Solving people's pain is a timeless industry

The best products to sell is when you can solve somebody's pain. If you can find that product and market it. You're in for some real money.

I want to share with you a bit of history of these two giants of medicated oil.

I remember when I was young my grandmother was regularly using these two brands for her headaches. I can still remember these familiar cooling scents.

These Singapore superbrands had survived the test of time The best products to sell is when you can solve somebody's pain.

Leung Kai Fook Medical Company (Pte) Ltd is the maker of Axe Brand Universal Oil (also known as Axe Brand Medicated Oil), a popular brand of medicated oil recognised by its logo, which features an arm holding an axe. Axe Brand Medicated Oil is colourless, and contains a unique blend of eucalyptus, menthol, camphor and other essential oils. For more than 80 years, it has been used by adults and children as a treatment for giddiness, headache, travel sickness, stomachache, insect bites and other minor ailments.In another words solving people's pain.

Early history

Leung Kai Fook Medical Company was founded by Leung Yun Chee (b. 1897, Shunde, China–d. 1971, Singapore) who, as a young man in his twenties, travelled from Shunde, China, to Singapore in the 1920s. He got to know a German physician, Dr Schmeidler, who gave him the formula for a medicated oil.

Leung was initially a manager at a Shanghai silk trading company. But after three years, he decided to run his own business, operating from a shop.

Leung named the medicated oil after the axe because in the past, the axe was an essential item in every household.

1950s–1970s

In its early years, the response to the medicated oil was lukewarm, and faced stiff competition from more established companies from China and Hong Kong. Leung decided to advertise his product in the local papers, which was a bold marketing move in the 1950s. To promote and increase awareness of the company's products, he started his own Chinese newspaper, New Life Daily, and gave away calendars and gifts. Furthermore, he undertook business trips to Malaysia, looking well-polished and distinguished in his Western suit, impressing buyers with his presentation.

The business flourished in the 1960s, when Singaporean and Malaysian Muslim pilgrims started using Axe Brand oil on their annual haj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The pilgrims used the oil to relieve headaches, giddiness and other ailments caused by the long sea journey. The oil also became popular among Muslims living in countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan and Kenya. Its popularity and sales grew to such an extent that the company shifted its production to a bigger facilities.

1970s–2000s

Axe Brand products are also sold in more than 50 countries around the world. It is one of the leading brands of medicated oil in Asia.The universality of the product has seen its packaging translated into multiple languages.

Another brand that make it big is Tiger Balm.

The Chinese Emperors' physicians may have discovered the the formulation in China a long time ago. However, the formulation that is known in the world today as Tiger Balm is due to the work of one man, a Chinese herbalist named Aw Chu Kin who lived in Rangoon. Aw studied the different types of effective remedy to best treat his patients. In the process, he discovered that the blending of various active ingredients, such as camphor, clove and menthol, was effective in relieving pain.

It was his two sons, Aw Boon Par and Aw Boon Haw, who saw the potential of the remedy. Aw Boon Haw used his name Haw, whose anglicised version meant Tiger, to name the remedy. The symbol of the tiger was synonymous with strength and vitality in the East, and so was an appropriate symbol for such a pain reliever. Together, the two brothers introduced Tiger Balm to the world. After creating the brand name Tiger Balm, they moved from Rangoon to Singapore in 1926.

Today, Tiger Balm is one of the world's leading topical analgesics, with the majority of the Tiger Balm products originating from Singapore. The balm, with its unique formulation of camphor, menthol, cajuput oil and clove oil, provides a soothing action that relieves muscular aches and pains. The Tiger Balm formulation comes not only in the form of ointments, but also in the forms of plasters / patches and liniments. It also comes in different strength formulations to suit different needs.

The two brands above are well known till this date they are still surviving as they solve people's pain. they are still being sold around the world.