For generations, Tiger Balm has been a familiar sight in homes across Malaysia and Asia.
Many people grew up seeing the iconic red-and-gold jar in medicine cabinets, handbags, workplaces, and travel bags. It was often the first thing people reached for when dealing with headaches, muscle aches, insect bites, or minor discomfort.
Today, Tiger Balm is sold in more than 100 countries and remains one of the world’s most recognised topical pain-relief brands.
Yet few people know that behind this global success story are two brothers who inherited a small family medicine business and transformed it into one of Asia’s most remarkable business empires.
From Fujian To British Malaya
The story of Tiger Balm began long before the famous red-and-gold jar became a household name across Asia.
The Aw family originated from Fujian, China, where Aw Chu Kin’s father was a respected herbalist. Like many Chinese migrants of the era, Aw Chu Kin left home in search of better opportunities and sailed to Southeast Asia in the 1860s.
His journey first brought him to Singapore before he continued to Penang, one of the busiest trading centres in British Malaya at the time.
There, he discovered a thriving Chinese community and a strong demand for traditional herbal medicine. The opportunities were far greater than anything he had experienced back home.
The experience convinced him that Southeast Asia was a land of opportunity for those willing to work hard and take risks.
The Foundation Of A Future Empire
Following his father’s wishes, Aw Chu Kin eventually moved to Rangoon, now known as Yangon, Myanmar.
In 1870, he established a traditional medicine shop called Eng Aun Tong, meaning “Hall of Everlasting Peace.”
Using his knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine, he developed and sold a variety of remedies to the local community.
One of his most promising creations was an ointment made from ingredients such as camphor, menthol, clove oil, and cajuput oil, which were commonly used to relieve aches, pains, and other everyday ailments.
The remedies quickly gained a reputation for being effective, affordable, and reliable. As word spread, Eng Aun Tong grew into a trusted business with a loyal customer base.
When Aw Chu Kin passed away in 1908, he left the business and its medicinal formulas to his sons, Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par.
At the time, it was simply a successful family medicine shop.
Neither brother could have imagined that the business would eventually evolve into Tiger Balm, one of the most recognised healthcare brands in the world.
The Tiger And The Leopard Behind The Empire
The success of the business was largely built on the different strengths of the two brothers.
Aw Boon Haw, whose name translates to “Gentle Tiger,” was ambitious, charismatic, and constantly looking for ways to expand. He possessed a natural talent for business and marketing and believed the family enterprise could grow far beyond Myanmar.
His younger brother, Aw Boon Par, whose name means “Gentle Leopard,” was more reserved and methodical. He focused on refining products, maintaining quality standards, and ensuring the business operated smoothly.
The brothers complemented each other perfectly.
While Boon Haw focused on growth and brand building, Boon Par concentrated on product development and operational excellence.
Many successful businesses are built by visionary founders. Others are built by strong operators. The Aw brothers had both.
Their partnership would become one of the most important factors behind the long-term success of Tiger Balm.
How Tiger Balm Conquered Asia
One lesser-known fact is that Tiger Balm was not the product’s original name.
Historical accounts suggest the brothers initially marketed the ointment as Ban Kim Ewe, which roughly translates to “Ten Thousand Golden Oil.” The name reflected their hopes that the remedy would bring lasting prosperity and success.
The product quickly gained popularity among customers seeking relief from headaches, muscle pain, coughs, colds, and various everyday ailments.
As sales expanded beyond Chinese communities, the brothers realised they needed a stronger and more memorable brand.
In 1918, they renamed the ointment Tiger Balm, inspired by Aw Boon Haw’s name and the tiger’s symbolism of strength, courage, and power in Asian culture.
The product was packaged in a distinctive hexagonal jar, a design that was both practical and memorable. More importantly, it helped customers instantly recognise the product among competing remedies.
The brothers also realised that Singapore offered greater opportunities than Myanmar.
As one of Southeast Asia’s busiest trading hubs, Singapore provided access to larger markets, better transportation networks, and growing Chinese communities across the region.
They relocated key operations to Singapore and began expanding aggressively throughout Southeast Asia.
Before long, Tiger Balm was being sold in Singapore, Malaya, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, and numerous other markets.
Workers, traders, plantation labourers, miners, and travelling merchants helped spread awareness of the product across the region.
Long before globalisation became a popular term, the Aw brothers had already built an international consumer brand.
