A household name since the 1800s.
"1910::Advertisement for Vaseline Petroleum Jelly"
Clip: Canadian Magazine (1910)
In the 1850s, America's first oil workers discovered that the waxy residue extracted from their oil pumps could be used as a topical cure for cuts, abrasions and chapped skin. This substance became known as petroleum jelly and was brought to market in the 1870s. The concept of petroleum jelly mixed with camphor is a substance better known today under the brand name Vicks. White Vaseline, no longer used as a cure for coughs, colds and sore throats, is still used today for healing cuts and abrasions.