248 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS midity and atmospheric pressure. Extrinsic odor transmission is evidenced by natural or artificial contaminations by fumes of various kinds and origins under different conditions of temperature, humidity and atmospheric pres- sure. Such research studies have enabled packaging engineers to select the best materials and the best packaging methods for each considered cos- metic. This is particularly important in the field of plastics because of the multiplicity of available materials and the possible selections of each of them for a definite type of product. To the odor transmission problem is also added the compatibility and ab- sence of deterioration of the container or its contents when used for pack- aging cosmetics. This involves collapsible tubes for toothpastes, and shaving creams, plastic aerosol bombs for shaving creams, air and skin deodorants, squeeze bottles for skin deodorants, eye washes, before and after shave lotions, colognes, liquid soaps and detergents and many other preparations. The choice of the proper material and its packaging application will be determined by the pH of the finished product, the contents of chemicals, detergents, alcohols, lipolds, solvents, emulsifiers, enzymes and other active or inactive ingredients. Such important factors have a definite effect, both on the intrinsic and extrinsic odor transmission, and also on odor contamina- tion by gradual disintegration of the packaging material. Such a state of affairs due to unpretested packaging materials have resulted in losses estimated to several millions of dollars each year. ,/ldditives The Additives Law, •:ow one year old, has caused a great deal of worries in the packaging industry. Although the most concerned were the food packers and the drug industry, packagers of cosmetics had to be just as careful as cosmetic manufacturers in general and even more careful than a few of them. We refer here to the use of carcigenous dyes in lipsticks, still in use despite the fact that some vegetable dyes, slightly more expensive give better colors. They are also more penerrant as established by radio- isotopes, and more lasting. Cleopatra used them and she is still a criterion of beauty in our times. Migration of mildew preventives in paper wrappers of soap and cardboard boxes of face powder had caused primary skin irritation and cutaneous sensitization, principally when mercury salts or phenolics were used to treat such wrappers. The use of such chemicals is now prohibited by law. So is the use of plastics improperly cured or containing an excess of migrat- ing toxic plasticizers. Manufacturers of cosmetics and packaging materials who do not know it yet should realize that the cost of a cosmetic is no object to the consumer, provided he thinks it is good. The success of the best cosmetics which sell at high prices definitely verifies this fact. On the

INSUI,T PATCH TESTS IN STUDY OF CUTANEOUS REACTION 249 other hand, no cosmetic, however cheap will succeed on the market if the consumer dislikes its inferior quality. CONCLUSION The use of the new methods of quality evaluation and toxicological pro- tection by the leading cosmetic manufacturers in this country and abroad is an indication that the trend of the industry is in the continuous improve- ment of its products. These methods are being improved almost every day or replaced once in a while by quicker and more accurate ones. Very soon, all obsolete empiric research routines will disappear from all cosmetic laboratories as the cracker barrel has disappeared from the corner grocery. THE CLOSED, OPEN, PROPHETIC AND REPEATED INSULT PATCH TESTS IN STUDY OF CUTANEOUS REACTION By JOSEPH V. KLAUDER* oeresented December 2, 1959, New York City TifF. pro,POSES of the patch test in study of cutaneous reaction are as follows: (1) To determine the range of concentration of a given substance that exerts (under the test conditions) a primary cutaneous irritant action. (2) Diagnostic: to determine if the skin is allergic to the tested sub- stance. (3) To determine if a given substance has allergenic action suflqcient, under the test conditions, to sensitize the skin by several or repeated appli- cations. (4) To determine other untoward cutaneous reactions as later dis- cussed. A primary cutaneous irritant is that concentration of a substance in that degree and duration of exposure that produces an inflammatory cutaneous reaction usually characterized by varying degrees of erythema, with or without swelling or blister formation. Since the irritability or reactibility of the skin varies in different persons, some may react to that concentra- tion to which others did not react as the concentration is increased a greater percentage of persons react until that concentration is reached that all persons will react. I think the proper concept of a cutaneous irri- tant is the reaction of an individual and not that of all persons. A cutaneous allergic substance is one that will produce a cutaneous reaction usually comprising degree of erythema comparable to that of a * Philadelphia, Pa.