If there is one Chinese herbal ointment the whole world knows by name, it is Tiger Balm. From Burmese apothecaries in the 1870s to the shelves of American drugstores in the 2020s, Tiger Balm has traveled further than any other Chinese medicated oil or balm. Its little hexagonal glass jars — red lid or white lid — have become a kind of global shorthand for “the ointment your grandmother used for everything.”
But “everything” is a lot to ask of one jar. This guide explains what Tiger Balm actually is, what it actually does, what it cannot do, how to spot the many counterfeits, and how to use it safely in 2026.
The Tiger Balm story starts not in Singapore, where the brand is headquartered today, but in Rangoon (now Yangon), Burma, in the 1870s. A herbalist named Aw Chu Kin emigrated from China’s Fujian province and opened a small traditional medicine shop. His formula for a warming herbal ointment, combining camphor, menthol, and aromatic oils, was designed for the muscular aches of dockworkers, merchants, and travellers in the hot tropical climate. The ointment sold well enough to support the family, and when Aw Chu Kin died in 1908, his two sons Aw Boon Haw (“Gentle Tiger”) and Aw Boon Par (“Gentle Leopard”) inherited the recipe.
It was Aw Boon Haw who turned the family ointment into a global brand. Marketing-obsessed, he named the product “Tiger Balm” after his own name, designed the distinctive logo of the leaping tiger, and pushed aggressive advertising campaigns across Chinese-diaspora communities in Southeast Asia. In the 1920s he moved the business to Singapore, which at the time was the most important trading hub in the region. By the 1930s Tiger Balm was the most recognised medicated ointment across the Malay Peninsula, the Dutch East Indies, Siam, French Indochina, Hong Kong, and southern China.
The Second World War disrupted the business, and the brothers spent the war years in Hong Kong. Aw Boon Par died in 1944, and after the war Aw Boon Haw rebuilt the company from Singapore, famously constructing the extravagant Tiger Balm Gardens (Haw Par Villas) as both a public park and the world’s loudest advertisement for the brand. Aw Boon Haw himself died in 1954.
After a period of family disputes and corporate restructuring in the 1960s and 1970s, the Tiger Balm brand came under the control of Haw Par Corporation, a Singapore-listed company. Haw Par Healthcare still owns and manufactures Tiger Balm today, and the ointment is exported to over 100 countries. The original Aw family no longer owns the business, though the Haw Par Foundation remains a significant philanthropic presence in Singapore.
Today, the best-selling formulations have essentially the same core ingredients as the 1920s version — camphor, menthol, cajuput oil, clove bud oil, dementholised mint oil, and a petroleum-wax base — with very small refinements over the decades. It is one of the most stable product formulations in the global pharmaceutical aisle.
Most supermarket shoppers know that Tiger Balm comes in two colours, red and white. Fewer know that the two jars are not interchangeable and are meant for genuinely different uses.
The two colours are not substitutes. A White jar on a stiff lower back is disappointing, and a Red jar on a throbbing headache can make you miserable. Learn the difference and keep both if you use them regularly.
Over the decades, Haw Par Healthcare has expanded the Tiger Balm range well beyond the two original jars. The main extensions are:
The honest answer is that Tiger Balm is a topical counterirritant. It does not heal tissue, repair muscle fibres, reduce inflammation at a cellular level, or treat disease in any modern pharmaceutical sense. What it does is trick the skin’s nerve endings into firing “cool” and “warm” signals that partially mask underlying aches — the same principle behind Western counterirritant rubs like BenGay, Icy Hot, and Deep Heat.
This is not a criticism. Counterirritation is a real and useful effect, clinically documented, and it genuinely makes many people feel better. For muscular tension, minor strains, stiff necks, tension headaches, and stuffy noses, Tiger Balm has legitimate and repeatable benefit.
What it does not do:
Camphor. Derived historically from the camphor laurel tree, now mostly synthetic. Gives the characteristic penetrating smell and the cool-then-warm sensation. Penetrates skin rapidly. At the concentrations used in Tiger Balm (11-25%), topical application in adults is generally safe in the quantities used. But camphor is genuinely toxic if ingested — even small amounts (5 ml or more) can cause seizures in adults, and as little as 1 ml can be fatal in infants. This is why Tiger Balm is not safe for use on infants under 2 years and should be kept out of reach of children. See our deep dive on camphor pharmacology (available in Chinese; English translation forthcoming).
