Vaseline’s origins go back to 1859 when Robert Chesebrough, a 22-year-old chemist, traveled to Pennsylvania, and discovered oil workers using a natural, waxy byproduct of drilling—"rod wax"—to heal wounds. Inspired, he refined it into a pure, odorless petroleum jelly and patented it in 1872 under the name Vaseline, allegedly derived from the German “Wasser” (water) and Greek “elaion” (oil). Chesebrough established a factory in Brooklyn and toured the U.S. in a horse-drawn carriage to promote his "miracle" product. Already by 1874, Vaseline was selling at a rate of one tin per minute throughout the United States. That's over 1,400 tins a day! 

Chesebrough quickly expanded Vaseline beyond the US, beginning with Britain in 1875, followed by France, Canada, and Australia by 1877. The company established international depots in London, Paris, Montreal, and later expanded into Latin America and Asia. In 1881, Chesebrough became majority owned by the Standard Oil Trust established by John D. Rockefeller until the trust was broken up in 1911. 

Vaseline was trademarked in Britain in 1887 and the U.S. in 1878, but trademark applications in Germany, France, Spain, Japan, and China were apparently initially rejected as authorities deemed the name too generic.

Maybe because of that it took Chesebrough another 20 years before Vaseline finally entered China in 1913 under the transliterated name “Qiěshìbǎo” Company (且士宝公司).

The brand was first distributed by Andrews, von Fischerz & George, Ltd. (美豐洋行), a smaller foreign trading firm in Shanghai. 

A large-scale print advertising campaign ran in China from 1913 to 1915, targeting both English and Chinese audiences.

English-language ads began in 1914, emphasizing Vaseline’s medicinal properties, while Chinese ads focused on its all-purpose utility.

A 1913 Chinese ad proclaimed: “This all-purpose ointment is the simplest and most effective remedy for all kinds of injuries and skin diseases. It can also cure aches and pains in various parts of the body. If you have a cold, cough, sore throat, etc., take a small amount orally and you will see miraculous effects immediately.” 

As the brand experienced immense success in Asia, advertisements began warning against counterfeit products, which soon emerged, culminating in the first legal case of imitated Vaseline products from Japan being sold in China in 1915. 

Marketing in China continued until 1918 when it came to an abrupt halt. Separation from Standard Oil, meant that Chesebrough lost its guaranteed supply of the raw materials and the Great War took its toll. This even led to the manufacture of Vaseline petroleum jelly being temporarily discontinued in 1920 around the world. 

Only by 1923 did Vaseline start to advertise in China again. This time with a much more sophisticated approach: It now no longer used Chesebrough’s Chinese translation but instead created the catchy transliteration Fánshìlín (凡士林) for Vaseline, which is still in use today. 

Furthermore, distribution was now handled by Mustard & Co (老晋隆洋行) in Shanghai, a major importer of foreign goods, including Remington typewriters, Westinghouse electric appliances and most famously British-American Tobacco cigarettes. And lastly, for the first time the company also incorporated its own subsidiary in Shanghai, led by Mr. A.K. Jensen.

Vaseline was once again one of China’s largest advertisers, running over 1,000 Chinese-language ads in different newspapers and magazines within a year.

The packaging featured both English and Chinese labels, incorporating traditional Chinese seals to enhance authenticity and trust.

Inspired by the success of Pond’s Vanishing Cream and its Carl Crow Inc. campaigns, Vaseline rebranded in 1925, mimicking the “girl in the mirror” imagery and focusing on its cosmetic appeal.

Ads depicted modern Chinese women using Vaseline for skincare and hair care, aligning with the contemporary ideals of beauty and sophistication.

The brand also took another page out of Carl Crow’s playbook for Pond’s and started to print coupons on its ads, which could be cut out and mailed to Chesebrough’s Shanghai office in exchange for free samples.

This shift in marketing helped Vaseline dominate the hair pomade market throughout the late 1920s.

However, by 1930, Vaseline’s branding pivoted back to medical applications. Advertising frequency declined, and beauty-oriented campaigns once again gave way to a focus on wound healing and skincare treatments.

In 1932 though, Vaseline launched new hair product lines in China, including hair dressings and tonics, reviving interest in hair care. After over 15 years of cooperation with Mustard & Co in 1938, Vaseline changed distribution in China to the British trading firm Jardine & Matheson.

In the same year the brand also expanded into men’s grooming with its first Chinese advertisements targeting male consumers.

By the 1940s Vaseline had published close to 6,000 print ads throughout Mainland China, solidifying its status as a major player in the market.

When the Japanese invaded the Shanghai International Settlement in 1941 the brand however ceased all operations in China. 

After the war, copycats proliferated, and only occasional Vaseline advertisements appeared again in China, with the last mainland ads still running in November 1949 - over a month after the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China. 

Globally, the old competitors Chesebrough and Pond's merged in 1955 and, in 1987, Chesebrough-Ponds was acquired by the British consumer goods company Unilever. 

After almost half a century of absence from Mainland China, Vaseline re-entered only in around the 1990s as part of the Unilever portfolio.

Recently, the brand capitalized on the country’s booming skincare industry by launching premium lines such as Vaseline Pro Derma and Instant Radiance, incorporating ingredients like niacinamide and hyaluronic acid to appeal to modern Chinese consumers.

A strategy that proved highly rewarding for the brand: Today, China is Vaseline’s second-largest market, contributing significantly to the brand’s milestone achievement of over 1 billion USD in annual revenue by 2023.