4 days ago
Do YOU know where Vaseline comes from? People left shocked after discovering how the popular balm is made
The origins of popular healing balm Vaseline have left people shocked - and some now have more questions than answers.
On an episode of QI, aired by the BBC, Sandi Toksvig asked her guests whether any of them knew the origins of Vaseline - which is commonly used to soothe dry skin.
It is quickly pointed out that this is 'Petroleum Jelly', before Sandi launches into a lengthy retelling of its origin story.
'There was an English-born American chemist called Robert Augustus Chesebrough and originally he had a sperm whale oil company,' she says.
'And weirdly, it went out of business and became less popular. So there was a great oil rush in the United States, particularly in Pennsylvania in 1859.
'So, he thought: "What am I going to do?"'
The chemist noticed that the oil workers in Pennsylvania 'used the gunk that accumulated around the drill rods to heal cuts and burns, Sandi explains.
'And he spent 10 years perfecting a process to distill it into Petroleum Jelly.
'He named it Vaseline as a trademark in 1872.'
But, Sandi explains, nobody was interested, so he would travel on a horse and cars selling what he dubbed 'Wonder Jelly'.
'In order to demonstrate how brilliant it was, he burnt patches of his own skin - and before long, he was selling a jar a minute.'
After hearing this story, some viewers were confused about exactly what this 'gunk' is.
After hearing the story, some viewers were confused about exactly what this 'gunk' is
One person said: 'So it comes from gunk on a drill rod but where does that gunk come from?'
Others found the explanation simply fascinating.