The Marketing Genius Who Built His Own Media Empire
One of Aw Boon Haw’s greatest strengths was understanding the importance of visibility.
He believed that having a great product was only part of the equation. People needed to know about it as well.
Instead of relying entirely on traditional advertising, he created his own media platforms.
Over the years, he established and acquired numerous newspapers across Southeast Asia, including Sin Chew Jit Poh, which later evolved into today’s Sin Chew Daily, one of Malaysia’s largest Chinese-language newspapers.
The group also launched Sin Ping Jit Poh, which later became Guang Ming Daily, another major newspaper familiar to Malaysians today.
These newspapers generated revenue while simultaneously increasing awareness of the family’s businesses and products.
But newspapers were only part of the strategy.
The company organised product demonstrations in crowded public markets, distributed free samples, and launched highly visible promotional campaigns.
Brightly painted Tiger Balm vehicles travelled through towns and cities, functioning as moving advertisements long before modern billboard trucks became common.
Aw Boon Haw even created elaborate attractions and publicity campaigns that made the brand impossible to ignore.
He understood something many businesses still struggle with today.
People rarely remember ordinary marketing.
They remember experiences.
The Malaya Connection And Growing Influence
The story of Tiger Balm is closely connected to Malaya.
By the 1920s and 1930s, the product had become widely known across the Malay Peninsula. Chinese communities, plantation workers, miners, traders, and families throughout Malaya regularly used the balm.
The brand’s popularity continued to grow because it solved a simple problem.
It provided convenient relief for common aches and pains at a time when access to modern healthcare was far more limited than today.
The company also invested heavily in understanding its customers. Agents reportedly travelled across Southeast Asia collecting feedback directly from users, helping the brothers refine products and strengthen their market position.
Demand grew so rapidly that the product became valuable far beyond its retail price.
Historical accounts suggest that in some rural areas, jars of Tiger Balm were sometimes exchanged through barter when cash was scarce. A bottle could reportedly be traded for chickens, ducks, eggs, and other goods.
Some merchants even claimed that for every bottle of Western medicine sold, dozens of jars of Tiger Balm changed hands.
At the same time, Aw Boon Haw’s newspaper network expanded into Malaya, increasing both his business influence and brand visibility.
For many families, Tiger Balm became a household essential decades before Malaysia achieved independence in 1957.
Its deep roots in Malaya explain why the brand remains so familiar to Malaysians even today.
Unlike many imported products, it has been part of local life for generations.
Crisis, War And Reinvention
The company’s journey was far from smooth. World War II created enormous challenges for the business.
During the Japanese occupation of Singapore, many of the family’s assets and operations were disrupted. The years following the war required significant rebuilding efforts.
The deaths of both brothers also marked the end of an era. Aw Boon Par passed away in 1944, while Aw Boon Haw died in 1954 after a heart attack during a stopover in Honolulu following surgery in the United States.
Then another challenge emerged during the 1970s when corporate takeover activity weakened family control over the company.
Ownership became fragmented, leadership changed, and uncertainty surrounded the future of the business.
Yet perhaps the greatest threat came from changing consumer behaviour.
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, younger consumers increasingly preferred Western-style medicines, tablets, and modern pain-relief products.
Many viewed traditional balms as outdated products used mainly by older generations.
Sales slowed, and the future of Tiger Balm looked uncertain.
Instead of changing the formula, the company changed the positioning.
New product formats such as patches, roll-ons, sprays, and gels were introduced. Marketing campaigns shifted away from traditional remedies and focused on sports recovery, fitness, wellness, and active lifestyles.
The strategy successfully introduced Tiger Balm to a new generation of consumers while preserving the trust of existing customers.
Tiger Balm: A Global Brand That Never Forgot Its Roots
Today, Tiger Balm is one of Asia’s most successful consumer healthcare brands.
Millions of units are sold annually across more than 100 countries, reaching consumers throughout Asia, Europe, North America, and many other regions.
The company has continued introducing new product formats, investing in modern marketing, and partnering with sporting organisations and major events.
More importantly, the brand has stayed true to its original promise of providing reliable relief through a formula trusted by generations.
From a small medicine shop in Myanmar to homes throughout Malaysia and around the world, the story of Tiger Balm is ultimately a story of entrepreneurship, innovation, resilience, and reinvention.
More than a century after the Aw brothers inherited their father’s business, their legacy continues to live on in one of Asia’s most recognisable brands.
Sources: 1| 2| 3
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