806 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS made immediately after the sterilizing treatment, but within a short time the infection reestablished itself within the top oval, and a water wash thereafter contained thousands of pseudomonads/mi. Scouring the pipe eliminated the problem and the next batch which was contaminated again had to be rejected. Microbial examination of the entire process failed to reveal any source of inoculation. A gimlet-eyed chemist solved the problem. He found an economy-minded, filling-line supervisor had utilized, as a lubricant for the cap of the vial, rejected material which had escaped destruction. This material, which should have been disposed of weeks earlier, contained hundreds of thousands of organisms/mi. Thereafter, there were no problems. 2. The laboratory reported a significant microorganism content in an experimental make-up product. The preparation in time killed the pseudomonad which had an identifiable characteristic. The source proved elusive. Two bottles containing a suspension of an ingredient used in the preparation were found tucked away in a rarely used part of the stockroom. The bottles were coated with a mixture of spillage and dust. The contents were sterile but a swab of the spillage yielded thousands of the particular pseudomonad/square centimeter. It is probable that with time these organisms, if not eliminated, would have completely adapted to the preparation. CONCLUSION This paper represents the experience of a microbiology laboratory in dealing with industrial pseudomoniasis over more than a decade. Dur- ing this period, respect for pseudomonads as adaptive organisms has continued to grow. The lesson to be learned is that eternal vigilance is the price of quality and, occasionally, even of safety. (Received April 12, 1967) REFERENCES (1) Bejucki, W., Pseudomonas its ubiquity and roles in industrial microbiological test procedures, personal communication (1965). (2) Hugo, W. B., and Foster, J. H. S., Bacteriocidal effect upon Pseudomonas aeruginosa of chemical agents for use in ophthalmic solution, .h 7Pharm. 7Pharmacol. 16, Suppl. 124T- 126T (1964). (3) Brown, M. R. W., and Norton, D. A., The preservation of ophthalmic preparations, J. Soc. Cosmetic Chemists, 16, 369-393 (1965). (4) U.S. Federal Register, 29 F.R. 12458, September 1, 1964. (6) Bryce, D. M., and Smart, R., The preservation of shampoos, .h Soc. Cosmetic Chemists, 16, 187-201 (1965).

PSEUDOMONADS IN COSMETICS 807 (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (24) (25) (26) Bean, H. S., Heman-Ackeh, M., and Thomas, J., The activity of antibacterials in two- phase systems, Ibid., 16, 15-30 (1965). Rogoff, M. H., Chemistry of oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by soil pseudomonads, J. Bacteriol., 8 t, 998-1004 (1962). Solari, A. A., Dato, A. A., Herrero, M. M., de Cremaschi, M. S., de Reid, M. I., Salgado, L. P., and Painceira, M. T., Use of a selective enrichment medium for the isolation of ?seudomonas aeruginosa from feces, J. Bacteriol., 84, 190 (1962). Hedrich, H. G., Carroll, N. T., Owen, H. P., and Pritchard D.J. Viability of selected microorganisms in hydrocarbon furls, Appl. Microbiol., 11,472-475 (1963). Traxler, R. W., Microbial degradation of asphalt, Biotechnol. Bioeng., 4,369-376 (1962). Durham, N. N., and McPherson, D. L., Influence of extraneous carbon sources on bio- synthesis de novo of bacterial enzymes, J. Bacteriol., 80, 7-13 (1960). Alford, J. A., and Pierce, D. A., Production of lipase by Pseudomonasfragi in a synthetic medium, Ibid., 86, 24-29 (1963). Sultzer, B. M., Oxidative activity of psychrophilic and mesophilic bacteria on saturated fatty acids, Ibid., 82,492-497 (1961). Bently, R., and Slechta, L., Oxidation of mono and disaccharides to aldonic acids by Pseudomonas species, Ibid., 79,346-355 (1960). Peterson, A. C., and Gunderson M. F., Some characteristics of proteolytic cnzymes for Pseudomonas fiuorescens, A ppl. Microbiol., 8, 98-104 (1960). Ingraham, J. L., and Stokes, J. L., Psychrophilic bacteria, Bacte•iol. Rev., 2 t, 97-108 (1959). Manowitz, M., Preservation of cosmetic emulsions, Developments in Industrial Micro- biology, 2, 65-91 (1961). Kohn, S. R., Gershenfdd, L., and Bart, M., The effectiveness of certain antibacterial agents in ophthalmic solutions against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, J. Pharm. 3ci., 52, 967-974 (1963). Tice, L. F., and Bart, M., Factors to be considered in the preservation of cosmetic emulsions, Y. Soc. Cosmetic Chemists, 9, 171-180 (1958). Wedderburn, D. L., Preservation of toilet preparations containing nonionics, Ibid., 9 210-228 (1958). Barr, M., and Tice, L. F., The preservation of aqueous preparations containing non- ionic surfactants I., J. Am. Pharm. Assoc. Sci. Ed., 46,442-445 (1957). Evans, W. P., The solubilization and inactivation of preservatives by nonionic deter* gents, J. Pharm. Pharmacol., 16,323-331 (1964). Noble, W. C., and Savin, J. A., Steroid cream contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruo ginosa, Lancet, 1,347-349 (1966). Kohn, S. R., Gershenfeld, L., and Barr, M., Antibacterial agents not presently employed as preservatives in ophthalmic preparations found effective against Pseudomonas aeru- ginosa, J. Pharm. Sciences, 52, 1126-1129 (1963). Bdoian, A., and Koski, T., Resistance of Pseudomonas to various chemical germicides, J. Assoc. Agr. Chem., 47, 804-807 (1964). Ayliffe, G. A. J., Lowbery, E. J. L., Hamilton, J. G., Small, J. M., Asheshov, R. A., and Parker, M. T., Hospital infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa in neurosurgery, Lancet, 11,365-369 (1965).