Outgro Pain Relief Shortage Update: What Patients Need to Know in 2026

If you've tried to buy Outgro Pain Relief lately and hit a dead end, you're part of a growing group of frustrated patients. This longtime OTC standby — a benzocaine 20% topical liquid used for foot pain and minor skin irritation — has largely disappeared from mainstream pharmacy shelves. Here's what you need to know about the current situation and your options.

Is There an Official Outgro Pain Relief Shortage?

Outgro Pain Relief does not currently appear on the FDA's official drug shortage database. Unlike prescription medications that land on FDA shortage lists, OTC products like Outgro are tracked differently. What's happening with Outgro is more accurately described as a retail discontinuation — the product has been removed from planograms at major pharmacy chains and is no longer being actively restocked at most stores.

The practical effect is the same as a shortage: patients who relied on the product can no longer find it at their usual pharmacy.

What Happened to Outgro's Retail Distribution?

The story of Outgro's disappearance from shelves goes back decades. Originally, Outgro contained tannic acid and chlorobutanol, which users reported worked well for softening the skin around ingrown toenails. The FDA's 1993-1994 ingrown toenail monograph ruling found that tannic acid lacked sufficient evidence of safety and efficacy for that use. The manufacturer reformulated to benzocaine 20%, but the FDA also noted that benzocaine had no established efficacy for ingrown toenail pain.

Without being able to market itself as an ingrown toenail treatment, Outgro lost its primary value proposition. Retailers, facing limited shelf space in foot care aisles, increasingly chose to stock products with stronger FDA-approved claims — like Dr. Scholl's Ingrown Toenail Pain Reliever, which received FDA approval in 2003.

Current Availability Status (2026)

Walgreens: Discontinued — product no longer listed on website

CVS: Not reliably stocked at most locations

Amazon: Intermittently available, often from third-party sellers

Instacart: Available from select regional grocery store partners

Regional grocery chains (Hy-Vee, Reasor's): Stocked by some locations — call ahead with UPC 75137053110

eBay: Old stock available — some listings labeled as "collectible" and "discontinued"

What Should Patients Do Right Now?

If you need Outgro Pain Relief or a comparable product today, here are your practical options:

Use medfinder — medfinder.com calls pharmacies near you to find which ones have your medication in stock, then texts you the results. This is the fastest way to locate Outgro or a benzocaine topical equivalent without spending hours on hold.

Check regional grocery stores — Call or check Instacart for your region's grocery stores. Hy-Vee and similar chains have been known to still carry it.

Consider Dr. Scholl's Ingrown Toenail Pain Reliever — If ingrown toenail pain is your concern, this is the FDA-approved OTC option widely available at most pharmacies today.

Ask your pharmacist for generic benzocaine 20% liquid — Store-brand topical anesthetics with the same active ingredient and concentration are available at many pharmacies.

Is Outgro Ever Coming Back to Major Pharmacy Chains?

There are no announced plans for Outgro to return to major pharmacy chains. The product appears to be in a managed phase-out from large retail. However, it remains available through some regional channels and online, and the manufacturer (McKesson lists it as a wholesale item, suggesting some supply still exists). Whether it will return to wider distribution is unknown.

For more locating strategies, see our guide: How to Find Outgro Pain Relief In Stock Near You