OPERATING A COSMETIC CLINIC* By RUTH BOYLE Good Houaekeep.ing Beauty Clinic, New York, N.Y. NOT LONG ago a manufac- turer asked me if I knew of anyor•e who would make some use tests of his face powder on a large number of women. I talked to a consulting chemist about it, and this was his response, "It isn't necessary to test it on women. That is messy and ex- pensive, and you come out with a lot of conflicting statements and no definite information. The thing to do is work with it in the laboratory, try it on different textures under different conditions, and you get results that mean something." Now I have the greatest respect for laboratory procedures, but I con- sider this point of view completely unrealistic I believe that every cosmetic should have the benefit of all the laboratory tests you can give it but this, to my mind, is only laying the groundwork. You still must find out how that cosmetic works on living human tissue, and how it meets the tastes, habits, and prejudices of the average woman. The simplest way to get this final answer, is to try it out in a mini- ature world--a cosmetic clinic. * Presented at the December 6, 1946, Meeting, New York City. 711 Some of you have visited the Good Housekeeping Beauty Clinic • and you know that the set-up is very simple. It consists of a make-up table where six women at a time may apply creams and make-up, a manicure table, a basin for sham- pooing, a chair used for both sham- poos and facials, a small kitchen, and space where groups may be' assembled. Our own employees form an ex- cellent testing group because they vary in age from 16 to well past 60, and include many types. We keep a card file that tells what type of skin and hair they have, their color- ing, and so on, so we can always find ten women with dry skin or three with bleached hair. They enjoy working with us, partly be- cause it is a change from their usual routine, partly because they like to get a free lipstick or Shampoo, and partly beoause, being women, they are naturally interested in cos- metics. We keep the atmosphere friendly and informal and help them with their personal problems as much as we can without encroach- ing on the time necessary for our main job of testing.

74 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS Two trained beauty operators conduct our experime. nts. I am often asked how we find these girls who must be somewhat above the rank and file in intelligence. The best way, I've found, is to advertise for an experiended beauty operator, trained in all.branches, to do cos- metic research. I mention the hours--9 to 5 through a five-day week. During the war applicants were scarce, but I kept the ad run- ning until I got the girl I wanted. I sort out applicants by personal interview and by work tests. I pre- fer girls who have moved around a bit, preferably with some experience in other states. They have fewer prejudices to root out they are . not wedded to one line or one way of doing things. I look for the skeptical, observant, experimental type. I avoid the born saleswoman. She won't be objective enough for us. Taking skill and conscientious performance for granted, this qual- ity of objectivity is the most im- portant one to look for. The work of beauty operators, of course, is supervised. Some one who has a clear idea of the problem and the questions to be answered must plan the tests and judge the results. I know of one manufacturer who engaged a hairdresser t[ test his shampoos, but neglected to set up a definite procedure to be followed. The hairdresser, naturally enough, at first did just what he would do for a beauty shop customer--used wave set, brilliantine, and hair lacquer and in other ways so confused the results that they were c.ompletely. worthless. In our work we have three funda- mental questions to answer. Is this cosmetic good for the purpose for which it is designed? Are the direc- tions for its use accurate and clear ? Are the claims made for it true ? . In planning tests we follow the line of common sense, keeping con- stantly in mind how the average woman will use it and what she will expect from it. People sometimes ask me, "How do you measure the shine 6f a girl's hair?" We measure it as a consumer would--by eye- sight. If the difference in the gloss given by two products is so slight it can't be seen by the naked eye, it won't matter to a consumer and it doesn't matter to us. Here's another example of this common-sense approach. Recently we were asked to study two formu- las for improving a soap shampoo-- both supposedly designed to work well in hard water. In the labora- tory both shampoos gave heavy pre- cipitation, but a practical use test showed a decisive difference. We washed half the hair of our subject with one formula, and half with the other. Then we checked the re- sult, as a woman would, by noting the gloss on each side and by brush- ing. We brushed each side with a clean, black-bristled brush sixty times. One brush was coated with a heavy white film. The other still looked black and clean, showing that the formula used on that side rinsed out well in hard water and left no objectionable' scum. That