I Just Learned What Vaseline Really Means, And It's Clever

Did you know that Tesco had an own-brand Tesco Tea before they actually got their brand name?

Yup ― the store chain is named after the product, and not the other way around.

These are the sort of facts I like to bore fascinate my loved ones with (don’t get me started on the true meaning of Twix or IKEA; my partner prays we don’t walk past boxes of Quality Street and Ferrero Rocher in our weekly shop).

Good news for my beleaguered beau ― I’ve found another one! Turns out that Vaseline, the petroleum jelly, has a hidden meaning in its brand name.

What does ‘Vaseline’ stand for?

What would go on to become the company’s flagship product was originally called “rod wax,” because it was a by-product of oil drilling that rig workers used to protect their skin. 

In 1859, chemist Robert Chesebrough saw the product at work, went on to purify it, and had patented it by 1865. This was called Wonder Jelly at first. 

But per Vaseline’s site, by 1872, Chesebrough wanted to rename his product.

So, he called it “Vaseline Jelly – a combination of the German word for water (wasser) and the Greek word for oil (oleon).” 

It makes sense. After all, the slick gel-like product is made from waxes and oil, which in turn help to keep the water in our skin where it should be. 

Modern Vaseline also contains hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring acid which attracts and holds water. 

Apparently, Robert Cheseborough *really* liked Vaseline

Ever accidentally swallow some lip balm (or, for the flavoured kinds, deliberately lick your lips more than usual)?

Well, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica’s site, you’ve got nothing on ol’ Robert. 

The owner of the product’s patent lived to 96; Britannica says he “attributed his longevity to eating a spoonful of his ‘wonder jelly’ each day.” 

They add: “Though it is not toxic, both Unilever [who owns Vaseline] and Encyclopaedia Britannica recommend against eating Vaseline.”

However, fact-checking site Snopes could not confirm that the chemist also cured his pleurisy by asking a nurse to slather him with the balm.