Karin-(sp?) Oil, WW2 era sun/burn relief

[Ron Whitfield]

Anybody ever heard of this? No 'search' brings up a single thing, yet.

My Mom got bottles made up of it in the 60s from an old Medic, who said it was used by the Navy in WW2 (the big one...) for various burns.
It worked really well for bad sunburn, with the pain subsiding almost immediately.

The ingrediants were very simple/basic, and looked an ugly white-ish yellow.

This could make someone a millionaire!

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Karin-(sp?) Oil, WW2 era sun/burn relief

This could make someone a millionaire!

This sounds sort of like Noxzema, which was used a lot during WWII to prevent sunburn - it was originally a blend of clove and eucalyptus oils, lime water, menthol and camphor.

Sounds intriguing, though...

[cyleet99]

Re: Karin-(sp?) Oil, WW2 era sun/burn relief

This sounds sort of like Noxzema, which was used a lot during WWII to prevent sunburn - it was originally a blend of clove and eucalyptus oils, lime water, menthol and camphor.

Sounds intriguing, though...

Love the smell of all that stuff....

I wonder if the WWII guides at Pearl Harbor would remember what it was. Just a thought.

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: Karin-(sp?) Oil, WW2 era sun/burn relief

Noxema is more of a cream, where the Karin oil is just that, oily.

But I've always meant to ask a veteran sailor about it, and always forget.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Karin-(sp?) Oil, WW2 era sun/burn relief

Noxema is more of a cream, where the Karin oil is just that, oily.

Well, yeah - but creams are often an emulsion of oils and water. Same ingredients, just beaten into submission so they cohabitate better.

[cyleet99]

Re: Karin-(sp?) Oil, WW2 era sun/burn relief

This looks more like sunscreen than burn care, but here is one find:
http://wardogmilitaria.com/index.php...oducts_id=1065

Another idea is Unguentine; it has been around for a long time for burn care, but came as a spray and a cream, and is still available in drugstores.
http://graphic-design.tjs-labs.com/s...?id=1103141132

Found on the Naval History site: tannic acid ointment or boric acid ointment treatment (tannic acid is no longer used due to toxicity.)
http://www.history.navy.mil/library/...irstaid.htm#s6

I saw one reference to "oily sunburn cream" in an old account of a bomber going down in WWII, but no reference to the ingredients.

That's all for now.....

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: Karin-(sp?) Oil, WW2 era sun/burn relief

I'll bet you nearly had it with that bomber refference!

This stuff really was good!

[cyleet99]

Re: Karin-(sp?) Oil, WW2 era sun/burn relief

Haha! Ron, I must have read 10 accounts of ditching planes in the Pacific during WWII. I now understand what happened to Eddie Rickenbacker, read several descriptions of sharks surrounding life rafts and survivors eating fish and birds raw, the health consequences of spending weeks floating at sea, etc, etc...The Eddie Rickenbacker story of his 21 days at sea after a B-17 crash was very inspiring.

Fun research!