Category:Petrolatum

Pet`ro*la"tum, n. (chem. & pharm.)

Defn: a semisolid unctuous substance, neutral, and without taste or Odor, derived from petroleum by distilling off the lighter portions And purifying the residue. It is a yellowish, fatlike mass, Transparent in thin layers, and somewhat fluorescent. It is used as a Bland protective dressing, and as a substitute for fatty materials in Ointments. U. S. Pharm.

Note: petrolatum is the official name for the purified product. Cosmoline and vaseline are commercial names for substances Essentially the same, but differing slightly in appearance and Consistency or fusibility.