In early 1920s chemists were searching for an alternative to petroleum lubricants to improve the performance of automotive crankcases in cold weather. The introduction of jet engines called for lubricants that did not degrade at high temperatures. The development of synthetic lubricants became a focus for many enterprises. In early 1960s, the first synthetic hydrocarbon oils for use in automotive crankcases were developed.
The use of these lubricants was extended to other machines in various industries, which had severe operating conditions in terms of temperature variation between start-up and running conditions, longer lubrication interval. Inspite of the intial high costs for them they were prefered because of the tremendous power saving and the reduction in the wear and tear of machine parts.