Fluence vs Breathe Right: An Honest Australian Comparison

By Lachlan Maskell, Co-founder, Fluence Published 05/07/2026

Obvious disclosure up front: we make Fluence. This is a comparison written by one of the two brands being compared, so hold it to a higher standard. Every Breathe Right fact below comes from Breathe Right's own public material, flagged for editorial verification, and there is a whole section on when Breathe Right is the better buy. If we cannot win a comparison honestly, we do not deserve to win it at all.

The short version

Both are external spring-action nasal strips. Both are drug-free. The core mechanism is the same idea: flexible bands on an adhesive backing that gently lift the nostril walls outward to support airflow through the nose.

The differences are in positioning, adhesive and economics. Breathe Right is a global pharmacy brand from Haleon, positioned around temporary relief of nasal congestion from colds and allergies, and reducing snoring. Fluence is an Australian-owned performance brand: sweat-resistant, 12hr+ hold, designed and tested in Australia, sold direct with a subscription option.

Neither product treats medical conditions. Nasal strips do not treat sleep apnoea. If you have ongoing snoring or breathing concerns, see your doctor first.

What do Breathe Right and Fluence have in common?

More than either brand's marketing would suggest. Both are:

• External strips, worn across the soft part of the nose. No parts go inside the nostrils.
• Spring-action. Flexible bands try to straighten and lift the nasal walls outward.
• Drug-free and non-invasive. No medication, sprays or ingested ingredients.
• Single-use adhesive products, typically sold in packs of around 30.

If you have used one, you already understand the other. The question is which execution suits how you live.

Pack economics: what does each strip cost?

Fluence pricing is straightforward because we sell direct:

Breathe Right is sold through retailers, so pricing moves with promotions and store. At Chemist Warehouse, a Breathe Right Large 30-pack is listed at. Supermarkets and other pharmacies carry smaller pack sizes at different per-strip rates.

The honest summary: on a one-off 30-pack, the two brands often land in a similar per-strip range depending on retail promotions. Pharmacy pricing also moves around with frequent promotions. If you are a nightly user, check both numbers on the day you buy.

Hold duration: what does each brand claim?

We can only speak precisely for ourselves. Fluence strips are built for a 12hr+ hold with a sweat-resistant, medical-grade adhesive on hypoallergenic materials. That is what we designed and tested for, because our core user wears strips through long training sessions and full nights.

Breathe Right's own usage guidance advises wearing strips for a maximum period stated in their directions. Their international materials reference their own airflow figures.

Both brands are describing the same physical principle. For a plain-English explanation of what that mechanism can and cannot do, read Do nasal strips work? What the evidence shows

Positioning: congestion relief vs performance

This is the real difference between the products.

Breathe Right built its brand in the pharmacy aisle around blocked noses: colds, allergies, congestion, and snoring relief at night. The product, packaging and retail placement all serve that use case, and they serve it well.

Fluence was designed and tested in Australia around a different user: people who train. Runners, HYROX athletes, gym-goers, and people who want one strip that goes from a session to a full night's sleep without lifting. Sweat resistance and the 12hr+ hold exist because of that user. The rest of the brand, including the training content at /pages/nasal-athlete, is built the same way.

Neither positioning makes the other product wrong. It tells you who each company optimised for.

When is Breathe Right the better choice?

Genuinely, in several cases:

• You want a strip tonight. Breathe Right is stocked at major Australian pharmacies and supermarkets. Fluence ships fast, but shipping is not "tonight".
• You mostly want congestion relief during a cold. That is the exact use case Breathe Right has positioned around for decades. Their tan and clear variants are easy to find in the format you want.
• You want to trial the category as cheaply as possible. Smaller Breathe Right packs at retail let you test whether strips suit you at a lower entry cost than a 30-pack.
• You prefer buying from a pharmacy. Some people want to pick a product off a shelf and ask the pharmacist a question. That is a completely legitimate preference, and for snoring or congestion questions the pharmacist is a genuinely useful person to talk to.

When does Fluence make more sense?

• You train, and you sweat. Sweat-resistant adhesive and a 12hr+ hold are the core of the product. If strips have peeled off you mid-run before, this is the problem we built against.
• You use strips every day or night. The subscription at $19.99 a month brings the cost to about 67 cents a strip, delivered, with no remembering to restock.
• You want Australian-owned. Fluence is Australian owned, and the strips are designed and tested in Australia.
• You want one strip for training and sleep. Rather than switching products, the same strip is built to handle both.

You can see the full product details at /products/nasalstrips. If your interest is snoring specifically, start with /pages/nasal-strips-for-snoring instead, because the honest caveats matter more than the brand choice.

The bottom line

Breathe Right is the established pharmacy option with unbeatable availability and a congestion-relief pedigree. Fluence is the Australian performance option with sweat resistance, a 12hr+ hold and better subscription economics. Both are drug-free external strips doing the same mechanical job. Buy the one whose trade-offs match your week, and if breathing or snoring problems persist with either, that is a conversation for your doctor, not a product swap.

Sources

• Breathe Right Australia: https://www.breatheright.com.au
• Chemist Warehouse, Breathe Right listing: https://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/68089/breathe-right-nasal-strips-large-30-pack
• Fluence nasal strips: https://fluence.au/products/nasalstrips
• Sleep Foundation, on nasal strips: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/snoring/do-nasal-strips-work

This article is general information only and is not medical advice. Nasal strips do not treat medical conditions, including sleep apnoea. If you have ongoing breathing, snoring or sleep concerns, speak with your doctor or pharmacist.