302 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS ß At higher concentrations of phenol the organisms did not grow even after such additions and may have been killed, but the fact remains that the official criterion is one of bacteriostasis. Although alcohol is still widely depended on for "sterilizing" thermometers, skin, etc., and although some reports appear to show killing of relevant bacteria in short times, the recent survey by Dr. Price (10) indicates that this should be studied further. He found that the range of 60-90 per cent ethanol had about the same best antiseptic effect, and still supports his earlier choice of 70 per cent ethanol. Certain organisms, 8. albus, however, were not killed by exposures up to ten minutes in any alcohol concentration. His curves seem to show an excitation effect for 10 per cent alcohol, such as has been alleged for organisms more complex than bacteria. Note- worthy has been the promotional ac- tivity behind the quaternaries and some other cationic antiseptics, and they do have outstanding properties. It is not clear that any of them has been fully tested by the criteria mentioned above or by the implantation technique of Dr. Morton. It is to be empha- sized that the designation "steri- lizing" should be reserved for a substance shown capable of killing spores by the criteria above. Now finally you may well ask, "What has all this to do with cos- metic chemists?" The answer is that the scientific as well as the economic interest of each of you lies in formu.lating and offering to the public sound products, ade- quately investigated, appropri- ately formulated, and honestly mer- chandised. "Gyp" products may mulct a lot of money from an uninformed public, but your abid- ing pride and the sound basis of your company's future rests most securely on using all the sciences as well as all the other know-how you can bring to bear on your products. This means that for many of your products you will apply such criteria and tests as have developed for irritations, spe- cial reactions, etc. In addition it means that you will present products likely neither to carry infection nor to promote infection in use. It is not your function to treat infections, nor often to seek sterility, but your purposes will often be served by knowledge of the techniques and materials use- ful for such ends, together with information as to their values and limitations. There are in the above many leads and suggestions that will enable you to contribute effec- tively to the achievement and main- tenance of healthy intact skin on your customers. REFERENCES (1) Valko, E. L., "Surface-Active Agents in Biology and Medicine," ,,'Inn. N.Y. dcad. $ci., 46, 451-478 (1946). (2) Davis, H. L., Bloch, A., and Stonehill, A. A., "Criteria of Sterility," Bull. Nat. Formulary Comm., 41, 69-76 (1948). (3) Davis, H. L., "Introduction to Confer- ence on Mechanism and Evaluation of Antiseptics," Ann. N.Y. dcad. Sci., 53, 3-5 (1950). (4) Morton, H. E., North, L. L., and Engley, F. B., "The Bacteriostatic

STABILITY TESTS ON MAKE-UP ITEMS 303 Bactericidal Actions of Some Mercurial Compounds on Hemolytic Strepto- cocci," •.A.MA., 136, 3641 (1948). (5) Klarmann, E.G., and Wright, Eleanor S., "Are Quaternary Ammonium Com- pounds Sporicidal?," Am. 5 •. Pharm., 122, 330-336 (1950). (6) Blank, 1. H., "Degerming the Cutane- ousSurface, 1. Quaternary Ammonium Compounds," •. Investig. DermatoL, 15, 249-256 (1950). (7) Price, P. B., and Bonnett, Alberta," "The Antibacterial Effects of G-5, G-11, and A-151 With S•pecial Reference to Their Use in the Production of a Germi- cidal Soap," Surgery, 24, 542-554 (1948). (8) Kelner, Albert, "Revival by Light," Sci. dm., 184, 22-25 (May, 1951). (9) Flett, L. H., Haring, R. C., Guiteras, A. F., and Shapiro, Rebecca L., "The Revival of Organisms Presumably Killed by Phenol," •. Bacteriol., 50, 591-595 (1945). (10) Price, P. B., "Reevaluation of Ethyl Alcohol as a Germicide," alrch. Surg., 60, 492-502 (1950). STABILITY TESTS ON LIPSTICK, FACE POWDER, AND MAKE-UP ITEMS* By H. HEINRICH, PH.D. Kolmar Laboratories, _inc., Milwaukee, [d/is. STABILITY TESTS for the pur- pose of this talk will be defined as tests made in the laboratory to guarantee stability while the prod- uct is in the stores and in the hands of the ultimate consumer. In this sense we may speak of stability tests as tests which assure the sal- ability of a product over an extended period of time. Everybody fully realizes that the requirements of salability vary and that every day standards become more rigid what constituted salability some years ago, may not constitute salability now. Let's assume that we have de- veloped a new product in the lab- oratory. We have made enough consumer tests to be sure that it is a desirable product. So the next step is to get into production. * Presented at the May 18, 1951, Meeting, New York City. We realize, at once, that our experi- ence with this new product is, after all, limited and we do not know whether the product would stand up under the conditions encountered in the stores and homes. We know from past experience approximately what conditions are encountered dur- ing shipping, storing, displaying, and use. We know, for instance, that a shipment during the winter months may encounter temperature varia- tions of some 70øF in addition to con- tinued jolting and rough treatment during shipment. In storage, the cosmetic may be on a shelf for a year or longer because of the habit of some storekeepers of picking up the nearest package regardless of age. We, furthermore, know that a cos- metic may be displayed in showcases under hot lights and the tempera- tures may go as high as 120øF. The consumer may leave the cosmetic