{{Short description|Brand of petroleum jelly-based products}} {{Use American English|date=February 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}} {{Other uses}} {{pp-move-indef}} {{Infobox brand | name = Vaseline | logo = Vaseline new logo.png | logo_upright = | logo_alt = | logo_caption = | image = | image_upright = | alt = | caption = | producttype = Petroleum jelly, body lotion | currentowner = Unilever | producedby = | country = United States | introduced = {{Start date and age|1872}} | related = | markets = Worldwide | previousowners = | trademarkregistrations = | ambassadors = | website = {{Official URL}} }}'''Vaseline''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|v|æ|s|ə|l|iː|n|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Vaseline.wav}})<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Vaseline |title=Definition of Vaseline |publisher=The Free Dictionary |access-date=7 November 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Vaseline |title=Define Vaseline |publisher=Dictionary.com |access-date=7 November 2013}}</ref><ref group="note">Also pronounced with the main stress on the last syllable {{IPAc-en|ˌ|v|æ|s|ə|ˈ|l|iː|n}}.</ref> is an American brand of petroleum jelly-based products owned by British multinational company Unilever.<ref name=Speser2012>{{Cite book |last=Speser |first=Phyllis L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tmu9dKf1uFwC&pg=PT210 |title=The Art and Science of Technology Transfer |date=2012 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-118-42893-1 |page=210 |language=en}}</ref> Products include plain petroleum jelly and a selection of skin creams, soaps, lotions, cleansers, and deodorants.
In many languages, the word "vaseline" is used as a genericized word for petroleum jelly.
== History == thumb|left|An image from Vaseline company archives
In 1859, Robert Chesebrough, a chemist who formerly clarified lamp oil from sperm oil, a waxy oil from the heads of sperm whales, was losing business as whale oil was replaced by petroleum-derived coal oil. He traveled to the oil fields in Titusville, Pennsylvania, to research what new materials might be created from this new fuel. There he learned of a residue called rod wax that had to be periodically removed from oil rig pumps. The oil workers had been using the substance to heal cuts and burns. Chesebrough took samples of the rod wax back to Brooklyn, extracted the usable petroleum jelly, and began manufacturing a medicinal product he called Vaseline.<ref>The History of Vaseline Petroleum Jelly began in the Pennsylvania Oil Fields!, Drake Well Museum pamphlet, copyright 1996 by Holigan Group Ltd, Dallas, Texas</ref>
The first known reference to the name Vaseline was by the Chesebrough Manufacturing Company in the U.S. patent (U.S. Patent 127,568) in 1872. "I, Robert Chesebrough, have invented a new and useful product from petroleum which I have named Vaseline..."
The name "vaseline" is said by the manufacturer to be derived from German ''Wasser'' "water" + Greek έλαιον (''elaion'') "oil".<ref>Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913)</ref>
Vaseline was made by the Chesebrough Manufacturing Company until the company, which merged with Pond's in 1955, was purchased by Unilever in 1987.<ref name=Speser2012/>
== Uses == {{further|Petroleum jelly#Uses}} thumb|Vaseline in its container
Vaseline can be used as a lubricant for metallic and plastic surfaces. It can also be used as a moisture insulator for local skin conditions characterized by dry skin, such as atopic dermatitis and eczema.<ref name="drugs">{{cite web |title=Petrolatum topical |url=https://www.drugs.com/mtm/petrolatum-topical.html |publisher=Drugs.com |access-date=4 November 2022 |date=23 February 2021}}</ref> Vaseline should not be used as a sexual lubricant, as it may increase the risk for bacterial vaginosis,<ref name="Brown2016">{{cite journal |last1=Brown |first1=Joelle M. |last2=Poirot |first2=Eugenie |last3=Hess |first3=Kristen L. |last4=Brown |first4=Stephen |last5=Vertucci |first5=Michele |last6=Hezareh |first6=Marjan |title=Motivations for Intravaginal Product Use among a Cohort of Women in Los Angeles |journal=PLOS ONE |date=11 March 2016 |volume=11 |issue=3 |article-number=e0151378 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0151378|pmid=26967165 |pmc=4788422 |bibcode=2016PLoSO..1151378B |doi-access=free }}</ref> damage latex condoms,<ref name="WorkowskiBachmannChan2021">{{cite journal | last1 = Workowski | first1 = Kimberly A. | last2 = Bachmann | first2 = Laura H. | last3 = Chan | first3 = Philip A. | last4 = Johnston | first4 = Christine M. | last5 = Muzny | first5 = Christina A. | last6 = Park | first6 = Ina | last7 = Reno | first7 = Hilary | last8 = Zenilman | first8 = Jonathan M. | last9 = Bolan | first9 = Gail A. | title = Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021 | journal = MMWR. Recommendations and Reports | date = 23 July 2021 | volume = 70 | issue = 4 | pages = 1–187 | issn = 1057-5987 | eissn = 1545-8601 | doi = 10.15585/mmwr.rr7004a1 | pmid = 34292926 | pmc = 8344968 | url = }}</ref><ref name="Voeller1989">{{cite journal |last1=Voeller |first1=Bruce |last2=Coulson |first2=Anne H. |last3=Bernstein |first3=Gerald S. |last4=Nakamura |first4=Robert M. |title=Mineral oil lubricants cause rapid deterioration of latex condoms |journal=Contraception |date=January 1989 |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=95–102 |doi=10.1016/0010-7824(89)90018-8|pmid=2535978 }}</ref><ref name="deGraaf1993">{{cite journal |last1=de Graaf |first1=Ron |last2=Vanwesenbeeck |first2=Ine |last3=van Zessen |first3=Gertjan |last4=Straver |first4=Cees J. |last5=Visser |first5=Jan H. |title=The effectiveness of condom use in heterosexual prostitution in The Netherlands |journal=AIDS |date=February 1993 |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=265–270 |doi=10.1097/00002030-199302000-00016|pmid=8466690 |s2cid=25489307 }}</ref> and is not recommended for internal use.