Tiger Balm
A Singapore-based topical analgesic brand best known for menthol- and camphor-based heat rubs for external pain relief.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Tiger Balm is a Singapore-based topical analgesic brand manufactured and distributed by Haw Par Healthcare, part of Haw Par Corporation Limited. Its products are external-use rubs and related preparations intended to provide temporary relief from muscle aches, joint discomfort and other minor pains. The brand is especially associated with its red and white ointments, whose distinctive packaging, strong aromatic profile and warming or cooling sensation have made them recognizable across Asia and international markets. The brand traces its roots to Ban Kin Yu, or “Ten Thousand Golden Oil,” a preparation developed in Rangoon, then under British colonial rule, by Chinese herbalist Aw Chu Kin during the 1870s. Aw Chu Kin established a family business known as Eng Aun Tong, or “Hall of Everlasting Peace.” Before his death in 1908, he reportedly asked his sons, Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par, to refine the preparation. In 1918, the product was renamed Tiger Balm, a change intended to make it more broadly appealing. The tiger identity became central to the brand’s visual and commercial presentation. During the 1920s, the Aw brothers expanded Tiger Balm into a wider pharmaceutical and publishing enterprise. They moved their business to Singapore after difficulties with the colonial authorities in Burma and established operations at several Singapore locations, eventually operating from Neil Road. Their marketing approach was unusually ambitious for the period. The family funded newspapers and created public attractions known as Tiger Balm Gardens, including sites in Hong Kong, Singapore and Fujian. These attractions helped connect the product with the Aw family name while turning advertising into a highly visible cultural and recreational experience. Tiger Balm became a major Southeast Asian consumer-health brand and was exported to China, Japan and other parts of the region. In later decades, the brand expanded beyond its traditional jars of ointment into additional topical formats, including patches and oils. Product formulations and permitted active-ingredient concentrations can vary by country because medicines and topical analgesics are regulated differently in different jurisdictions. The label identifies menthol and camphor as active ingredients, while the base includes petroleum jelly and paraffin wax. The brand operates through local manufacturing, marketing and distribution arrangements in some markets. In India, for example, Tiger Balm products have been manufactured in Hyderabad by Makson and marketed by Alkem Laboratories; before that arrangement, Elder Pharmaceuticals was associated with manufacture and marketing between 1993 and 2011. By 2018, Tiger Balm products were reported as being sold in more than 100 countries, with approximately ten products marketed under the brand. The brand has also continued to use partnerships and sponsorships to maintain contemporary visibility. In 2024, Tiger Balm became a regional partner of FC Bayern Munich for China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam under a four-year agreement. Tiger Balm’s positioning combines traditional Asian herbal heritage with modern consumer healthcare. Its appeal rests on familiarity, portability, strong sensory effects and a long-established reputation for everyday external pain relief. The brand remains active internationally, although individual products, formulas, claims and availability differ according to local regulation.
History
Tiger Balm developed from Ban Kin Yu, a preparation translated as “Ten Thousand Golden Oil,” made in Rangoon during the 1870s by Chinese herbalist Aw Chu Kin. Aw Chu Kin was the son of Aw Leng Fan, a Hakka herbalist from Zhongchuan in Fujian, China. After being sent to Rangoon to assist his uncle’s herbal shop, Aw Chu Kin eventually established his own family business, Eng Aun Tong, meaning “Hall of Everlasting Peace.” On his deathbed in 1908, Aw Chu Kin instructed his sons, Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par, to improve the preparation. The brothers subsequently developed the business into a larger pharmaceutical and commercial enterprise. In 1918, the preparation was renamed Tiger Balm, helping give it a more distinctive and internationally marketable identity. The tiger became the defining symbol of the product and later the wider business. By the 1920s, Eng Aun Tong was producing and marketing pharmaceutical products and exporting Tiger Balm to China, Japan and Southeast Asia. The Aw brothers moved their operations to Singapore after encountering difficulties with the British colonial government in Burma. Their Singapore premises began on Amoy Street, later moved to Cecil Street and then to 89 Neil Road around the middle of the 1920s. The Aw family used unusually prominent forms of advertising. Aw Boon Haw established newspapers in China and Singapore, and the family founded Tiger Balm Gardens in Hong Kong in 1935, Singapore in 1937 and Fujian in 1946. These sites promoted the brand through large-scale public attractions and helped associate Tiger Balm with the Aw family’s broader commercial and philanthropic image. Over time, Tiger Balm evolved from a traditional ointment into a portfolio of external-use analgesic products. The core range remained centered on red and white balms, while other formats included patches and oils. The products generally use menthol and camphor as labeled active ingredients and a petroleum-jelly and paraffin-wax base. Exact concentrations can differ between countries because national regulatory requirements vary. For example, reference material stated that in November 2023 the Singapore and Cambodia versions of Tiger Balm Red and White contained 25% camphor, while an Australian example contained 11%. Haw Par Healthcare manufactures and distributes the brand within the Haw Par corporate group. In India, Tiger Balm has operated through local manufacturing and marketing arrangements. Makson manufactures the product in Hyderabad and Alkem Laboratories markets it; Elder Pharmaceuticals was associated with Indian manufacture and marketing from 1993 to 2011. By 2018, Tiger Balm was reported to have around ten products available in more than 100 countries. The brand has also defended its trademark identity. In 2013, Haw Par’s action against Rangoon Chemical Works over the latter’s Flying Tiger balm reached the Supreme Court of India. The Indian company subsequently changed its branding and packaging. In 2024, Tiger Balm extended its marketing activity through a four-year regional partnership with FC Bayern Munich covering China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The brand therefore combines a nineteenth-century herbal-product origin with modern international consumer-health distribution and sports marketing.
