Camphor Rubs Compared: What Is Actually in Vicks, Tiger Balm and Others

In the DailyMed labels we read, camphor runs from 4 percent (Bengay Ultra Strength) to 11 percent (Tiger Balm), always as a purified active ingredient beside menthol, and sometimes eucalyptus oil, methyl salicylate or phenol. None of these is an essential oil. White camphor oil is a different material, and none of these labels tell you what ours contains.

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Why compare the labels instead of the brands

Most "Vicks versus Tiger Balm" pages compare marketing. The more useful comparison is the Drug Facts panel, because it is a regulated document with percentages, age limits and warnings that a retailer cannot change. We read the labels on DailyMed, the National Library of Medicine's label database, for the products below. Labels change, so the percentages here reflect the versions we opened, and you should check the current label on the jar you own.

Two framing notes before the table. First, these are over-the-counter drug products, and we write about them as regulatory facts. Second, we sell a fragrance oil, not a rub, and nothing here suggests that our oil is a substitute for any of them. For the regulatory background see FDA Camphor Rules Explained, and for how camphor and menthol differ at the receptor, Camphor vs Menthol.

The ingredient table

The DailyMed summary for Tiger Balm Red carries the note "product for export only," so it is not a US consumer label and we would not treat it as one. We list it because the same ingredient pair, 11 percent camphor and 10 percent menthol, is what many people picture when they hear "Tiger Balm."

What the table shows that brand pages do not

The jars are not equivalent, and the percentage is not a quality score. Vicks sits at 4.7 percent camphor, and so does the topical antitussive ointment listed in the cough-and-cold monograph (21 CFR 341.74), which gives camphor at 4.7 to 5.3 percent and menthol at 2.6 to 2.8 percent for adults and children 2 and older. Tiger Balm Ultra sits at the top of the range the external analgesic monograph allows: camphor more than 3 and up to 11 percent, menthol 1.25 to 16 percent, in FDA's M017. Those two monographs describe different intended uses, which is why the numbers differ. Higher is not better; it is a different category of product.

Camphor in these jars is an ingredient, not an oil. Three of the labels say synthetic and one says natural. The Tisserand Institute states that white camphor oil contains very little camphor (up to 9 percent, more typically 3 percent) after crystalline camphor is filtered out and the remainder fractionated. So a bottle of white camphor oil is a different material from the camphor in any row above. Our certificate lists physical constants and no GC/MS, so we cannot say what percentage our lot holds.

The age limits are not uniform. The Vicks label sets 2 years. The Tiger Balm and Bengay labels set 12. Campho-Phenique returns to 2. Do not assume the product on the shelf shares the limit of the one you used last year. The age statement is the single most important line on a camphor rub, and our own site's hazard page, Inside the Still, calls camphor contraindicated for infants and young children.

Warnings that repeat across labels

Read the warnings sections of the labels above and the same themes recur:

• External use only, not in the mouth. Each label we could read in full directs you to get medical help or call a Poison Control Center right away if swallowed. In the US that number is 1-800-222-1222.
• Not on wounds or damaged skin. The Vicks, Tiger Balm and Bengay labels each say so.
• Not with heat or tight bandages. Tiger Balm and Bengay say not to bandage; the Vicks label adds not to heat, microwave or add to hot water because it may cause splattering and burns. That one line is why we are blunt about the bowl-of-hot-water method in Camphor Steam Inhalation.
• Not in the nostrils. The Vicks label says so, and the 341.74 monograph text says "do not take by mouth or place in nostrils." A 2009 report began with a toddler who developed severe respiratory distress after a vapor rub was applied under her nose.
• Ask first if pregnant or breast-feeding. The Tiger Balm and Vicks labels say so.

Those warnings are the real comparison between a drugstore rub and a homemade version. The rub comes with them printed on the jar. A homemade balm does not, which is what we examine in DIY Camphor Vapor Rub.

Reading one of these labels in a minute

If you own one of these jars, this is the order we would read the panel in. It is a reading guide, not advice about use.

1. The age line first. It tells you whether the product is for the person you are thinking of at all.
2. The active ingredients and their percentages. Note whether camphor is listed as synthetic or natural, and whether there are other actives. Campho-Phenique, for example, pairs 10.8 percent camphor with 4.7 percent phenol, a combination that M017 lists specifically (camphor 3 to 10.8 percent when combined with phenol 4.7 percent). Bengay pairs camphor and menthol with 30 percent methyl salicylate.
3. The warnings. Wounds, bandages, heat, nostrils, eyes. These differ by product.
4. The stop-and-ask line. The Tiger Balm and Bengay labels say to stop and ask a doctor if symptoms last more than 7 days or clear up and return within a few days. The Vicks label sets a week for cough and 7 days for aches.
5. The inactive ingredients. Our summaries gave actives only, but the full panel lists the rest, which matters if you have fragrance or lanolin sensitivities.

What we do and do not say about them

• We do not say any of these products works for any condition. The labels state uses, and those statements belong to the manufacturers and to the OTC rules.
• We do not recommend making your own rub from essential oil to match one of these percentages. A percentage on a label belongs to a specific formulation, tested and manufactured as a drug. That is not what a diluted fragrance oil is.
• We would ask a pharmacist, not a website, which rub suits a given person, particularly for a child, in pregnancy, or for anyone taking other medicines.

If what you want is the scent of white camphor for a candle, a closet or a diffuser, that is the material we sell, in dark amber glass from 0.5 oz to 400 lb, in the shop. It is an aromatic material, not a rub. For general buying advice see how to choose high-quality camphor oil.

Questions we get asked

Which rub has the most camphor?

Among the labels we read, the Tiger Balm products at 11 percent, which is the monograph's ceiling. A higher percentage does not mean a better product.

Is the camphor in Vicks natural?

The label we opened lists synthetic camphor. Tiger Balm Red's export label lists natural camphor, and the Ultra Strength label lists synthetic.

Are camphor rubs safe for children?

The labels draw different lines (2 years or 12 years) and a pediatrician or pharmacist should decide, not a shop. Never apply any of them under a child's nose.

Where can I read the current label?

Search the product name on DailyMed. The links in the table point to the specific label versions we read, and manufacturers update labels from time to time, so compare against the jar in your hands.

Do you rank these products?

No. The table compares what is printed on labels, not how any product performs, and we have no performance data of our own on any of them.

Can I use a camphor essential oil in place of a rub?

No. A rub is an OTC drug product with a set formulation. Camphor oil is a different material, sold here as an aromatic.

This article is a label and regulatory review, not medical advice. Consult a physician or pharmacist about any rub, especially for children or during pregnancy.

Camphor Essential Oil

Camphor Essential Oil from our own shop, in sizes from 0.5 oz to bulk.

From $8.69

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Sources & Further Reading

• DailyMed. Vicks VapoRub label
• DailyMed. Tiger Balm Ultra Strength label
• DailyMed. Tiger Balm White (regular strength) label
• DailyMed. Tiger Balm Red label (export only)
• DailyMed. Bengay Ultra Strength Non-Greasy label
• DailyMed. Campho-Phenique Antiseptic gel label
• FDA. OTC Monograph M017: External Analgesic Drug Products for OTC Human Use (2023)
• 21 CFR 341.74, labeling and dosage for cough and cold products (eCFR)
• Tisserand Institute. Cinnamomum camphora: its many names and chemotypes
• Abanses JC et al. Vicks VapoRub induces mucin secretion, decreases ciliary beat frequency, and increases tracheal mucus transport in the ferret trachea. 2009
• Poison Control (US poison centers), 1-800-222-1222