Who ate a spoonful of Vaseline a day?

The Man Who Ate Vaseline Every Day—And Lived to 96

It sounds like something out of a bizarre folk remedy: eating petroleum jelly daily. Yet that’s exactly what Robert Chesebrough, the inventor of Vaseline, reportedly did. Born in 1837, Chesebrough wasn’t just a promoter of his own product—he was its most devoted believer. According to anecdotes from his later years, he claimed to consume more than a teaspoon of Vaseline every day, swearing by its health benefits.

Chesebrough discovered Vaseline in the 1850s while visiting oil rigs in Pennsylvania. He noticed a waxy residue workers called "rod wax" that they used to heal cuts and burns. Intrigued, he refined the substance into a clear jelly and patented it as Vaseline in 1872. From then on, he championed it as a cure-all, applying it to everything from dry skin to minor wounds.

But his faith went beyond topical use. He believed so deeply in its purity and safety that he incorporated it into his daily routine—by eating it. While modern science doesn’t recommend ingesting petroleum jelly (even if it’s technically non-toxic in small amounts), Chesebrough lived to the impressive age of 96, passing away in 1933 at his home in Spring Lake, New Jersey.

Whether his longevity was due to Vaseline—or simply good genes and luck—remains unclear. What’s certain is that his unwavering belief in his invention left a lasting legacy. Vaseline went on to become a household staple around the world, a testament to one man’s peculiar yet persistent conviction.

So, did eating Vaseline help Chesebrough live longer? Probably not—but the story of the man who did adds a curious chapter to the history of American inventors.