j. Soc. Cosmet. Chem., 34, 395-397 (November 1983) Book Review ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SHAMPOO INGREDIENTS, by Anthony L. L. Hunting. Micelie Press, Inc., Cranford, NJ, 1983. 467 pages, paper bound. Price: $75.00. The Encyclopedia of Shampoo Ingredients is a telephone directory-sized compen- dium of everything you always wanted to know about shampoo composition and then some. Although much of the book is to be recommended, it is basically flawed by an excess of "marketing" information having limited timeliness and question- able significance. The imbalance shows in the book's organization which allocates an inordinate emphasis to a survey of the ingredient listings of shampoos. This dis- play detracts from the book's focus as a technical reference. However, despite this shortcoming, Mr. Hunting has produced an authoritative, interesting book, one containing an assortment of information useful to shampoo manufacturers, formu- lators, and raw material promoters. The encyclopedia contains two main sections, the first of which consists of a survey of ingredient panels from 438 shampoos. These shampoos, representing over 80 manufacturers, were gathered from the New York tri-state area during the year beginning September 1980. Mr. Hunting categorizes the price range (inex- pensive, low-medium, medium-high, and expensive), and provides the marketing position(s) used for each shampoo's pro- motion. The difficulty here is that sham- poo marketing is dynamic, always undergoing change. By the time the book finds its way to the hands of the reader the data presented for some shampoos will have been altered. Some shampoos will have been removed from sales others, not cited, will have taken their place. This section is interesting to glance through, but the information disclosed is more suited to a trade periodical that can be updated regularly, rather than to the more permanent reference text which this book strives to be. Statistics presented from data in this section are not only vulnerable to rapid obsolescence, but lead to confusion. Mr. Hunting introduces the RIF value (Rela- tive Importance Factor) as a calculation based upon the numerical position of an ingredient on a shampoo label and the frequency that ingredient appears in the 438 shampoos surveyed. The relevance of the RIF number is questionable since (1) ingredients under 1% concentration can be randomly arranged on the label according to the discretion of the manu- facturer, and (2) ingredients of shampoos with sizeable market share are given equal weight with those ingredients of local private label brands. Hence, we find that a shampoo structural ingredient such as 395

396 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS Sodium Cocoglyceryl Ether Sulfonate is given the same RIF number as the folk- 1oricJojoba Extract. A technologist and a promotionalist will place opposite values on such ingredients, discounting the worth of the other. Those interested in statistics intrinsically should appreciate the RIF calculation, but the tabulation of ingredient popularity, presented in the text, suffices for general interest. The second main section, spanning about two-thirds of the book, is an ency- clopedic mixture of chemical dictionary and technical essay. It is the section by which the book will find its use, and it is the section in which Mr. Hunting shines as a technologist. When an ingredient is discussed, its chemical classification and formula are presented, its reason for use is given, and safety data, physical data, and use level are disclosed. Also given are the suppliers of the ingredient, the commer- cial shampoos having the constituent and statistical marketing data. However, it is the attendant technical information which Mr. Hunting provides in detail for all ingredient listings that is most invaluable. For example, on Cocamide MEA: "Be- cause secondary amides are much more resistant to hydrolysis than tertiary amides, coconut monoethanolamide should be preferred to coconut dietha- nolamide in acid shampoos." On Coconut Oil: "Ingredient labels can be misleading if a chemical reaction occurs during the processing of a shampoo. Except for small amounts of unreacted material, a shampoo, which from a study of the label, appears to contain coconut oil may not in fact do so." On Nucleic Acid: "It is doubtful that the addition of a nucleic acid contributes to the performance of a shampoo." In these discussions Mr. Hunt- ing supplies a blend of authoritative scien- tific wisdom, common sense, and a highly subjective point of view gathered from personal experience. The feeling the reader gets is that the author has extended his thoughts openly to those eager to be informed. Certainly not every one will agree with Mr. Hunting's pronounce- ments nevertheless, his insights are refreshingly candid and welcome. Interspersed with the chemical dictio- nary, Mr. Hunting has written several dozen definitive essays ranging from aspects of shampoo marketing to indus- trial chemistry. These articles discuss the composition of shampoos in various mar- keting categories (Herbal, Ethnic, Salon, Baby, Color, etc.). They tell about the ingredient classes used in formulation (Preservatives, Conditioning Agents, Che- lating Agents, Antidandruff Agents, etc.). They detail the chemistry of raw materials (Ethoxylates, Sorbitan Derivatives, Poly- mers and Resins, etc.). Particularly well covered are the subjects of Imidazoline- Derived Amphoterics, Fatty Acids, Foam Boosters and Stabilizers, and Fatty Alco- hol Sulfates. Unfortunately, Mr. Hunting does not supply an index to his technical articles. One has to leaf through pages to find that "Interrupted Soaps" falls under "Mild Shampoo Ingredients." An index would also guide the reader to incidental subjects such as Oxo and Ziegler chemis- try which are covered under the Lauryl Alcohol heading. There is no need to index specific ingredients they are arranged alphabetically in the encyclope- dia conforming to the nomenclature in the CTFA Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary, both second and third editions. In a page towards the end of the book the author acknowledges the havoc obso- lescence could play with the timeliness of the encyclopedia's content. He takes this opportunity to update the subjects of Colors, Formaldehyde, and Medicated Shampoos. Also provided are several appendices giving raw material supplier information and tabulations of statistical data. He closes the book with a bibliogra- phy for the pursuing reader and a list of 273 references cited in the text.