COSMETIC ASPECTS OF ESTROGENIC HORMONES 417 •? i:i:therapy to the cosmetic application of •?these materials. The cosmetically •!•i:}!!11applied "dose" of a correctly for- :•!?mulated hormone cream is but a }i•?::"fraction of the "therapeutic" dose :!:?whereas the latter is administered to i{i !!i produce systemic action, affecting ?particularly the functioning of the !i?feminine gonadal apparatus, the :iiii:.'i.former almost surely is without :5:•any systemic action, its effect being }•}•'topical and restricted to the skin. •?::In this latter connection reference •:•' •:may be made to a statemelt, by ?-Schwartz (29) to the effect that ? Section of Dermatoses Inuestiga- •.?tions of the U.S. Public Health :•::" Service has no record of skin damage , }•: •resulting from the use of hormon •:}: creams." Cosmetic hormone preparations '•}:haue been on the market for over j::•.thirteen years during which time .'?:millions of jars have been used by •::•:: the consuming public. There is no ?.Published or other medical record as to any harmful results attributed to the use of properly compounded hormone cosmetics. REGULATORY ASPECTS There exists no federal state or municipal regulation or ordinance prohibiting the sale of hormone cos- metics. True, there have been sev- eral instances of some restraining ac- tion being considered however, upon investigation of the pertinent evidence, such action was either dropped directly or it resulted in some form of amended procedure. Thus the New York State Board of Health which, some time ago, had started to restrict the sale of hor- mone creams, dropped its action to this effect. The states of Virginia, Kentucky, and Massachusetts re- scinded their proposed restrictive regulations upon review of the facts involved. Perhaps the most pub- licized case is that of the State of Louisiana which terminated with the promulgation of the following regulation: "No cosmetic or beauty prepara- tion containing as one of its ingre- dients estrogenic hormone, or any of its derivatives, or any synthetic chemical product possessing prop- erties similar to those of estrogenic hormone, may be manufactured, processed, packed, sold, or distrib- uted in Louisiana unless its label bears adequate directions for use and a statement of the quantity, in units, of such products." As to the labeling of hormone cosmetics, it must be borne in mind that their mode of action is such as to make them fall in the category of drugs (in addition to that of cosmet- ics) within the definition of the term "drug" given by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. This classification calls (among other things required by this stat- ute) for a statement of the active ingredients upon the "labeling" of the hormone-bearing product. If the latter is to be sold in a state or a country having special labeling or selling requirements, due cognizance must be taken of them before plac- ing the product on the respective market.

418 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS CONCLUSION While there are some differences of opinion as to the exact modus operandi of the topical action of es- trogenic hormone cosmetics, it ap- pears to be well established that their positive effect is one of improv- ing the appearance of the aging skin, and that this effect is produced by a local rather than by a systemic ac- tion. Evaluation of pertinent data does not disclose any health risk at- taching to the regular use of prop- erly formulated cosmetic hormone preparations. Hormone preparations with a po- tency of 7500 to 10,000 I.U. per ounce produce satisfactory cosmetic results. The use of preparations with higher hormone potencies for cosmetic purposes appears to be neither necessary nor justified' at this time. REFEKENCES (1) Curth, W., Private communication (1944). (2) Traub, E. F., Hearing before the Louisiana State Board of Health, April 2, 1946. (3) Goldzieher, M. A., Geriatrics, 1, 226 (1946) 5'. Gerontotogy, 1, 196 (1946). (4) Jaff•, K., Schweiz. Med. kFochenschr., 67, 477 (1937). (5) Eller, J. J., and Eller, W. D., .,'lrch. Dermatol. Syphilot., 59, 449 (1949). (6) Goldzieher, J. W., y. Gerontology, 4, 104 (1949). (7) Fried, J. j., and Goldzieher, M. A., .,tin. y. Ophthahnol., 27, 1003 (1944). (8) Mortimer, H., Wright, R. P., and Collip, J. B., Can. M. ,,/. 5% 37, 445 (1937). (9) Ruskin, ,4rch. OtolaryngoL, 36, 632 (1942). (10) Shapiro, T., 7- Med. Soc. N.y., 46, 128 (1949). (11) Drant, G. H., Penn. Med..7., 52, No. 9 (1949). (12) Ziskin, D. E., y. Dent. Res., 16, 367 (1937) 21,341 (1942). (13) Van Minden, F., y. ,4m. Dent..,tssn., 33, 1294 (1946). (14) Kun, H., I4Gener Klin. I4•ochenschr., 50, 498 (1937). (15) Selye, H., /Irch. Derrnatol. Syphilol., 48, 188 (1943). (16) Reynolds, S. R. M., and Foster, F. I., •. Pharmacol. ExptL Ther., 68, 173 (1949).. . (17) Eidelsberg, J., .,'lrn. •. Med. Sciences, 214, 630 (1947). (18) Davis, J. W., y. South. Med. Surg., 109, 63 (1947). (19) Lacassagne, A., Cornpt. rend. acad. sci., 195,630' (1932). (20) Short, E., Third Internat. Cancer Congress (1939), p. 90. (21) Geist, S. H., and Salmon, U. J., ,4m. 7. Obst. & Gynecol., 41, 36 (1941). (22) i-Iawkinson, L. F., y. ,'/. M. ,,/., 111, 393 (1938). (23) Emge, L. A., Surg. Gynecot. Obxt., p. 472 (1939). {24) Dodds, Lancet, Nov. 27, P 837, 1948. (25) Mazer, C., and Israel, S. L., "Men- strual Disorders and Sterility," 2nd ed. (1946), p. 34. (26) Dunbar, G. B., New Engl. y. Med., Aug. 9, p. 198 (1945). (27) Salter, W. T., Humre, F. D., and Oesterling, M. J., 7. Clin. Endocrinol., 8, 295 (1948). (28) Jailer, J. W., [bid., 8, 564 (1948). (29) Schwartz, L., Hearing before the Louisiana State Board of Health, April 2, 1946.