564 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS In some instances microorganisms in cosmetic preparations, whether present initially or transferred to the product by the user, have been implicated as the aetiological agents of disease. Wilson and co-workers (7, 8) have demonstrated that eye cosmetics may serve as a possible vector in trans- mission and persistence of microorganisms in clinical infections of the eye. An outbreak of tetanus in babies has been attributed to the use of talcum powder contaminated with Clostridium tetani (9). Other examples of the contamination of non-sterile drugs and cosmetics are given by Bruch (10, 11). In 1967 the Toilet Preparation Federation and the Society of Cosmetic Chemists of Great Britain established a Select Committee to report on matters relating inter alia to the quality and safety of cosmetic preparations. One aspect of the work of this committee was to advise on the desirability for the establishment of microbiological standards for such products (12). Although many manufacturers have data on the microbiological quality of products immediately post manufacture, such information is not generally available. Furthermore, it may bear only a superficial relationship to the microbial quality of the products as purchased by the user. The present investigation was undertaken in 1971 at the instigation of the S½1½ct Com- mittee to assess the incidence of contamination in a restricted range of cosmetic and toilctry preparations on sa1½ to the general public. MATERIALS AND METHODS Provision of cosmetics Products were purchased by representatives of the Toilet Preparations Federation in six areas of England and Wales. Two units (one of large size and one of small size whenever possible) were taken for each product from a large and a small retail outlet respectively. In some cases, additional items were provided for analysis. In total 172 cosmetic items were examined. Further items of selected products were purchased locally to investigate the inter-sample variation in counts. Sampling of products The outside surfaces of all containers were swabbed with 70•o v/v ethanol before opening.

MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION OF COSMETICS AND TOILETRIES 565 In general, 1 g samples were taken for each product, but in some in- stances 10 g or 0.1 g samples were examined. The sampling procedures used were as follows. Talcum powder An adequate quantity of the powder was shaken into a sterile petri dish, mixed and a representative sample was weighed into a tared bottle. Loose and compressed face powder After aseptically removing the seal, a sample of powder was scraped from the entire surface of the product into a sterile petri dish. For mixed samples the complete contents of the container were ground using a sterile pestle and mortar. Complete make-up Bottled products were mixed by inversion 20 times through an arc of 1 ft and a representative sample was removed using a wide-bore sterile pipette. For tubed products a large sample was extruded into a sterile bottle, mixed thoroughly and a sample for analysis was taken with a sterile spatula. Face and hand creams, cake mascara and eye shadow Products were sampled by taking a surface scrape as detailed above for face powder. Liquid products (shampoo, bath oils, eye shadow) The samples were mixed by inversion and an aliquot was removed by pipette. Toothpaste and other tubed products Samples were removed aseptically by extrusion through the nozzle. A second sample of each product was obtained by aseptically removing the crimped end of the tube and extruding a suitable sample. Soap cakes These were scraped with a sterile scalpel to remove wafer thin shavings from the entire surface. The shavings were mixed and a representative sample was taken for analysis.