Petroleum jelly or petrolatum was discovered as a paraffin-like material coating oil rigs. Since then, it has been used in various ointments and as a lubricant. Here is a look at what petroleum jelly is and its chemical composition.

Answer: Petroleum jelly is made by the waxy petroleum material that formed on oil rigs and distilling it. The lighter and thinner oil-based products make up petroleum jelly, also known as white petrolatum or simply as petrolatum.

Robert Chesebrough is the chemist who devised and patented this process (U.S. Patent 127,568) in 1872. Basically, the crude material undergoes vacuum distillation. The still residue is then filtered through bone char to yield petroleum jelly. sales3 at paraffinco dot com.