398 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS I)ISCUSSION The data submitted here show that this method fails to achieve analytical precision of the type w• would like. However, few analytical procedures which may be applied to cosmetic preparations do achieve such precision. The method described here should enable the skilled analyst to learn a great deal about the composition of any lipstick, usually enough to recon- struct the original product with a considerable degree of assurance. The total pigments and bromos obtained from the heptane extraction usually is low because of a small amount of bromos dissolved in the base which carry on into the flitrate in spite of the fact that heptane alone is a very poor solvent for those bromos. The total amount of hard waxes can usually be determined with a fair degree of accuracy although their separation into individual components is not entirely satisfactory. The hydrocarbons present may be quite easily separated and determined, but unfortunately it is impossible to distinguish between these substances added as such and those added as component parts of one or more of the other raw materials, particularly candelilla wax. Separation of the bromos from the pigments and bromos is only approxi- mate, but the separation of the individual bromos by paper chromatography is precise enough on a qualitative basis. Also, the determination of pigments and lakes is less than perfect for the reason that some of the laked colours tend to strip off and dissolve in ammonia as do the bromos. The determination of the free glycols can be done quite accurately, propylene glycol being the only one likely to be found. The amount of glycol present bears little relationship to the amount originally added by the manufacturer, since unpredictable amounts are lost by volatilisafion during the manufacturing procedure. The carnauba wax as determined will contain such small amounts of candelilla wax as are insoluble in cold petroleum ether and will, therefore, probably be slightly high. The "castor oil" fraction will contain the castor oil and any other alcohol soluble esters which might be present. Any free alcohols present will also appear in the alcohol soluble fraction. In castor oil lipsticks the alcohol soluble fraction will be largely saponifiable. Lanolin will .appear in two places as part of the unsaponifiable fraction from the alcohol soluble portion of the lipstick and also as part of the alcohol insoluble portion. CONCLUSION The method offered here, while lacking somewhat in analytical precision, should enable the competent analyst to arrive at a result not too far from the correct one. It is hoped that use of this method by other analysts will

A METHOD FOR THE ANALYSIS OF LIPSTICK 399 result in improvements which will, some day, culminate in a really compre- hensive, analytically precise method for the analysis of lipstick. REFERENCES Shupe, Irwin S., y. Assoc. Offi. •lgr. Chemists, 26, No. 1,249 (1943). Freeman, Kenneth, personal communication. Sclar, R. N., and Freeman, K. A., y. •lssoc. Offi. •lgr. Chemists, 38, No. 3 (1955). Newburger, S. H., y. Soc. Cosmetic Chem., 1, 95 (1948). SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS OF GREAT BRITAIN ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD AT THE BONNINGTON HOTEL, W.C.1, ON FRIDAY, MAY 25TH, 1956 THERE was the customary good attendance at this Annual General Meeting of the Society when the President, Mr. R. T. Dobson, took the chair. He presented the Council's report for the year, calling attention to the continued expansion of the membership, which stood at 248 at the end of the financial year. During the lecture season six scientific meetings had been held at the Royal Society of Arts. Except for one of these, which had been honoured with extremely inclement weather, the attendance had been unusually good, although the Council would continue to work for still larger attendances and expected that the programme t'or 1956/7 would be well supported. Experienced specialist lecturers had promised to speak on their respective subjects, the programme dealing with the following: Histology of the skin Polyvinyl pyrrolidone Silicones in the cosmetic industry Particle size measurement of powders, Cationic surface active agents Ion exchange resins and suriace phenomena. The golf tournament had been held at the Burhill golf course in ideal sunny weather with a gentle breeze. Mr. L. O. Gatland won the Firmenich Cup, with Mr. A. B. Bell as hi.• runner-up the foursomes were won by Messrs. A. B. Bell and F. W. Cripps, with Messrs. J. R. A. Evans and E. Fairbanks-Smith as runners-up. The Dinner and Dance was held at the Caf• Royal, Regent St., 162 people being present--an increase of nearly fifty over those at last year's event. Dr. Kent-Jones, F.R.I.C., President of the Royal Institute of Chemistry, and Lt.-Col. ,1. K. L. Wenham, Chairman of the Toilet Preparations Federation, Ltd., were our guests of honour. The President went on to express the Council's appreciation of the work