378 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS type product has been selected, a series of skin toxi- cological tests are available however, the selection of a reasonable combination of tests will depend on product use: skin care or hair care, single use or continuous use, probable site of application, prob- able misuse, intended function, and experience with similar products in the same category. SESSION B REGULATORY ISSUES IN THE 1990S New and Existing raw materials•A regulatory minefield Joel E. Rogelberg, Lonza, Inc., 1717 Route 208, Fairlawn, NJ 07410 The 1980s brought with it a new set of ground rules concerning the protection of our environment. The strong thrust of new regulations in the 80s challenged American industry to respond rapidly, while maintaining its position in highly competi- tive markets. While regulatory pressures gain in strength, the number of companies that are willing and able to adapt has withered. This is a reflection of global consolidation and the financial impact compliance requires. The author will examine some of the dangers and opportunities for the 90s based on the manufacture of specialty biocides. Included will be a focus on specialty biocides and the associated regulatory issues. Topics of discussion are: ß Acceptance of a preservative system for world- wide use ß Handling of hazardous basis raw materials and by-products ß Biodegradability ß Preservative safety testing ß Consumer needs vs. environmental requirements ß Negotiating with regulatory agencies SESSION C FRAGRANCE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY The biology of olfaction: Focus on an odorant- binding protein Jonathan Pevsner, Ph.D., Department of Biological Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 The molecular basis of olfaction is poorly under- stood. Odorants must travel from air through the nasal mucosa to reach olfactory receptor cells located in the olfactory epithelium. To understand these processes, we studied the binding of radioactive odorants to homogenates of the cow or rat nose. We identified an odorant-binding protein (OBP) that is present in many species including humans. OBP is a small, soluble protein that is synthesized in the lateral nasal gland. It is secreted from that gland into nasal mucus in high concentration. The pure protein can bind odorants of various structural classes including terpenes, aromatics, musks, and aldehydes. We cloned the gene for rat OBP. Anal- ysis of the protein sequence indicates that OBP is homologous to a family of transport proteins, such as the retinol-binding protein that carries vitamin A to the eye. We propose that OBP is a carrier protein for odorants, delivering them to olfactory neurons within the nose. The effects of odor administration on perfor- mance and stress in a sustained attention task William N. Dember, Ph.D., Department of Psy- chology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0376 Based on some data from EEG recording and sub- jective reports, we expected the administration of certain fragrances to enhance performance and/or reduce stress in a sustained attention (vigilance) task. Subjects were asked to detect the occurrence of a visual signal that was infrequently and aperiodi- cally presented on a video screen, temporally inter- spersed among similar patterns. In experiment 1, subjects received a 30-second burst of either of two fragrances, peppermint or muguet, or plain air. Both fragrances had been judged pleasant in a pilot study peppermint had been judged alerting, mu- guet relaxing. Subjects in both fragrance conditions showed superior performance accuracy to those in the plain-air condition. No effects on self-reported stress were found. In experiment 2, only pepper- mint was used, along with a plain-air and a no-air control. Subjects in the peppermint condition did better than the control subjects and also reported less stress. The exact mechanism for these effects has yet to be identified. Fragrance use and social interaction John B. Nezlek, Ph.D., Department of Psy- chology, College of William & Mary, Williams- burg, VA 21385 This study investigated the relationship between in- dividuals' use of personal fragrances and their social interactions. Subjects maintained a social interac- tion diary for three weeks. The diaries provided de- tailed summaries of the quality and quantity of subjects' social contacts, including subjects' beliefs about others' awareness of their fragrances and how pleasant their fragrances were to others. Subjects' perceptions of how often others were aware of their fragrances were unrelated to quality and quantity of their social interactions. Subjects' estimates of how pleasing their fragrances were to others were unre-

ABSTRACTS 379 lated to the quantity of their interactions. However, these estimates were closely related to the quality of social interactions. The more pleasant subjects thought their fragrances were to others the more satisfaction and intimacy they found in social inter- action and the more confident they felt in interac- tion. The results were similar for men and women. The data suggests that fragrances should be studied as social psychological phenomena in addition to being considered as olfactory stimuli. SESSION D PATHWAYS OF SKIN PENETRATION Biophysical evaluation of the skin's barrier function Russell O. Potts, Ph.D., Pfizer Central Research, Groton, CT The stratum corneum (SC) is the morphologically unique outer layer of the skin that acts as the pri- mary barrier in terrestrial mammals to water loss and the uptake of toxic substances. The techniques of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy have been used to evaluate the biophysical properties of the SC. These techniques provide information on both SC protein and lipid structure that can then be correlated with permeability measurements. Re- sults show that temperature-induced changes in water permeability through SC are remarkably sim- ilar to data obtained with lipid bilayers. Spectral results show that changes in the lipid acyl chain conformation are highly correlated with water per- meability. Taken together, these results strongly support the role of SC lipids in barrier function. Furthermore, they provide a mechanistic interpre- tation of permeant transport that is independent of pore formation. Finally, if the lipid biophysics of water transport through SC and lipid bilayers are mechanistically similar, why do the absolute rates differ by over 1000-fold? The answer may be found in the unique morphology of the SC, where corneo- cyte "bricks" may serve to increase the tortuosity of water transport. Polar pathway, transepidermal water loss, and moisturization J. L. Zatz, Ph.D., Department of Pharmaceutics, Rutgers University College of Pharmacy, Pisca- taway, NJ The stratum comeurn has traditionally been envi- sioned as a lipophilic barrier to skin penetration, and this viewpoint is in accord with most measure- ments. However, the slow but finite permeation of polar solutes through the skin, including water it- self, suggests that there may be a special pathway for such molecules. The nature of this pathway has not been definitively identified, but several sugges- tions have been put forth. One is that polar mole- cules are transported via the shunts, such as the hair follicles and sweat gland ducts. Another notion is that spaces between polar head groups of the neutral intercellular lipids of the stratum corneum line up to permit water and other polar molecules to pass between the cells. Higuchi's pore model accounts mathematically for much data, but does not iden- tify the location of the "pores." In recent experi- ments on simultaneous lidocaine and water trans- port through excised, dermatomed human skin, the enhancement of water penetration by surfactants was proportional to lidocaine enhancement. These data suggest that water is not restricted to the polar pathway in the presence of agents that perturb the intercellular lipids. Iontophoresis and sonophoresis•Skin penetra- tion through appendageal pathways? Thomas S. Spencer, Ph.D., Director of Research and Development, Cygnus Research Corporation, Redwood City, CA 94063 Conventional delivery of active materials into and through the skin is based on the driving force of a concentration gradient from the active in a topical formulation to a lower concentration in the dermis. Iontophoresis actively delivers substances across the skin by employing electrical potential energy, while sonophoresis invokes ultrasonic waves to enhance the transport of actives across the skin. Unlike pas- sive diffusion, active transfer of charged and neutral molecules across the skin changes the relative con- tribution of proposed hydrophobic, hydrophilic, and appendageal pathways of penetration. As the cosmetic industry moves towards treatment of skin aging and reversal, rather than concealment, of skin blemishes and discoloration, greater specificity of the area and delivered dose of cosmeceuticals will be needed to normalize different skin conditions.