Cabinet OTC Review: Pros, Cons, and How is it Different?

Caroline Morse Teel is the Executive Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Caroline has a passion for adventure travel and has hiked to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro and the bottom of the Grand Canyon in pursuit of a good story. Follow her around the world on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

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Tired of packing a bunch of bulky medicine bottles every time you travel? Cabinet, an innovative new healthcare company, has a solution that’s easier for both you and the environment. Cabinet sells over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for ailments including cold and flu, cough relief, nasal decongestants, allergies, dairy intolerances, and digestive issues.

What is Cabinet?

Stack of OTC Cabinet medication jars on a medicine cabinet shelf (left) and an organized array of OTC Cabinet medication jars and packets on a white backdrop (right) — Cabinet Health

Cabinet is an online pharmacy for OTC medications. It’s a certified B-Corp company on a mission to eliminate single-use plastic in medicine. Instead of selling drugs in plastic bottles that are then thrown away or recycled, Cabinet has created a refillable and compostable system for its products.

Cabinet’s 14 medications are sold in compostable pouches (that are very easy to pack). Buy the starter sets and the medications will arrive along with refillable, 100 percent recyclable, glass bottles plus a magnetic label (with expiration date and a QR code to scan for more information).

What Makes Cabinet Different?

Unlike other medications, Cabinet’s are sustainably packaged. All of the medicines are also verified to be gluten-free, a requirement that can be difficult to find in other OTC medications.

How Does Cabinet Measure Up?

Three different colors of OTC Cabinet Health medication packages — Cabinet Health

Durability: 10/10

The glass containers are extremely durable (and have been drop tested by Cabinet to ensure they won’t break or shatter easily). You can feel confident packing either the bottles or the pouches.

Cost: 9/10

Refills for most medications cost around $8-$10, and starter sets (which include the glass containers) are usually only a few dollars more. You can also get discounts by buying Cabinet’s curated packs, like the Cold & Flu Bundle or even customize your own.

Portability: 10/10

The containers are small and lightweight and make keeping your medications organized while traveling a breeze. I also like using the compostable pouches when traveling extra-light, as they take up barely any space while still remaining easy to find.

From an aesthetic standpoint, Cabinet’s glass containers look significantly better in a medicine cabinet than a random collection of plastic bottles.

Cabinet Pros:

Sustainable packaging
Verified gluten-free
Easy to pack
Good way to keep medications organized
Magnetic label with QR code makes it easy to find information about the medication and to order a refill
Durable packaging
Medications are quality tested at batch-level via a third-party lab

Cabinet Cons:

Not all OTC medications available
Initial costs are more expensive than non-sustainably packaged options

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Cabinet OTC Review

Caroline Morse Teel

What is Cabinet?

What Makes Cabinet Different?