28. August 2025

Tiger Balm is one of the most recognized Chinese brands in the world, yet few know of its international origin story, its eccentric founders & that at one point it was even banned in China. Let's take this 1930s ad from our collection to explore the famous ointments history.

13. October 2023

This 1946 Shanghai magazine ad for Eng Aun Tong features a puzzling key visual - we certainly don't recommend using Tiger Balm as a sunscreen... The well-known heat rub was created in the 1870s by a Chinese herbalist in Burma. His sons took over the company in 1908 and developed it into a highly successful business empire which exported to China, Japan, and across Southeast Asia. In 1920 the headquarter was moved to Singapore where it continues to be manufactured to this day.