• Remove ads on the forum by becoming a donating member. More here.

Search 74,075 Camino Questions

Vaseline in Spain?

RJE

Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Frances 8/21/24 to 9/20/24.
I’ve made it to Leon blister free, but I’m running short on Vaseline for my feet. Where can I buy some in Spain? Pharmacies don’t seem to have it, or know what I’m talking about. They keep trying to give me something that looks nothing like Vaseline. No luck in grocery stores either. Thanks for your help.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
That is because the use of Vaseline is unconscionable in Spain because Unilever is an unmentionable swear word in Spanish.
However, most pharmacias will provide a tin of Vaselina if you ask nicely. Don’t expect the packaging to look like it does at home. Petroleum jelly is petroleum jelly, the name on the can is just the name on the can
 
That is because the use of Vaseline is unconscionable in Spain because Unilever is an unmentionable swear word in Spanish.
However, most pharmacias will provide a tin of Vaselina if you ask nicely. Don’t expect the packaging to look like it does at home. Petroleum jelly is petroleum jelly, the name on the can is just the name on the can


Yup. Just back from supermercado Froiz here in Silleda and they have Vaselina.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
“Vaseline” is a brand name for petroleum jelly. I’ve found “vaselina” for sale in several Spanish-speaking countries. Although I did not find it for sale on a Spanish website, I did find a website in Spain that uses the brand name “vaselina.” But you’ll probably have better success using the generic term: jalea de petróleo
 
Join the Camino cleanup. Logroño to Burgos May 2025 & Astorga to OCebreiro in June
Holoholo automatically captures your footpaths, places, photos, and journals.
I’ve made it to Leon blister free, but I’m running short on Vaseline for my feet. Where can I buy some in Spain? Pharmacies don’t seem to have it, or know what I’m talking about. They keep trying to give me something that looks nothing like Vaseline. No luck in grocery stores either. Thanks for your help.

I've seen Vaseline in Spanish supermarkets and, occasionally, in Chinese discount stores.
 
I’ve made it to Leon blister free, but I’m running short on Vaseline for my feet. Where can I buy some in Spain? Pharmacies don’t seem to have it, or know what I’m talking about. They keep trying to give me something that looks nothing like Vaseline. No luck in grocery stores either. Thanks for your help.

I found FARMABRUM (vaseline pura) made by Laboratorios Brum S.A., Oviedo (Principado de Asturias) in a pharmacy without a problem.
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
I didn't know what it was called in Spanish, but a friend googled a product and showed the photo in a farmacía in Burgos. They had it in a small tube, not a container like in the Froiz link. I may still have it around somewhere, and will follow up with the name if I can find it!
 
I use Foot Glide/Body Glide for the same purpose you use Vaseline -- to reduce friction. REI sells it in a small container that looks like a travel size deodorant stick. In my view, more "waxy" and less messy than Vaseline. Almost every Farmacia in Spain sells Compeed products. In some I have seen a Compeed product similar to Foot Glide. Buen Camino
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
I’ve made it to Leon blister free, but I’m running short on Vaseline for my feet. Where can I buy some in Spain? Pharmacies don’t seem to have it, or know what I’m talking about. They keep trying to give me something that looks nothing like Vaseline. No luck in grocery stores either. Thanks for your help.
Snap. It was very hard to find but there is a substitute that all farmacias have. Vick. I know it is a vapour rub for your chest but I went into one farmacia and asked for vick and the pharmacist asked 'for your feet'? It works a treat. I have been told it repels bedbugs but I have no proof of that but it certainly keeps you blister free
 
Snap. It was very hard to find but there is a substitute that all farmacias have. Vick. I know it is a vapour rub for your chest but I went into one farmacia and asked for vick and the pharmacist asked 'for your feet'? It works a treat. I have been told it repels bedbugs but I have no proof of that but it certainly keeps you blister free
I don't know if it repels bedbugs, but if has a strong scent like Vick's Vapor Rub, it may repel other pilgrims sleeping near you.
 
Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
You can find "vaselina" in supermarkets or "droguerías. The one in the first picture is from Mercadona.
Pharmacies also have it, in a different format (see the other pic).
term: jalea de petróleo
I'm Spanish and if you asked me for jalea de petróleo I would not have a clue what you're talking about.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7478.jpeg
    IMG_7478.jpeg
    1.3 MB · Views: 5
  • IMG_6074.jpeg
    IMG_6074.jpeg
    1.9 MB · Views: 5
As others have said, it is widely found but what I have noticed each time I've run out and had to buy more is that it comes in a small tube and is about 3x more expensive than the brand name Vaseline which I buy at home in The Netherlands. Maybe because I've always bought it from a pharmacy and not a droguería or supermarkt.
 

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Most read last week in this forum

I was hoping to do a walk over ninety days so I researched a long stay visa. This walk would have gone through four countries but the majority of the time would have been in France. So I applied...
Hi all - I have often wondered about the whole cutting grams, going as light as .. (I do it too!!) .. thinking about the "real" world with soldiers on the march and what they carry .. Roman...
Hi everyone! Probably more of a niche post but i’m starting my camino next week from Porto and i decided that i’ll be wild/stealth camping along my route. Packing my 1 person tent and sleeping...
My wife and I are planning to buy a house in the north-west of Spain for our retirement. Today, while scrolling through the ads, I noticed this: https://www.idealista.com/inmueble/106560131/...
Moderator note: This post and several following ones have been moved from another thread on a slightly different topic. But as you say it does not work without a data connection, so why not use...
Apologies to those who detest frivolous questions - please move on; nothing to see here. When I walked my first camino from Chartres to SdC (autumn/winter, 1998), no matter where I stayed -...

Featured threads

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Featured threads

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Back
Top