Ballistol – the brand for people, animals and all things mechanical

Insect protection

Ballistol has been around for around 120 years. Back then and still today, this mainly meant universal oil. The oil has very special properties and an incredible number of applications. It is slightly alkaline, emulsifiable with water and is suitable for technical applications as well as for skin care and as an animal care oil. More than 1,000 areas of application have been documented so far.

In the Ballistol Story, exemplary customer reports from the past decades are published as historical experiences, especially with the universal oil. The Ballistol brand now stands for around 100 products for care and protection as well as particularly effective insect repellents. Cleaning products are also among the brand's most popular products.

What is Ballistol?

Ballistol has three meanings

In 1904 the Ballistol universal oil was developed by Dr. Helmut Klever developed. Since then, the name has stood for this unique product. When additional products were added later, the power of the brand was used to mark other products with it. This is how the development of the umbrella brand began. Ballistol GmbH was founded in 2017 and manages sales and marketing.

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The Ballistol company

Ballistol logo old and current

The family business was founded in 1874 by Friedrich Wilhelm Klever to produce oils and fats. The development of universal oil as part of a tender by the Imperial Army brought the breakthrough after 1904 and shaped the entire company history to this day.

At that time, the army was looking for an oil that would care for and protect soldiers' small wounds as well as their equipment, from the leather saddle to the wooden stock to the rifle barrel. The oil is still known today as universal oil – or simply as Ballistol.

Since 1971, the chemist Dr. Heinrich Zettler in the company. He took over the company together with his wife Herta Zettler after the death of Jenny Klever in 1989. The factory was then moved from Leverkusen to its current location in Aham.

In 2006, management was handed over to the fourth generation: Andreas Zettler and Dr. Christan Zettler – Heinrich and Herta's sons – take over the management. You can find all information about this in the history of Ballistol.

The family business is in its fourth generation producing products for people, animals and technology.

The Ballistol range:

The universal oil

Here we answer some questions about universal oil.

What is Ballistol made of?

The exact composition has been kept secret since 1904. The base is medically pure white oil. The recipe also contains essential oils and some herbs. Ballistol contains no fragrances or dyes. The smell and color are natural properties of the composition. Other Ballistol products are also based on white oil. For example, this is the animal care oil Animal and the body care oil Neo Ballistol.

What are the special features?

What is unique about the universal oil is the versatility of its application areas, from skin care and animal care to the lubrication of machines and the cleaning of dirty and resinous parts.

Another special feature is the ability to emulsify with water. By using a Ballistol emulsion you can clean and care in one step.

What weaknesses does Ballistol have?

When a product is so versatile, a specialized product may have an advantage for some tasks when the highest requirements are met. As mentioned, the universal oil can emulsify in water. This also means it gets diluted in the rain. So, if an oil is to be used outdoors to protect against rust, we have a special premium rust protection oil for this.

You can find out more about the abilities and characteristics in the Ballistol Story.

Neo Ballistol

In order to tailor an oil uncompromisingly and perfectly for use in personal care, the care product, which is still popular today, was registered with the German Patent and Trademark Office in 1934 under the brand name Neo Ballistol. Until 2001, Neo Ballistol was only sold as a medicine in pharmacies. The home remedy has since been offered for medical body cosmetics and can be used on open wounds, for example. The composition has not changed since 1934. However, since it is no longer registered as a medicine, no statements can be made about medical and internal uses of Neo Ballistol.

Ballistol Animal

The animal care oil Animal has also been a popular and proven care product since the 1950s. Like the universal oil and Neo Ballistol, Animal animal care oil is based on white oil of medically pure quality. In dogs it cares for the ears and paws, works on wounds caused by road salt and sweet itch. In horses it is used for mud, saddle pressure and sweet itch. Animal oil is also perfect for general coat care, tail care and as hoof oil. In chickens it has a variety of effects when used against different parasites. At Ballistol Animal you can find out more about the areas of application of the animal care oil.

Other products

In addition to the classics based on white oil, Ballistol offers other highly effective products for cleaning and care and lubrication for many areas of application. These include products for car care and bicycle care as well as degreasers, bluing, impregnation agents and an extensive range of weapons care for hunters and shooters.

Where to buy Ballistol

In the Ballistol shop you can buy safely and always from fresh bottling from the factory in Aham. The warehouse sale in Meerbusch is open from Monday to Saturday and offers the full range – not just the universal oil.

Ballistol alternatives

Ballistol Universal Oil is suitable for over 1,000 purposes – so there is no alternative that can do everything that Ballistol can do. If you're looking for specialty products, these are some suggestions:

Or take a look at the „Technology“ category.

Experiences

Experiences with Ballistol were already published when computers were not even an option. You can find such historical reports in the Ballistol Story. You can always find current customer experiences directly next to the products in the Ballistol shop.