Vaseline was a waste product from oil rigs — workers used it to heal cuts

In 1859, Robert Chesebrough, a chemist in Brooklyn, was in trouble. His business — refining lamp oil from sperm whale heads — was being destroyed by the rise of petroleum-based kerosene. He traveled to the oil fields of Titusville, Pennsylvania to find new opportunities.

There, he noticed workers applying a waxy residue that periodically clogged their pumps — which they called 'rod wax' — to cuts and burns on their hands. The substance seemed to have healing properties. Chesebrough took samples back to Brooklyn and spent years refining the extraction process.

He patented the product in 1872 as U.S. Patent 127,568, naming it Vaseline — from the German 'Wasser' (water) and Greek 'elaion' (oil). He began selling it as a medicinal ointment, traveling the country demonstrating its healing properties by burning his own skin with acid and then applying Vaseline.

Chesebrough Manufacturing Company grew into a global brand. The product became so ubiquitous that 'vaseline' became a genericized trademark in many languages. By 1955, Chesebrough merged with Pond's, and Unilever acquired the brand in 1987. A waste product from oil rigs became one of the world's most recognized skincare products, generating billions in revenue across over 60 countries.