Why is Vaseline called Vaseline? Which country's brand is Vaseline?

I believe that everyone is familiar with the name of Vaseline. Even if you have never used it, you must have heard of it. A must-have in winter. So, why is Vaseline called Vaseline? Do you understand?

Why is Vaseline called Vaseline?

Vaseline was not originally called vaseline, but "petroleum jelly". "Petroleum" means petroleum, and "jelly" is a jam-like jelly, which is one of the by-products of oil drilling. Later, a scientist named Robert Cheseburg isolated the white jelly and named it vaseline. The name is said to be derived from the German word for "water" (wasser) and the Greek word for "oil" (elaeon).

Which country's brand is Vaseline from?

USA. Vaseline was first discovered in the 19th century and was initially used as a pain reliever for burns and cuts. In 1859, chemist Robert Chesebrough began to study this natural substance. After 11 years, he finally extracted and purified a pure white ointment. Robert named his achievement Vaseline and applied for a patent in 1870. It was also in this year that he founded a century-old classic brand, which was also called Vaseline.

What is Vaseline used for?

Vaseline is a moisturizer extracted from petroleum. When applied to the skin, it forms a film on the surface that prevents moisture from evaporating and dissipating, thus keeping the skin moisturized. It has the effect of moisturizing, nourishing the skin and relieving dry skin. It is mainly used for skin problems such as chapped skin, dry skin and itchy skin. People who are allergic to vaseline should not use it. Applying it on the skin can keep it moisturized. For people with wounds, applying Vaseline can speed up recovery. This is because the properties of Vaseline allow it to keep the skin tissue at the wound site in optimal condition and accelerate the skin's repair ability.

The history of Vaseline

1. The initial discovery of Vaseline

In the 19th century, oil drillers at a new oil field in Pennsylvania, USA, discovered that the wax deposited on the sucker rod had a certain analgesic effect on burns and cuts. In 1859, Robert Chesebrough, a 22-year-old American pharmacist and chemist, traveled from Brooklyn, New York to Pennsylvania to pursue his oil dream. Robert observed at the oil mine that there was always a thick layer of grease on the oil drill bits, which caused the machines to operate poorly and workers had to spend a lot of time cleaning them. But at the same time, he found that oil miners would apply this lipid on their skin, which seemed to help improve the skin and also help heal wounds. So Robert took some back for testing and found out that it was a high-molecular hydrocarbon, which is found in large quantities in petroleum. He spent 11 years refining and purifying these petroleum residues to make a petroleum-based ointment that would not spoil (a colorless, transparent, odorless, tasteless, insoluble in water, and a gel-like substance that would not react chemically with all common chemicals). This byproduct is also called petroleum jelly, where "petroleum" means petroleum and "jelly" refers to the gelatinous substance. In the early days of the chemical industry, it was called petrolatum. The commercial petrolatum jelly produced by two companies was named Vaseline and Sherolatum respectively.

2. The official naming and development of Vaseline

In 1870, Robert Chesebrough named it vaseline, which may be derived from the German word "water" (wasser) and the Greek word "oil" (elaeon), and applied for and obtained a US patent in 1870. He also founded a company and began selling this miracle gel to the American public. However, no one believed in this thing and sales were low. Chesebrough pulled a cart of Vaseline and became a "snake oil dealer" going from street to street. Wherever he went, Robert would personally perform his "hard skills", which was to cut himself with a knife or burn his skin with fire in front of everyone, then confidently apply Vaseline and show the onlookers the healed wounds that had been inflicted a few days ago. This method was indeed very effective. Vaseline quickly became popular across the United States and Robert became rich. However, Chesebrough was not a doctor, and he really believed that Vaseline contained a mysterious substance that could cure all diseases. One year he got pleurisy and had himself covered from head to toe with Vaseline. Later, he recovered from his illness and became even more convinced that Vaseline was a miracle drug. He took a spoonful of Vaseline every day. After this incident spread, there was a Vaseline craze among the American people, and people used it to treat all kinds of illnesses. Robert, who died in 1933, was not surprised that he lived to be 96. When he was sick, he covered himself with this Vaseline from head to toe, and he said his longevity was entirely due to it.