Petroleum Jelly

Petroleum jelly (Vaseline, a trademark), is a semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons, originally promoted as an ointment for its healing properties.   It has no medicinal value, but it is recognized as a skin protectant and remains widely used in cosmetic skin care.   The raw material for petroleum jelly was discovered in 1859 in Titusville, PA, where it was stuck to some of the first oil rigs in the U.S.   The workers disliked the material because it caused the rigs to seize up, but they used it on cuts and burns because it hastened healing. ^{Wiki n.p.}

Robert Chesebrough, a young chemist whose previous work distilling fuel from the oil of sperm whales had been rendered obsolete by petroleum, went to Titusville to see what new materials had commercial potential.   Chesebrough took the unrefined black "rod wax", as the drillers called it, back to his laboratory to refine it and explore potential uses.   Chesebrough discovered that by distilling the lighter, thinner oil products from the rod wax, he could create a light-colored gel.   Chesebrough patented the process of making petroleum jelly in 1872.   The process involved vacuum distillation of the crude material followed by filtration of the still residue through bone char. Chesebrough traveled around New York State demonstrating the product to encourage sales by burning his skin with acid or an open flame, then spreading the ointment on his injuries and showing his past injuries healed, he claimed, by his miracle product.   He opened his first factory in 1870 in Brooklyn.   The brand name "Vaseline" has been anecdotally claimed to be from the German word for water, wasser, and the Greek word for oil, elaion, but this is unconfirmed. ^{Wiki n.p.}

Chesebrough originally promoted Vaseline primarily as an ointment for scrapes, burns, and cuts, but physicians have shown that Vaseline has no medicinal effect or any effect on the blistering process, nor is it absorbed by the skin.   Vaseline’s effectiveness in accelerating wound healing is caused by its sealing effect on cuts and burns, which inhibits germs from getting into the wound and keeps the injured area supple by preventing the skin's moisture from evaporating.   However, after becoming a medicine chest staple, consumers began to use Vaseline for a myriad of ailments and cosmetic uses including chapped hands or lips, toenail fungus, nosebleeds, diaper rash, chest colds, and even to remove makeup or stains from furniture.   There are uses for it for pets including stopping fungi from developing on aquatic turtles' shells and to keep cats from making messes when they cough up furballs.   In the first part of the twentieth century, petroleum jelly, either pure or as an ingredient, was also popular as a hair pomade.   When used in a 50/50 mixture with pure beeswax, it makes an effective moustache wax.   Most petroleum jelly today is consumed as an ingredient in skin lotions and cosmetics.   Although it is less expensive than glycerol, the most common active lubricating ingredient in skin lotion, it is not used in expensive lotions because it is not absorbed into the skin resulting in a greasy feel. ^{Wiki n.p.}

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