A WALK IN "NO-MAN'S LAND" 71 substances might formulate products, still substantially in the cosmetic category, which would be of great benefit to the inarticulate young suf- ferers from the disfiguring and discouraging symptoms of this widespread affliction of adolescence. Here, too, there is work to be done by the organic chemist in the synthesis of more effective anti-acne compounds, with the tried and proved synthetic estrogens as a point of departure. In roaming in this no-man's land of ours we now come upon another rather unexpected border area, viz., between--of all things--meteorology and cosmetics. Yes, it is true, the beauty of milady's complexion de- pends considerably upon the weather. It's all there, well documented with tables and charts and weather data (9) and the famed English com- plexion which thrives in the moist climate of the British Isles is no longer either a myth or a pretense. It now appears that the degree of moisture in the air has a direct effect upon the smoothness, the softness, and the suppleness of the skin, the very qualities which the cosmetic chemist is bound, upon an unsworn oath, to uphold, to protect, and to defend. Of course, as to the weather, the situation has changed somewhat since Mark Twain's time when everybody talked about it, but nobody did anything about it. Nowadays, we are doing quite a bit about the weather, what with our elaborate heating and air-conditioning systems in homes and in offices, and even in our automobiles. Except for rain making, we still cannot manipulate the weather outdoors, but we may be able to do this, too, some day, particularly if spurred on by the cogent need of protecting the beauty of our women. But there is one point which we do neglect in most cases of indoor weather control, and that is proper humidification. No matter how comfortable we may be in a warm room when it is freezing outdoors, or in a cool office when outside the asphalt melts, we usually fail to insure an optimum of humidity. Here the cosmetic chemist has stepped into the breach effectively by formulating a series of creams and lotions which by virtue of their humectant character will help prevent the rapid drying of the skin that would supervene if the •elative humidity were low enough to sneak up and steal the precious moisture from the unwary com- plexion. And so, in addition to the dermatologist and the endocrinologist the cosmetic chemist should now be on speaking terms with the meteorolo- gist and incidentally with the heating and air-conditioning engineer, by way of co-ordinating all efforts to protect feminine pulchritude through the establishment of proper environmental climatic conditions. Indeed, moisture is the thing, these days. It seems to be even more im- portant for the skin's suppleness than saturation with oils and unguents, rare or otherwise (10). The ubiquitous H20 is coming into its own, at last. But the cosmetic chemist's art and skill are needed to make it do its best work on milady's behalf. With the aid of hormone cosmetics her skin retains water from within, and with humectant cosmetics it is safeguarded

72 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS from without. The hoped for result is the moist bloom of a petal smooth complexion. And the faithful users of our products will be the ones to judge whether the experiment confirms the theory, whether the perform- ance fulfills the promise. Perhaps it is not necessary to stress that this presentation makes no claim whatever to completeness of coverage of any particular subject or of any group of subjects. There is a great deal more that could have been said by way of elaborating the themes touched upon but briefly and, of course, there are many themes which have not been considered at all. Thus there is the still controversial issue of the dermal effects of lipoid soluble vitamins, a subject on the borderline of cosmetics and nutrition, or the fascinating problem of reduction of the sensitization potential of certain cosmetic materials by chemical modification of the "active" part of their structures, from the border territory of cosmetics and allergy the area of contact between cosmetics and bacteriology is of vital interest to the student of perspiration atid'•:odor control, while the problems of sun- burn preventives are being solved in the territory between cosmetics, physics, and dermatology. These few selected examples may suffice to illustrate the spread and ramifications of modern cosmetic science they also indicate the catholicity of interests which the cosmetic chemist must possess in order to apply the relevant information obtained by other disciplines, for the benefit of his own specialty. However we have to be content here with but a brief reminder of these facts please remember that we are taking a promenade in no-man's land, we are not surveying the territory. But let us now take another look at the doctrine of the need for a re- signed acceptance of the inevitable effect of age upon the complexion with which we started out on our walk. If age is allowed to have its way with- out any intelligent interference on the part of the informed woman it will surely take its toll of the skin in several respects. There will be a growing tendency to dryness and thinness, to a loss of elasticity, and ultimately to furrowing and wrinkling. There will be a gradual reduction in the dermal capillary circulation with an accompanying retardation of the activity of the all-important sebaceous and sudoriparous glands which help keep the younger skin lubricated and humidified. But the cosmetic chemist can even now furnish the means of combating and overcoming the erosive damage of which that clumsy vandal •'Time" is capable. If we can ob- tain a constructive co-operation on milady's part we can inform her, in turn, that it is possible to delay the appearance of the tell-tale signs of aging by many years, and to retain the freshness of a younger look long after the age of which this younger look would have been typical under normal conditions, i.e., unaided by cosmetic skill. We are all aware that owing to the rapid strides made in the recent past