‘Welcome to Baseline’: Vaseline embraces viral pronunciation joke
A pronunciation twist involving Vaseline has become an unlikely social media trend after Korean skincare creator Min Day Lee referred to the brand as “Baseline” while showcasing her collection of products.
Lee’s video quickly drew attention online, with users repeating the altered pronunciation and turning it into memes, remixes and other forms of user-generated content. The trend later evolved from “Baseline” into “Bassline” and spread across social media platforms.
Lee subsequently explained that the pronunciation was linked to the difficulty of producing the English “V” sound in Korean, where it can sound closer to “B”.
The trend eventually reached Indian social media, moving beyond skincare-focused conversations. Vaseline chose to join the joke rather than correct it, incorporating the viral pronunciation into its own social media posts.
On Instagram, Vaseline India wrote, “We gave you Vaseline. You gave us Basseline. No notes,” while inviting users to create their own versions of the trend. Participants have been asked to tag @vaselineindia and use #VaselineHijacked, with the most notable entries set to be recognised as official “Vaseline-Verified Hijack Icons”.
Vaseline has also recognised Lee and other creators associated with the trend with the “Vaseline-Verified Hijack Icons” title, extending the original pronunciation joke into a broader creator and community-led campaign.
The brand’s UK account also played along with the trend. In an Instagram statement, Vaseline wrote, “Following extensive review (by which we mean approximately one video, but over 1 million times, facts), Vaseline would like to announce our rebrand. Welcome to Baseline, effective immediately.”
The statement added, “Same tub. Same jelly. Same uses you’ve been making up since 1870. Just, as it turns out, a slightly different first letter depending on where in the world you’re saying it.”
“Vaseline has been pronounced, adapted, and made local in every corner of the world for 150 years. Every accent, every version, every ‘wrong’ way of saying it is just proof of how far the jar has traveled. This week, we’re celebrating one of those versions properly.”
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First Published on August 29, 2026, 13:06:01 IST
