300 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS (10) Krieger, I. M., and Maron, S. H., y./Ipp/iedPhys., 23, 147 (1952). (11• Cram, K. H., and Whirwell, J. C., Ibid., 26,613 (1955). (12) Mooney, M., and Ewart, R. H., Physics, 5,350 (1934). (13) Pochetino, A., Nuovo Cimento, 8, 77 (1914). (14) Bergen, J. T., Patterson, W., Jr., y./IppliedPhys., 24, 712 (1953). (15) Wachholtz, F., Asbeck, W. K., Kol/oid-Z., 93, 280 (1940) ibid., 94, 66 (1941). (16) Asbeck, W. K., to be published. (17) Merrill. E., y. ColloidSc% 9, 7 (1954), (18) Asbeck, W. K., l,aiderman, D. D., and VanLoo, M., ibid., 7, 306 (1952). FUNDAMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE ACTIONS OF CLEANSING CREAMS* By ALBERT R. LATVEN Pharmacology Research, :Inc., Darby, Pa. ALTHOUGH CLEANSING creams are purported to produce a number of beneficial effects upon the skin, their primary effect and fundamental use is as cleansing agents. The nature of this cleansing action has not been clear particularly in view of the fact that plain soaps are said to be equally effective in removing dirt and other foreign matter from the surface of the skin. However, since it is unlikely that cleansing cosmetic preparations would have received continued use for centuries in the absence of superior cleansing action, the cosmetic chemist has justly accepted the presence of superior cleansing properties and has formulated his products more or less on an empirical basis. It is the purpose of this paper to present hith- erto unreported observations concerning the effects of cleansing creams and other products upon a specific type of natural skin soil, namely, upon sebum which has solidified in the form of "plaques" over the sebaceous or pilosebaceous orifices. The studies to be presented are preliminary in character and have been conducted as a matter of experimental orienta- tion it is hoped that the findings may serve as a guide to the refinement of less subjective techniques. While pursuing studies along unrelated lines, we confirmed the pub- ]ished observation that the sebum lying in the exit of the sebaceous duct fluoresces white to yellow or orange when illuminated by filtered ultra- violet light. However, we also observed that the majority of the yellow and orange fluorescent points consisted of sebum which had solidified in the form of a "cap" loosely covering, but nevertheless adhered to, the sur- face opening of the sebaceous gland. These caps, or plaques, could be pried loose with a sharp instrument such as a scalpel or razor blade and * Presented at the May 10, 1957, Meeting, New York City.

300 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS (10) Krieger, I. M., and Maron, S. H., y./Ipp/iedPhys., 23, 147 (1952). (11• Cram, K. H., and Whirwell, J. C., Ibid., 26,613 (1955). (12) Mooney, M., and Ewart, R. H., Physics, 5,350 (1934). (13) Pochetino, A., Nuovo Cimento, 8, 77 (1914). (14) Bergen, J. T., Patterson, W., Jr., y./IppliedPhys., 24, 712 (1953). (15) Wachholtz, F., Asbeck, W. K., Kol/oid-Z., 93, 280 (1940) ibid., 94, 66 (1941). (16) Asbeck, W. K., to be published. (17) Merrill. E., y. ColloidSc% 9, 7 (1954), (18) Asbeck, W. K., l,aiderman, D. D., and VanLoo, M., ibid., 7, 306 (1952). FUNDAMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE ACTIONS OF CLEANSING CREAMS* By ALBERT R. LATVEN Pharmacology Research, :Inc., Darby, Pa. ALTHOUGH CLEANSING creams are purported to produce a number of beneficial effects upon the skin, their primary effect and fundamental use is as cleansing agents. The nature of this cleansing action has not been clear particularly in view of the fact that plain soaps are said to be equally effective in removing dirt and other foreign matter from the surface of the skin. However, since it is unlikely that cleansing cosmetic preparations would have received continued use for centuries in the absence of superior cleansing action, the cosmetic chemist has justly accepted the presence of superior cleansing properties and has formulated his products more or less on an empirical basis. It is the purpose of this paper to present hith- erto unreported observations concerning the effects of cleansing creams and other products upon a specific type of natural skin soil, namely, upon sebum which has solidified in the form of "plaques" over the sebaceous or pilosebaceous orifices. The studies to be presented are preliminary in character and have been conducted as a matter of experimental orienta- tion it is hoped that the findings may serve as a guide to the refinement of less subjective techniques. While pursuing studies along unrelated lines, we confirmed the pub- ]ished observation that the sebum lying in the exit of the sebaceous duct fluoresces white to yellow or orange when illuminated by filtered ultra- violet light. However, we also observed that the majority of the yellow and orange fluorescent points consisted of sebum which had solidified in the form of a "cap" loosely covering, but nevertheless adhered to, the sur- face opening of the sebaceous gland. These caps, or plaques, could be pried loose with a sharp instrument such as a scalpel or razor blade and * Presented at the May 10, 1957, Meeting, New York City.