Am.  Jour.  Pharm.) 
March,  1901.  J 
A  New  Cold  Cream. 
117 
A  NEW  COLD  CREAM. 
By  Wiixiam  C.  Aj_pers,  Sc.D. 
In  proposing  a  formula  for  a  new  cold  cream,  I  beg  to  apologize 
in  advance  if  what  I  am  going  to  say  is  not  new  to  you.  In  these 
days  of  continuous  research  by  thousands  of  ambitious,  restless 
minds,  we  are  never  sure  that  some  one  else  has  not  long  ago  dis- 
covered what  we  consider  as  new.  The  only  safeguard  against  such 
repetition  consists  in  the  diligent  reading  of  pharmaceutical  and 
chemical  journals,  and  here  I  must  confess  to  a  sin  of  omission ;  for 
the  pressure  of  business  during  the  last  two  years  has  not  left  me 
time  enough  to  do  my  full  duty  in  this  respect. 
The  words  "  cold  cream  "  have  a  double  meaning.  As  a  prepa- 
ration of  the  Pharmacopoeia,  the  synonym  of  Unguentum  Aquae 
Rosae,  its  formula  is,  of  course,  definite  and  fixed,  and  no  ointment, 
however  superior,  can  be  dispensed  in  its  place.  But,  besides  this 
Pharmacopceial  meaning,  cold  cream  is  a  collective  name  for  all 
unctious  preparations  that  serve  as  an  emollient  for  the  skin,  and  the 
laity,  when  asking  for  cold  cream,  care  but  little  whether  the 
ointment  that  they  receive  is  made  after  one  formula  or  another,  as 
long  as  it  is  soft  and  soothing,  of  grateful  odor  and  desired  efficiency. 
We  all  know  that  the  official  preparation,  while  fulfilling  all  these 
requirements  when  freshly  made,  cannot  be  depended  upon  after 
only  a  short  time,  particularly  when  exposed  to  a  sudden  change  of 
temperature.  In  pharmacies  where  the  sale  of  toilet  articles  is 
made  a  special  feature,  the  official  cold  cream  is  entirely  unavaila- 
ble ;  for  when  put  up  in  sealed  packages,  we  never  know  in  what 
condition  it  may  be  when  sold.  For  this  reason  nearly  every  enter- 
prising pharmacist  has  his  private  formula,  differing  more  or  less 
from  the  official  one,  and  it  may  be  stated  without  fear  of  contra- 
diction that  none  of  the  numerous  proprietary  cold  creams  are 
made  in  accordance  with  the  Pharmacopoeia.  It  is  for  such  a 
preparation,  uniform  in  all  climates  and  available  under  all  con- 
ditions, that  I  propose  this  new  formula.  The  disturbing  element 
in  the  official  preparation  being  the  oil,  a  proper  substitute  was 
found  in*  the  so-called  paraffin  oil,  also  sold  under  the  name  of 
mineral  oil  or  white  oil.  Care  must  be  taken  to  select  the  best 
quality,  entirely  free  from  odor  and  color. 
The  formula  is  as  follows : 
