304 THE WEALTH OF THE SEA 



Sperm oil is rendered from the blubber of the 

 sperm-whale in much the same way as whale oil is ob- 

 tained from the blubber of the baleen or whalebone 

 whales. When crude sperm oil is chilled, spermaceti 

 separates out as a solid wax, and is filtered off. Sperm 

 oil is more valuable than whale oil, as it is a wax. 

 It absorbs very little oxygen from the atmosphere and 

 therefore does not thicken when exposed to the air. 

 When cooled, it becomes slightly more viscous but 

 still retains its lubricating power. On account of these 

 properties, it is a valuable lubricant for many kinds 

 of machinery. 



Several cosmetics are prepared from certain whale 

 products. Crude spermaceti, obtained from crude 

 sperm oil, is refined by melting and heating with a 

 dilute caustic soda solution. After the caustic has 

 been washed out, the wax is run into molds. When 

 cold, the cakes are pulverized and pressed. Refined 

 spermaceti is a very beautiful wax, being a white, 

 lustrous, translucent, crystalline substance. It is 

 tasteless and odorless and so brittle that it can be 

 rubbed into powder between the fingers. Its most im- 

 portant use is in the preparation of face-creams of 

 the cold cream type. These creams are made by pre- 

 paring an emulsion of spermaceti and other waxes in 

 perfumed glycerin. Much glycerin is also prepared 

 from whale oil as a by-product of the manufacture 

 of soap. Glycerin is used as the base of many cos- 

 metics. Shaving and other lotions, shaving soaps of 

 all kinds, vanishing creams, beauty creams, trans- 

 parent soaps, tooth-pastes, and many other toilet 

 preparations contain varying amounts of glycerin. 



