What is petroleum jelly?
Vaseline is a white to yellowish ointment-like consistency. There is yellow petroleum jelly, which is less purified than white petrolatum. The pharmacy is especially the last used.
Properties
Vaseline is ointment-like mass which is liquid at a temperature of from about 40 to 60 degrees Celsius. It is a byproduct of oil production. It is composed of hydrocarbons, which are largely aliphatic. In non-purified form it may contain carcinogenic substances, in a purified form, it is stripped of these. It is resistant to the effects of virtually all chemicals.
Petroleum jelly uses
Vaseline is used in medicine, engineering and cosmetics.
It has the ability to not pull the skin, it remains on the skin and cover tightly.
In medicine it is therefore used to cover the skin with eczema, burns, extremely dry skin or in other cases where the skin's barrier function can not exercise enough.
In cosmetics, it is used in preparations for protection against cold or moisture, as well as in compositions against dry skin. The INCI name is petrolatum. According to some sources, the use of petroleum jelly on the skin leading to a skin condition: the so-called paraffin addiction.
In addition, petroleum jelly is used as a lubricant and to protect metal parts from corrosion.
If the plastic hinged parts, it can be used as a lubricant because (white) vaseline, in contrast to many other oils and fats, is acid-free, and therefore this does not adversely affect.
Name
The Benelux trademark register shows that Vaseline is a registered trademark of Unilever. However, it was an example of a brand name generic (known brand dilution). Because it will become a so-called strong brand without distinctive character, the name impunity can be used by other manufacturers. Vicks VapoRub, a product of Procter & Gamble, for example, mentions on the ingredients list that the main ingredient is petroleum jelly.
Today, Unilever also uses the brand name "Intensive Care", which -like vaseline- is a registered trademark. Vaseline Intensive Care, however, is as a brand, as opposed to the word Vaseline, protected.
According to some sources the name Vaseline is made up of the German word for water (laundry) and the Greek word for oil (Elaion).
History
Vaseline is discovered by chemist Robert Chesebrough. Chesebrough worked in the mid-19th century in the lamp oil industry. This lamp oil was made by processing fat from sperm whales. In 1859 this was no longer profitable because the first oil well in Titusville (Pennsylvania) went into production. Chesebrough went to Titusville and heard from the so-called "rod wax", a viscous black substance that stuck to the drilling rigs and oil drilling. This stuff was difficult because it made for blocking the devices, but the workers used it to lubricate their abrasions and burns, so they healed faster. Chesebrough extracted from this substance yellow white petrolatum. For this, the crude petroleum jelly was distilled in vacuo and decolourised with the aid of bone char. This process was patented in 1872 by Chesebrough.
To test its healing effect that he brought were covered in burns herself with this Vaseline. At the same time he showed the wounds heal burns he had made earlier. Initially Vaseline was touted as a healing ointment. Later it turned out that the Vaseline in itself is not medicinal, but that the curative effect is caused by the Vaseline open wounds protects against pathogens.