I've seen several reviews from folks complaining about the "weak" or watered-down US version of Tiger Balm (or that they got "scammed".) Well, you're right about the "weaker" version, but you weren't "scammed"— there ARE two different kinds of the "red" Tiger Balm. That's because in the US, the FDA allows a maximum of 11% camphor in products. And if you look closely, you will notice that the NAME of the Tiger Balm varies depending on where it's sold. US: "Red Extra Strength" (11%); ASIA: "Red Ointment" or just "Red" (25%).
Unfortunately, this rule only seems to apply to the US. It appears that Tiger Balm sold as "Red" in the UK, Canada, France, Germany, and the Netherlands most likely only contain 11%. But the US is the only country that requires this percentage of camphor and menthol to be listed on the Tiger Balm the website. (The latter being 10% across the board, FYI.) So there ya go. This is by no means a hard and fast rule, but the products in the US are sold under a slightly different name than those elsewhere and have an FDA-limited amount of camphor.
I've included a few of photos to illustrate this point. The "Red Extra Strength" was purchased at Walmart and was produced in Malaysia. The "Red Ointment" was purchased online and was produced and shipped from Thailand. The Malaysian 11% camphor product is darker in color, and oddly has a stronger smell than the Thai, 25% camphor product which is lighter in color and does not smell as strong. I applied a liberal amount of the 25% camphor Tiger Balm on my knees and it did cause redness all over the area where applied (the 11% did not), but the redness did not last more than a couple of hours and was not painful— just maybe a little extra "tingly". This is just one of the side effects the FDA warns about, and is one of the reasons that 11% camphor is the max allowed in the States.
Just for fun I've also included a pic of a really old Tiger Balm jar. Since the label is long gone I have no idea where it was produced, but check-out the embossed characters on the side and the tiger on the bottom of the jar.
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