<ref name="eich">{{cite journal|display-authors=3 | last1=Eichenfield | first1=Lawrence F. | last2=Tom | first2=Wynnis L. | last3=Berger | first3=Timothy G. | last4=Krol | first4=Alfons | last5=Paller | first5=Amy S. | last6=Schwarzenberger | first6=Kathryn | last7=Bergman | first7=James N. | last8=Chamlin | first8=Sarah L. | last9=Cohen | first9=David E. | last10=Cooper | first10=Kevin D. | last11=Cordoro | first11=Kelly M. | last12=Davis | first12=Dawn M. | last13=Feldman | first13=Steven R. | last14=Hanifin | first14=Jon M. | last15=Margolis | first15=David J. | last16=Silverman | first16=Robert A. | last17=Simpson | first17=Eric L. | last18=Williams | first18=Hywel C. | last19=Elmets | first19=Craig A. | last20=Block | first20=Julie | last21=Harrod | first21=Christopher G. | last22=Begolka | first22=Wendy Smith | last23=Sidbury | first23=Robert | title=Guidelines of care for the management of atopic dermatitis | journal=Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology| volume=71 | issue=1 | year=2014 | issn=0190-9622 | doi=10.1016/j.jaad.2014.03.023 | pages=116–132| pmid=24813302 | pmc=4326095 | url= https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(14)01257-2/fulltext}}</ref>
== Topical application == As a petrolatum product, Vaseline is used as a topical moisturizer which assists with skin water retention by acting as an occlusive agent that prevents evaporation of water from the stratum corneum (outermost skin layer) and seals out external water.<ref name="eich"/><ref name="drugs"/> Vaseline is intended for external use only, and is not recommended for deep skin cuts or punctures, animal bites, or serious burns.<ref name=drugs/> Topical petrolatum products like Vaseline are used to manage and relieve atopic dermatitis and eczema in adults.<ref name=eich/><ref name="vanzur">{{cite journal| last1=van Zuuren | first1=Esther J | last2=Fedorowicz | first2=Zbys | last3=Lavrijsen | first3=Adriana | last4=Christensen | first4=Robin | last5=Arents | first5=Bernd | editor-first1=Esther J | editor-last1=Van Zuuren | title=Emollients and moisturisers for eczema|journal=Cochrane Database Syst Rev| date=2016-03-11 | volume=2 | issue=2 | article-number=CD012119 | doi=10.1002/14651858.cd012119 | pmc=6464068| pmid=28166390}}</ref>
Vaseline contains mineral oils.<ref name=drugs/> Unrefined mineral oils often contain adulterants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which can increase risk for certain forms of cancer when consumed orally.<ref name="MineralOilsBooks">{{cite journal |first1=on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans |last1=IARC Working Group |title=MINERAL OILS, UNTREATED OR MILDLY TREATED |journal=Chemical Agents and Related Occupations |date=2012 |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK304428/ |access-date=4 November 2022 |publisher=International Agency for Research on Cancer |language=en}}</ref> When used topically (as is recommended with Vaseline), dermal absorption of PAHs is insignificant.<ref name="ChuberreAraviiskaiaBieber2019">{{cite journal | last1 = Chuberre | first1 = B. | last2 = Araviiskaia | first2 = E. | last3 = Bieber | first3 = T. | last4 = Barbaud | first4 = A. | title = Mineral oils and waxes in cosmetics: an overview mainly based on the current European regulations and the safety profile of these compounds | journal = Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology | date = 7 October 2019 | volume = 33 | issue = S7 | pages = 5–14 | issn = 0926-9959 | eissn = 1468-3083 | doi = 10.1111/jdv.15946 | pmid = 31588613 | s2cid = 203850745 | url = | doi-access = free }}</ref> No link between topical petroleum jelly-based moisturizers and cancer has been found in large studies over many years.<ref name="PirowBlumeHellwig2019">{{cite journal | last1 = Pirow | first1 = Ralph | last2 = Blume | first2 = Annegret | last3 = Hellwig | first3 = Nicole | last4 = Herzler | first4 = Matthias | last5 = Huhse | first5 = Bettina | last6 = Hutzler | first6 = Christoph | last7 = Pfaff | first7 = Karla | last8 = Thierse | first8 = Hermann-Josef | last9 = Tralau | first9 = Tewes | last10 = Vieth | first10 = Bärbel | last11 = Luch | first11 = Andreas | title = Mineral oil in food, cosmetic products, and in products regulated by other legislations | journal = Critical Reviews in Toxicology | date = 21 October 2019 | volume = 49 | issue = 9 | pages = 742–789 | issn = 1040-8444 | eissn = 1547-6898 | doi = 10.1080/10408444.2019.1694862 | pmid = 31939687 | s2cid = 210812934 | url = | doi-access = free }}</ref>
==References==
===Notes=== {{reflist|group=note}}
===Citations=== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Wikisource|1=United_States_patent_127568|2=United States Patent 127568: Improvement in Products from Petroleum}} {{commons category|Vaseline}} * {{Official website|http://www.vaseline.com/}}
{{Unilever}} {{cosmetics}} {{Authority control}}
Category:1872 introductions Category:Personal care brands Category:Unilever brands