Lip Balm Through History
Lip balm is a product that is so ubiquitous in modern society that it can be easy to think that it has been around forever. Chances are, you’ve used lip balm at some point this week. It is everywhere we look, from television to our day to day life. Think back to the first time you used lip balm. It was probably so long ago that you don’t even remember, right? Most of us have been using lip balm since we were small children. In this blog, we will look back at a brief history of lip balm.
Ancient lip balms
Before modern lip balm was invented, people still suffered from chapped lips. So it makes sense that they must have had some method to deal with this affliction. Here are a few of the different products that humankind used to protect their lips from the sun and the wind before lip balm was invented:
- Animal fats
- Beeswax
- Nut butters
- Natural oils
As you can see, many of these ingredients are ones that can be found in certain brands of lip balms even today.
Modern lip balm is invented
In the 1870s, the seeds for modern lip balm were sown when Robert Chesebrough registered the patent for Vaseline in the United states. Later that century, the world’s first lip balm was invented by a physician in Lynchburg. This same physician would later sell his recipe to the man who would go on to found the most famous lip balm company of the twentieth century.
As you can see, lip balm has an interesting history. Order yours today!
. The History of Lip Balm Americans spend over two hundred million dollars a year on lip balm. Lip balm is a wax-like substance applied to the lips of the mouth to moisturize and relieve dry, chapped lips. Three scientists with an interest in experimenting and a motive for healing the world’s lip complications started out small, but turned into something big and developed their product in million dollar companies. These products have evolved over the years, gaining popularity and meeting the needs of their consumers. Each inventor developed their own derivative of the original lip balm to address their own needs and demands from people near them. Lip balm, dating back to ancient times, has incurred many changes in its development and is …show more content…
Robert Chesebrough would travel to various states and demonstrate on the city sidewalks to an audience how his product worked. Burning his own skin with acid or an open flame, Chesebrough would then spread the Vaseline on his injuries demonstrating how his product would heal injuries. In addition, he would reveal his past injuries, which he claimed were healed by his "miracle product." In order to futher promote his product, Chesebrough was said to have eaten a spoonful of Vaseline every day. To further create demand, he gave out free samples of his product. Chesebrough’s invention initially aided in the healing of cuts and burns and was used during World War I by United States soldiers. Chesebrough opened his first manufacturing factory in 1870. By the late 1880’s, Vaseline was being sold nationwide at the rate of one jar per minute. Almost every household in America owned a jar of …show more content…
Dr. Charles Brown Fleet, Alfred Woelbing, and Robert A. Cheesebrough invented a product that billions of people still use today. Many of the changes to style, shape, design, and ingredients are in response to consumer needs. To this day, Chapstick is still being poured into molds. This just happens in a production plant now where eighty-five thousand units of Chapstick are produced during a regular shift. One aspect that has not changed at Carmex is advertising. The company’s only means of advertising is still the vanity tag on the family car. Still today, Vaseline is working to help heal the skin of people living on the frontlines of crisis & disaster around the world, similar to the aid the company provided to soldiers in World War I. While some things may have changed, the main objective of lip balm and similar products is to moisturize, chapped, dry, irritated lips and/or