Whenever you had minor skin scrapes and burns, or just had to moisturise your face, hands, or other parts of the body, chances are that you probably used petroleum jelly. Yes, the folks around you or the elders at home probably referred to it with its brand name, but if you look at what it is made of, you will realise that it is petroleum jelly.
For one-and-a-half centuries now, petroleum jelly has played a pivotal part in skincare, be it to help with skin moisturising or healing. Also called petrolatum, petroleum jelly is a mixture of mineral oils and waxes that forms a semisolid jelly-like substance. Ever since American chemist Robert Augustus Chesebrough discovered it in the 19th Century, the product hasn’t changed much.
