If you walk into any Hong Kong pharmacy, TCM shop, Chinatown grocer in Vancouver, or a Southeast Asian supermarket in London, you will find the same three products sitting side by side on the medicated oil shelf: Tiger Balm (in its red and white variants), Wong To Yick Wood Lock Medicated Oil, and Po Sum On. Each has been in continuous production for between 65 and 150 years. Each has survived the arrival of Bengay, Icy Hot, Salonpas, topical NSAIDs, CBD balms, and every other Western muscle-rub innovation. And each occupies a distinct niche that most first-time users don’t fully understand until they have tried all three.
This article is a head-to-head comparison of the three Hong Kong classics: how they differ in ingredients, sensation, duration, best-use scenarios, cost, and safety profile. By the end, you will know which bottle to reach for in which situation — or whether to keep all three in your cupboard (which is what most Hong Kong households actually do).
| Dimension | Tiger Balm Red | Tiger Balm White | Wong To Yick | Po Sum On |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Ointment (semi-solid) | Ointment (semi-solid) | Liquid oil | Liquid oil |
| Camphor | ~25% | ~11% | ~15% | ~16% |
| Menthol | ~10% | ~8% | ~16% | ~16% |
| Methyl salicylate | ~10% | None | ~40% | None |
| Other notable ingredients | Cassia oil, clove oil, mint oil | Clove oil, cajuput oil, eucalyptus | Lavender, eucalyptus, turpentine oil | Lavender, dragon’s blood, mint |
| Dominant sensation | Strong warming | Cooling with mild warmth | Intense warming + sustained | Cooling, gentler |
| Best for | Deep muscle pain, cold muscles | Headache, insect bites, light pain | Serious muscle injury, inflammation | Multi-purpose, gentler scenarios |
| Gentleness | Harshest | Mid | Harshest (due to salicylate) | Gentlest |
| Price per gram/ml | Medium | Medium | Medium-high | Medium |
| Origin | Haw Par brothers, Rangoon → Singapore | Same | Huang Daoyi, Hong Kong 1962 | Leung Kan Kee, Hong Kong 1907 |
| Regulatory status in Canada | Restricted | Acceptable | Banned (40% salicylate) | Acceptable |
| Best cultural associations | International travel, sore back | Tension headache, sinus | Martial arts, deep injury | Daily household remedy |
Tiger Balm was created by the Aw (Haw Par) brothers in Rangoon in the 1870s, moved to Singapore, and has since become the most internationally distributed of the three. It is owned by Haw Par Corporation, a Singapore-listed company, and marketed globally in two primary variants: Red (stronger, warming, for muscles) and White (milder, cooling, for headaches and insect bites).
Wong To Yick Wood Lock Medicated Oil was created by Huang Daoyi (黃道益) in Hong Kong in 1962. Huang trained in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts, and his formulation was specifically designed for “dit da” injury recovery — bruises, sprains, and muscle strain common in kung fu training. It has remained family-owned and HK-manufactured for over 60 years. Wong To Yick is the single most popular medicated oil in Hong Kong households and the most recognised TCM product in overseas Chinese communities globally.
Po Sum On (保心安油) was created by Leung Kan Kee (梁根記) in Guangzhou in 1907 and moved to Hong Kong in the mid-20th century. It is the oldest of the three and has the deepest traditional Chinese medicine roots. Po Sum On is positioned as a gentler, more aromatic “general household oil” suitable for colds, headaches, muscle aches, insect bites, and stomach discomfort in adults.
The three products differ substantially in both the concentration and mix of their active ingredients:
Tiger Balm Red’s profile is “warming-dominant with balanced salicylate”. It feels hot fast and the heat lasts 30-60 minutes.
Tiger Balm White’s profile is “cool with mild warmth”. It feels cool on application, with a gentle lingering warmth from the small amount of camphor. It is the best of the three for sinus/headache use because of the cajuput and eucalyptus profile.
Wong To Yick’s profile is “salicylate-dominant with intense cooling”. It feels cool very fast (from the 16% menthol), then the warming kicks in from the camphor, and the anti-inflammatory effect from the 40% methyl salicylate continues for hours. This is the most “biochemically active” of the three — the 40% methyl salicylate provides actual anti-inflammatory pharmacology, not just sensory substitution.
Po Sum On’s profile is “balanced cool-warm with aromatic complexity”. It lacks the salicylate kick of Wong To Yick but has more aromatic depth from the lavender, dragon’s blood, and peppermint. It is gentler on the skin and more versatile for household use.
