The Story Of Vaseline- Petroleum Jelly
Since ages we are using Vaseline petroleum jelly. Vaseline products unlike other products has taken its fame into the market since long time. Vaseline is a brand of petroleum jelly based products owned by Anglo-Dutch company Unilever.
However, this vaseline products has a story of how it came into existence.
History
In 1859, chemist Robert Chesebrough was going through an oil field in Pennsylvania, and noticed that a dark thick waxy like thing kept clogging the oil pumps. This so called “rod wax” created trouble as they caused the machines to malfunction in the oil rigs. But the workers used it to put on their cuts and burns, and claimed it helped them heal faster.
Out of curiosity, Chesebrough took a bucket of the stuff and eventually refined it to the odorless, colorless gel we all know it today- VASELINE.
The name “VAELINE” is said to be derived from German word ‘WASSER‘ known as water and Greek word ‘ELAION‘ known as olive oil.
Unable to convince the pharmacist of it curative powers, Chesebrough held roadside demonstrations in which he cut and burned himself and smeared Vaseline on his wounds. The same pharmacist who earlier dis not believe him, after seeing it started trusting his product.
In 1875, he founded the Chesebrough Manufacturing Company that in 1955 became Chesebrough-Ponds, a leading manufacturer of personal care products.
Interestingly enough, Vaseline was marketed as a medicine although it has no curative powers. However, the only advantage to its use is that it keeps bacteria and dirt out of wounds.
Shortly before his death at an age of 96, Chesebrough revealed that he had been swallowing a spoonful of vaseline every day for years.
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