science

Tiger Balm

Tiger Balm is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Tiger Balm rather than just read about it. In short: Tiger Balm (Chinese: 虎標萬金油; pinyin: Hǔbiao Wànjīnyóu; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hó͘-phiau Bān-kim-iû) is an analgesic heat rub manufactured and distributed by Singaporean company Haw Par Healthcare. It is used for external pain relief.

Key takeaways

Tiger Balm belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Tiger Balm to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Tiger Balm from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Tiger Balm (Chinese: 虎標萬金油; pinyin: Hǔbiao Wànjīnyóu; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hó͘-phiau Bān-kim-iû) is an analgesic heat rub manufactured and distributed by Singaporean company Haw Par Healthcare. It is used for external pain relief.

History

A precursor to Tiger Balm called Ban Kin Yu (Chinese: 萬金油; lit. 'Ten Thousand Golden Oil') was developed in the 1870s in Rangoon, Burma, during the British colonial era by the practising Chinese herbalist Aw Chu Kin, son of Aw Leng Fan, a Chinese Hakka herbalist in Zhongchuan, Fujian Province, China. His father had sent him to Rangoon in the 1860s to help in his uncle's herbal shop. Eventually, Aw Chu Kin himself set up a family business named Eng Aun Tong 永安堂 ("Hall of Everlasting Peace"). On his deathbed in 1908, he asked his sons Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par to perfect the product. In 1918, the product was renamed "Tiger Balm" in order to gain broader appeal. By 1918, the Aw family had become one of the wealthiest families in Rangoon. By the 1920s, the brothers had turned Eng Aun Tong into a very successful business empire that produced and marketed pharmaceutical products, including the Tiger Balm medicinal ointment. Tiger Balm sold well in Burma, and was exported to China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. The brothers moved to Singapore in the 1920s due to problems with the colonial British government. They set up a branch first at Amoy Street, then moved to Cecil Street and finally to 89 Neil Road between 1924 and 1926, at the junction of Neil and Craig Road. The Aw family founded the Tiger Balm Gardens in Hong Kong in 1935, Singapore in 1937 and Fujian Province in 1946 to promote the product. Boon Haw also established newspapers in China and Singapore; his daughter said that he spent so much money on advertising that "he thought it would be cheaper to just open a few newspapers". In 2013, a lawsuit filed by Haw Par against the Indian company Rangoon Chemical Works, asserting that the latter's "Flying Tiger" balm with similar branding infringed on the Tiger Balm trademark, reached the Supreme Court of India. As a result, Rangoon Chemical Works made changes in the branding of its product and redesigned packaging. In 2018, there were 10 products being sold under the Tiger Balm brand, in over 100 countries. Tiger Balm generated S$152 million (US$110.56 million) in revenues in 2015. Haw Par's revenues from Tiger Balm sales in India were ₹85 crore (US$12.43 million) in 2018. The product sold in India is manufactured in Hyderabad by Makson and marketed by Alkem Laboratories. Between 1993 and 2011, it had been manufactured and marketed by Elder Pharmaceuticals.

In 2024, Tiger Balm became an official regional partner of FC Bayern Munich for China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam for four years.

Composition

The base comprises petroleum jelly and paraffin wax. The packaging label states that the active ingredients are menthol and camphor. The camphor concentration varies by country of sale; as of November 2023, Tiger Balm Red and Tiger Balm White both contain 25% camphor in Singapore and Cambodia, but only 11% in Australia as an example. This is likely due to different regulatory requirements.

See also Axe Brand Universal Oil Amrutanjan (balm) Ben-Gay Liniment IcyHot Mentholatum Siddhalepa Vicks VapoRub Ya mong

References

External links

Official website

Illustrations

An advert in Siam Station, Bangkok showcasing the brand's partnership with FC Bayern Munich

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tiger Balm

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tiger Balm claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tiger Balm before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tiger Balm ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tiger Balm

In research: Tiger Balm appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Tiger Balm in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Tiger Balm is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1870s establishments, Drug brand names, Ointments, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tiger Balm outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Tiger Balm in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tiger Balm means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Tiger Balm out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tiger Balm in simple terms?

Why does Tiger Balm matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tiger Balm?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tiger Balm.