We had a very simple question for Unilever. If petroleum jelly or petrolatum has basically been the same stuff since the 19th century, and Vaseline Lip Therapy is 100% petrolatum, why does the tube claim that it’s “advanced”? This is not a terribly pressing consumer question, but it bothered reader Will. So we contacted Vaseline’s slippery headquarters to find out.

This isn’t a question that the public relations department gets very often, so they had to turn to the research and development department. Their answer? While we joked in the original post that the main advancement seemed to be that they put the Vaseline in a tube, that joke wasn’t far off the real answer. The advancement was using a different grade that comes out of the little hole at the end of a tube neatly.

Unilever sent us this statement:

Vaseline Lip Therapy’s formulation was specifically designed to ensure the best consumer experience with the small/squeezable travel size container. Other petrolatum grades available have different chemistries, and may not be compatible with this type of packaging.

PREVIOUSLY:
Wait, How Is Vaseline ‘Advanced’?

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.