- 2024
FC Bayern Munich regional partnership announced
[1]Tiger Balm became an official regional partner of FC Bayern Munich for five Southeast Asian and Chinese markets under a four-year agreement.
- 2013
Indian trademark dispute reached the Supreme Court
[1]Haw Par challenged the branding of Flying Tiger balm by Rangoon Chemical Works, leading to packaging and branding changes.
- 1937
Tiger Balm Garden established in Singapore
[1]A Singapore Tiger Balm Garden extended the family’s distinctive public-marketing strategy.
- 1935
Tiger Balm Garden opened in Hong Kong
[1]The Aw family established the first of several Tiger Balm Gardens as a highly visible promotional and public attraction.
- 1920
The Aw brothers expanded the business from Burma
[1]The brothers developed Eng Aun Tong into a larger pharmaceutical and marketing enterprise and moved operations to Singapore during the decade.
- 1918
The product was renamed Tiger Balm
[1]The family renamed Ban Kin Yu as Tiger Balm to broaden its commercial appeal.
- 1908
Aw Chu Kin left the preparation to his sons
[1]Before his death, Aw Chu Kin asked Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par to refine the family preparation.
- 1870
Ban Kin Yu developed in Rangoon
[1]Chinese herbalist Aw Chu Kin developed the preparation that later became associated with Tiger Balm while operating in Rangoon.
Products and positioning
A heritage Asian consumer-health brand combining traditional herbal associations with accessible, strongly sensory topical pain relief.
Topical analgesic balm
Tiger Balm Red
A warming external-use balm associated with the brand’s traditional red packaging. It uses menthol and camphor as labeled active ingredients and is marketed for temporary relief of minor aches and pains. Formula strength and permitted claims vary by market.
Topical analgesic balm
Tiger Balm White
A white balm in the core Tiger Balm range, commonly associated with a cooling or refreshing sensory experience. Like other Tiger Balm products, it is intended for external use and contains labeled active ingredients including menthol and camphor, subject to local formulation rules.
Topical analgesic patch
Tiger Balm Pain-Relief Patches
Adhesive topical products that extend the Tiger Balm proposition beyond jars of ointment. Patches are designed for localized application and portable use, with ingredients, indications and availability determined by the regulations of each market.
Massage and topical-use oil
Tiger Balm Massage Oil
An oil-format product associated with the brand’s broader external-use portfolio. It adapts Tiger Balm’s traditional topical positioning for massage and larger-area application, although product composition and claims vary across markets.
Marketing campaigns
- 2024FC Bayern Munich regional partnership
China · Malaysia · Singapore · Thailand · Vietnam
Tiger Balm became an official regional partner of FC Bayern Munich in a four-year agreement designed to connect the heritage healthcare brand with the football club’s regional audience.
Outcome. The partnership expanded Tiger Balm’s contemporary sports-marketing presence in Asia.
- 1946Fujian Tiger Balm Garden
Fujian, China
The family established another Tiger Balm Garden in Fujian, extending the public-facing promotional network associated with the brand.
Outcome. The garden formed part of Tiger Balm’s historical regional marketing infrastructure.
- 1937Singapore Tiger Balm Garden
Singapore
A Singapore Tiger Balm Garden continued the family’s strategy of combining public entertainment, cultural imagery and product promotion.
Outcome. It reinforced Tiger Balm’s visibility in its principal Southeast Asian base.
- 1935Tiger Balm Gardens
Hong Kong
The Aw family opened a Tiger Balm Garden in Hong Kong, using a large public attraction to promote the brand and the family enterprise.
Outcome. The garden became part of the brand’s distinctive historical advertising legacy.
Brand decisions
2024
Regional football partnership with FC Bayern MunichStrategyBackground
Tiger Balm sought a contemporary regional marketing platform in markets where the brand has historical and commercial relevance.
Action taken
The brand entered a four-year regional partnership with FC Bayern Munich covering China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Aftermath
The agreement gave Tiger Balm an association with a globally recognized football club across several Asian markets.
2013
Trademark enforcement against Flying Tiger balmOtherBackground
Haw Par alleged that Rangoon Chemical Works used branding for Flying Tiger balm that infringed or improperly resembled the Tiger Balm trademark.
Action taken
Haw Par pursued the matter through the Indian courts, with the dispute reaching the Supreme Court of India.
Aftermath
Rangoon Chemical Works changed its product branding and redesigned its packaging.
1918
Renaming Ban Kin Yu as Tiger BalmStrategyBackground
The original preparation had been known as Ban Kin Yu or Ten Thousand Golden Oil. The Aw brothers sought a name with broader commercial appeal.
Action taken
The product was renamed Tiger Balm and promoted under a distinctive tiger-centered identity.
Aftermath
The new name became the foundation of the brand’s regional and later international identity.
Recent events
- 2024
Tiger Balm became a regional partner of FC Bayern Munich[1]
Campaign · Other
Tiger Balm entered a four-year regional partnership with FC Bayern Munich covering China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
- 2018
Tiger Balm reported sales in more than 100 countries[1]
Other
Reference material reported that approximately ten products were being sold under the Tiger Balm name in more than 100 countries. It also described the brand's Indian manufacturing and marketing arrangements.
- 2013
Haw Par trademark dispute over Flying Tiger balm reached India's Supreme Court[1]
Lawsuit · Other
Haw Par pursued a trademark dispute against India's Rangoon Chemical Works, alleging that its Flying Tiger balm used branding that was too similar to Tiger Balm. The matter reached the Supreme Court of India, after which Rangoon Chemical Works changed the product's branding and redesigned its packaging.
Sources1 sources
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