医薬品 — a Designated Class-2 Japanese over-the-counter medicine. That tier is a step above ordinary Class 2: in a Japanese pharmacy the customer must be given the opportunity to speak to a pharmacist before buying. Our page said only "a medicinal product" and our catalogue filed it under Health. Both are corrected here. See also our Japanese foot care and health ranges.
Key Benefits
- ✓ Butenafine 1% — and the reason once a day is enough — a benzylamine antifungal that is retained in the keratin layer, so a single daily application maintains the concentration, which is the whole argument for this product over the twice-daily azoles
- ✓ All seven declared actives printed with their amounts — per millilitre, so nothing has to be inferred from the marketing copy
- ✓ The itch is treated as well as the fungus — chlorpheniramine maleate, dibucaine hydrochloride, crotamiton and l-menthol are the anti-itch and numbing group, which is what makes the first few days bearable
- ✓ Guards against secondary infection — isopropylmethylphenol is an antibacterial, present because scratched, macerated skin between the toes is where bacteria get in
- ✓ Liquid with an applicator head — reaches between the toes without touching the skin with your fingers, which is how the fungus travels to the other foot and to the hands
- ✓ Regulatory status stated, not implied — Designated Class-2 Japanese OTC medicine, with the import warning that follows from it
- ✓ Dispatched from our base in Kobe, Japan, with tracking
Product Details
| Brand | Butenalock Vα (ブテナロックVα) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co., Inc. (久光製薬) |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Product type | Topical antifungal, liquid |
| Regulatory status in Japan | 指定第2類医薬品 — Designated Class-2 over-the-counter medicine |
| Format | Liquid with applicator head |
| Volume | 18 ml |
| Principal active | Butenafine hydrochloride 10 mg/ml (1%) |
| Age | 15 years and over |
| JAN | 4987188188286 |
| Vendor | Tsujimoto Market, Kobe, Japan |
Who Is This For?
- Adults aged 15 and over treating athlete's foot (tinea pedis), jock itch or tinea versicolor
- Anyone who wants a once-daily treatment rather than a twice-daily one — the practical difference over a six-week course is large
- People whose main complaint is the itching as much as the infection; four of the seven actives are there for that
- Anyone treating the skin between the toes, where a liquid applicator reaches better than a cream tube
- Not for: children under 15 without medical advice; skin that is weeping, cracked open, eczematous or badly inflamed; nail infections, which topical liquids do not reach; and destinations that restrict importing medicines by post
How to Use
- Wash and dry the affected skin thoroughly — the liquid works on clean, dry skin.
- Apply a small amount once a day, using the applicator head rather than your fingers.
- Cover the whole affected area and a margin of the surrounding skin; between the toes, treat every web space, not only the visibly affected one.
- Continue for at least the period stated in the package insert even after the symptoms settle — stopping when the itch stops is the usual reason athlete's foot returns.
- Do not apply to broken, weeping or severely inflamed skin, and stop if irritation, redness or itching worsens.
Frequency: Once daily. Continue after symptoms clear, as directed in the insert.
Full Ingredients
Active ingredients, per 1 ml:
- Butenafine hydrochloride — 10 mg (1%) — antifungal
- l-Menthol — 20 mg — cooling
- Crotamiton — 10 mg — anti-itch
- Chlorpheniramine maleate — 5 mg — antihistamine, for itch
- Isopropylmethylphenol — 3 mg — antibacterial
- Dibucaine hydrochloride — 2 mg — local anaesthetic
- Glycyrrhetinic acid — 2 mg — anti-inflammatory
Other ingredients: ethanol, macrogol.
A note on the seventh active. It is glycyrrhetinic acid, not glycyrrhizic acid. The two are often used interchangeably in English listings and they are not the same molecule: glycyrrhetinic acid is the aglycone, obtained from glycyrrhizic acid, and it is what Hisamitsu declares.
Cautions
- This is a Designated Class-2 Japanese over-the-counter medicine. Read the package insert before use and follow the stated dose.
- For external use only. Not for use in or around the eyes, mouth or mucous membranes.
- Do not apply to eczema, weeping wounds, deep cracks, or badly inflamed or damaged skin.
- Not for children under 15 without a doctor's advice.
- In pregnancy or while breastfeeding, use only after consulting a doctor.
- Contains ethanol and l-menthol; a stinging sensation on freshly scratched skin is common and is a reason to check the skin is intact, not to apply more.
- If irritation, redness, swelling or worsening itching develop, stop and consult a doctor or pharmacist.
- If the condition does not improve, or if the nails are involved, see a doctor — topical liquids do not treat nail infections.
- Keep away from heat and open flame. Store tightly closed, cool, out of direct sunlight and out of reach of children.
Package Contents
1 × Butenalock Vα liquid, 18 ml, in the maker's sealed bottle with applicator head and the Japanese package insert.
Shipping & Store Notes
- Ships directly from Japan
- Processing time: 2–6 business days
- Tracking number provided after dispatch
- Import duties and taxes may apply depending on destination country
- This is a registered Japanese over-the-counter medicine, in the Designated Class-2 tier. Several countries restrict or prohibit importing medicines by post, including for personal use. Please check your own country's rules before ordering — we cannot refund a parcel seized by your customs authority
- The liquid contains ethanol, which some carriers and destinations treat as a restricted substance
- Medicines cannot be returned once the seal is broken, for safety reasons
Authenticity Guarantee
Every product at Tsujimoto Market is sourced directly from Japan and verified for authenticity. We never sell fakes or grey-market goods. Each order is carefully packed in Kobe, Japan and dispatched with full tracking.
FAQ
What does "Designated Class-2" mean?
指定第2類医薬品 is a tier of Japanese over-the-counter medicine that sits above ordinary Class 2. Japanese pharmacies must give the customer the opportunity to consult a pharmacist before purchase, and the packaging carries a specific mark. It is not prescription-only, but it is not a general-sale item either.
Why once a day, when other antifungals say twice?
Butenafine is a benzylamine, and it is retained in the keratin of the stratum corneum rather than washing straight out. That retention is what allows a single daily application to hold an effective concentration. The older imidazole antifungals do not persist in the same way, which is why their labels usually ask for two applications.
It says the fungus is a "white fungus" — is that right?
No. The Japanese term is 白癬菌, which is the dermatophyte — Trichophyton, the ringworm fungus. A literal rendering produced "white fungus", which in English means Tremella fuciformis, an edible mushroom sold as a food and as a cosmetic ingredient. The two have nothing to do with each other.
Can I stop when the itching stops?
That is the most common reason athlete's foot comes back. The itch usually settles well before the fungus is cleared from the keratin layer. Follow the duration in the package insert rather than the symptoms, and treat all the web spaces between the toes, not only the one that itches.
Will it work on infected toenails?
No. A topical liquid does not penetrate the nail plate in useful amounts. Nail involvement needs a doctor and usually a different treatment. If the skin clears and keeps returning, the nails are worth having looked at.
