CONSUMER TESTING AS A GUIDE FOR TECHNICAL RESEARCH 103 other trace elements such as manganese. However, since iron is chelated more readily, the addition of the manganese complex only assists in the pickup of more iron as the manganese is replaced by iron in the complex and carried to the plants. Another new application is the use of these agents in the manufacture of cold rubber which is exceedingly sensitive to the least traces of some polyvalent metal ions. There has been yet another application reported recently which we hope we will not have to use. The EDTA salts are among the best agents for the removal of surface radioactive contamination. In case of atom bombing, large areas of surface such as of buildings, walks, pavements, automobile bodies, etc., would have to be decontaminated. The use of EDTA as a component of decontaminating detergents should add sub- stantially to the rapidity and thoroughness of decontamination. CONSUMER TESTING AS A GUIDE FOR TECHNICAL RESEARCH* By NORMAN H. ISHLER Central Laboratories, General Foods Corp., Hoboken, N.y. AT FIRST GLANCE the cosmetic industry may seem to have very little in common with the food industry. However, after a little thought on the subject a number of common interests begin to appear. Technically the two industries deal with many of the same problems. They are both concerned with emulsions, colors, fats, oils, and starches. They both, of ne- cessity, must be concerned with the toxicity of their products. A par- ticularly important common ground is that of odor or aroma. All of these things are building blocks of which both food and cosmetic products are built. If the ingredients are the building blocks then the products themselves must be considered as the complete structure. In both foods and cos- metics, the common objective is to satisfy the ultimate consumer. The cosmetologist strives to satisfy his customers by improving their appear- ance, aroma, or touch. How effective his results are when properly used is apparent to all of us whose blood pressure rises with a faint trace of per- fume from the girl a few feet away, or whose head turns automatically to the rear from time to time while walking down the street. * Presented at the December 10, 1953, Meeting, New York City.

104 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS The food technologist is also striving to satisfy the customer. Al- though the products he deals with may seem quite different from cosmetics they undoubtedly appeal to many of the same senses. The importance of odor to the taste of a food product is easily demonstrated if you have ever eaten an apple or an onion or have drunk a cup of coffee while holding your nose firmly closed. A brief experiment of this kind will quickly show that an extremely important part of taste depends on the aromatic char- acter of the food. The food technologist hopes that his customers, as well as those of his cosmetologist brothers, also look better and feel better as a result of his efforts. - Both cosmetic and food industries are becoming more and more tech- nical in their methods of production and in their research to improve old products and develop new products. We use up-to-date quality con- trol methods we measure ingredient purity by refined analytical means we set up rigid specifications for both raw materials and finished products. We utilize more and more the scientific disciplines of Chemistry, Physics, Biochemistry, Mathematics, and the like. We come to know more and more about how our processes work. We become almost infallible in our ability to reproduce a given product day after day and year after year. Many industries are realizing that we must not stop with guaranteeing reproducibility and uniformity of our products. Obviously there is very little profit in possessing a vast amount of technical know-how about a product unless the customer likes and wants that product. Measuring and evaluating consumer acceptance is becoming increasingly important in a highly competitive field. Frequently, the research man receives consumer guidance from the people in his company whose job it is to sell the product. That is, management describes the type of product it wants, it prescribes the purpose for which it is to be used, and sometimes specifies its physical properties. The technical man then develops a reasonable facsimile and submits samples to management. He may also offer real contributions of his own in the form of factors which he believes will add to the desirability of the prod- uct and may be able to present several versions of the original product. After this first attempt to produce a satisfactory product the research man may be redirected. In the food field, for instance, a cereal may be consid- ered too crisp or too tough, too dark or too light, too fragile or too hard, too fiavorful or too bland, to contain too much sweetness or too little. In the food industry the research man uses his best judgment on all these factors all through the process of his work. He relies not only on his own judgment but may frequently use taste panels to help him evaluate and describe the qualities of his experimental products. Management, however, must necessarily have the last word in determining the product to be sold. Management has more detailed information about the market,