Robert Chesebrough

Born in London to American parents, he was raised in New York City. He credited his long life to Vaseline.

Chesebrough began his career as a chemist clarifying kerosene from the oil of sperm whales. The discovery of petroleum in Titusville, Pennsylvania, rendered his job obsolete, so he traveled to Titusville to research what new materials might be created from the new fuel. This led to his discovery of petroleum jelly, which he trade-named as Vaseline.

In 1875, he founded the Chesebrough Manufacturing Company that in 1955 became Chesebrough-Ponds, a leading manufacturer of personal-care products. Chesebrough patented the process of making petroleum jelly (U.S. Patent 127,568) in 1872. By 1874, stores were selling over 1400 jars of Vaseline a day.[1]

Chesebrough's success stemmed from a firm belief in his product. Before he began selling petroleum jelly, he tested it on his own cuts and burns. Chesebrough was still unable to sell any to drug stores until he traveled around New York demonstrating his miracle product. In front of an audience, he would burn his skin with acid or an open flame, then spread the clear jelly on his injuries while demonstrating past injuries, healed, he claimed, by his miracle product.[2] In reality, it doesn't heal cuts and burns, the jelly forms a layer, causing dirt to not get in (one of the leading causes of death and disease in his day were due to open wounds being infected) and trapping the moisture in. To further create demand, he gave out free samples, one of the first instances of it ever being done.

Chesebrough opened his first factory in 1870. The first known reference to the name Vaseline is in his U.S. patent: “I, Robert Chesebrough, have invented a new and useful product from petroleum which I have named 'Vaseline…'" . The word is believed to come from German Wasser (water) + Ancient Greek: έλαιον (oil).[3]

Allegedly, Queen Victoria was a huge fan of the product and used it daily. In 1883, Chesebrough was knighted by Queen Victoria for his scientific accomplishment. To this day, it prevents more than 98% of transepidermal water loss as an emollient and remains a treatment of choice following cutaneous surgery. [4]

Chesebrough lived to be 96 years old and was such a believer in Vaseline that he claimed to have eaten a spoonful of it every day.[5] He died at his house in Spring Lake, New Jersey.[6] He also, reportedly, during a serious bout of pleurisy in his mid-50s, had his nurse rub him from head to foot with Vaseline. He soon recovered.[7] He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York City.

• Whitehall Building, a building developed by Chesebrough in New York City

• Robert Chesebrough at Find a Grave