Menthol. From mint oils. Triggers the TRPM8 cold receptor on skin, producing the cool sensation without actual temperature change. Safe in topical use in adults. Can cause cross-reactivity in people sensitive to mint. In high concentrations, it can be irritating to children’s airways — another reason White and Red balms are not suitable for small children.
Cajuput oil. Distilled from the leaves of the Melaleuca cajuputi tree (related to the tea tree). A traditional Malay and Indonesian medicine ingredient. Provides a warming aromatic effect and mild antimicrobial activity.
Clove bud oil. From Syzygium aromaticum. High in eugenol. Has mild anaesthetic and antimicrobial properties — historically used for toothache in folk medicine.
Dementholised mint oil. Mint oil with the pure menthol extracted out, used as a carrier of the remaining aromatic mint compounds.
Cinnamon oil (Red only). From cinnamon bark. Produces the characteristic hot sensation of the red formula by stimulating TRPA1 and TRPV3 receptors. Can cause contact dermatitis in sensitive individuals; patch test on the inner forearm before first use on a larger area.
Petroleum wax, paraffin base. The carrier that holds the active ingredients on the skin and delivers them slowly. Not pharmacologically active itself.
Notably absent from genuine Tiger Balm, despite common misconception, is methyl salicylate in the original jars — it is only added in the Ultra Strength version. This is important for people with salicylate allergy, aspirin sensitivity, or anticoagulant use (where absorbed salicylates can contribute to bleeding risk). Always read the label — and if you are on warfarin or similar, discuss topical analgesics with your doctor.
Tiger Balm is one of the most counterfeited Chinese herbal products in the world, especially in markets with weak trademark enforcement. Some counterfeits are merely cheap knock-offs with under-dosed active ingredients; others are actively dangerous, containing industrial waxes, harmful solvents, or undeclared steroids. A fake jar can cost you money; a bad fake jar can cost you skin.
Here is what to check before you buy. For the broader framework, see our counterfeit detection guide.
The single most effective protection is to buy from a recognised pharmacy, supermarket, or Haw Par Healthcare’s own e-commerce channel. Tourist markets, street stalls, and deeply discounted online sellers are the three highest-risk channels. The manufacturer lists authorised distributors on tigerbalm.com.
Genuine Tiger Balm outer boxes have:
Fakes often have: blurry tiger logos, spelling errors (“Tiger Balmm”, “Tyger Balm”), generic-looking Chinese text, wrong company name (not Haw Par Healthcare), or smudged batch numbers.
Genuine jars are made of pressed glass, not plastic, and have:
Fakes often use lighter plastic jars, have loose lids, or have ointment that has been tampered with (visible irregular surface, not smooth).
Genuine Tiger Balm Red is a consistent deep red-brown colour with a slightly translucent, glossy surface. White is a creamy off-white. Both have a strong, clean, sharp smell — camphor and menthol should be instantly recognisable and clean, not oily or rancid.
Fakes often have:
On first use, a small dab on the inner forearm should produce a distinct, steady warming (Red) or cooling (White) sensation within 2-3 minutes. A genuine jar gives a consistent response across the whole jar. Fakes often give a patchy response, or no response at all, or an unexpectedly harsh burn (indicating excess capsaicin or industrial irritants).
If in doubt, don’t use it on your body. Return it, bin it, or donate it to your garage toolbox as leather conditioner.
Adults, topical use only.
If in doubt — ask a pharmacist. In Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and mainland China, Tiger Balm is sold over the counter in pharmacies staffed by trained pharmacists who are happy to advise on use.
Tiger Balm is a genuinely useful, 100-year-old, well-made herbal ointment for muscular aches (Red) and tension headaches or stuffy noses (White). It is not a miracle cure, it is not a substitute for medical care when you are seriously injured or ill, and it is not safe for infants. Buy from reputable channels, pick the colour that matches the use, apply small amounts to clean skin, and keep it away from children.
The jar on your grandmother’s shelf was there for a reason. It is still worth having on yours.
This article is part of the Medicated Oil Knowledge Hub, a free public reference on traditional Chinese and Southeast Asian herbal medicated oils. This site is independent and not affiliated with Haw Par Healthcare or the Tiger Balm brand. Information here is for education; it is not medical advice. Please consult a pharmacist, physician, or registered traditional medicine practitioner for individual guidance.