Tiger Balm Red: On application, a few seconds of neutral sensation, then rapid warming. Within 30 seconds the skin feels distinctly hot. The warming intensifies over 2-3 minutes, peaks, and then gradually fades over 30-60 minutes. There is a mild underlying tingle from the menthol. Most users describe it as “hot and tingly.”
Tiger Balm White: Immediate cooling sensation from the menthol, followed within 30-60 seconds by a mild warming that is much less intense than Red. The cool dominates for most of the application period. Most users describe it as “cool and slightly warm.”
Wong To Yick: Intense cooling from the menthol — the coolest of the four on initial application. Within 60-90 seconds the warming from the camphor and methyl salicylate starts building. The sustained anti-inflammatory action from the 40% methyl salicylate means the sensation lasts longer than the others — sometimes noticeable for 2-3 hours. Most users describe it as “cool first, then warm, then tingly for a long time.”
Po Sum On: Balanced cool-warm sensation from the start. The cooling and warming are both present but neither dominates. The lavender adds an aromatic quality that is absent from Tiger Balm or Wong To Yick. Most users describe it as “cool and warm together, and smells nice.”
If you asked ten Hong Kong grandmothers which one they would pick if they could only have one, you would get:
The practical answer: Wong To Yick is the “serious” choice for serious muscle complaints; Po Sum On is the “daily” choice for gentler household use; Tiger Balm White is the best specific choice for headaches and colds; Tiger Balm Red is best for heavy-duty heat-rub use. Most households own all three — Wong To Yick + Po Sum On + Tiger Balm White (or Red) — and use them for different situations.
All four products require the standard medicated oil safety rules: small area, small amount, intact skin, no heat, no occlusion, no children under 2, cautious use in pregnancy and G6PD deficiency. But some are stricter than others:
Bottom line on safety: Wong To Yick has the highest pharmacological activity and therefore the highest risk profile if used wrong. Tiger Balm Red is the most “fiery” and can burn sensitive skin. Tiger Balm White is the mildest traditional choice. Po Sum On is the gentlest overall. All four require adult-only use and intact skin.
For specific populations, see our articles on pregnancy, G6PD deficiency, and infants and children.
All four products are priced similarly per application:
Cost per application is comparable across all four, and none is notably expensive. The main cost consideration is authenticity — all four have counterfeit problems, and buying from authorised retailers is essential.
All four products are heavily counterfeited, particularly in overseas Chinese markets. Key authentication strategies:
Buy only from authorised pharmacies (Watsons, Mannings, official brand stores, reputable Chinatown TCM shops with street addresses). Avoid street-market stalls and unverified online sellers.
| Region | Tiger Balm Red | Tiger Balm White | Wong To Yick | Po Sum On |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong | ✅ OTC | ✅ OTC | ✅ OTC (most popular) | ✅ OTC |
| Singapore | ✅ OTC | ✅ OTC | ✅ OTC | ✅ OTC |
| Mainland China | ✅ OTC | ✅ OTC | ✅ OTC | ✅ OTC |
| Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand | ✅ OTC | ✅ OTC | ✅ OTC (common) | ✅ OTC (common) |
| Australia | ✅ TGA-registered | ✅ TGA-registered | ⚠️ TGA-registered with warnings | ✅ TGA-registered |
| United States | ✅ OTC | ✅ OTC | ⚠️ Restricted (Chinatown only) | ⚠️ Limited availability |
| United Kingdom | ✅ OTC | ✅ OTC | ⚠️ TCM shops only | ⚠️ TCM shops only |
| Canada | ⚠️ Restricted | ✅ OTC | ❌ Banned for OTC | ✅ OTC |
The camphor 11% limit in the US and the methyl salicylate 30% limit in Canada are the biggest regulatory issues, which is why Wong To Yick (40% methyl salicylate) is restricted or banned in some Western markets.
Tiger Balm, Wong To Yick, and Po Sum On represent three distinct philosophies of Hong Kong medicated oil:
Each has a valid place in a Hong Kong household’s medicine cabinet, and the most common setup is to own one strong muscle treatment (Wong To Yick) plus one gentle multi-purpose option (Po Sum On or Tiger Balm White). Pick based on what you actually do — if you play contact sports, get Wong To Yick; if you want a mild family-friendly option, get Po Sum On; if you travel often and want something compact for headaches and insect bites, get Tiger Balm White.
All three are real medicines with real mechanisms, real benefits, and real safety considerations. Respect the concentration, follow the safety rules, and buy genuine from authorised retailers.
This article is part of the Medicated Oil Knowledge Hub, a free educational reference on traditional Chinese and Southeast Asian herbal medicated oils. Information here is for education and is not medical advice. For individual medical questions, consult a pharmacist or physician.