Résumé
Ten mascara br and s, used by volunteers for over 6 months, were examined for both the level and type of contaminants. The level was found to vary between 7.4 x 10 2 and 7.9 x 10 5 CFU/g -1. The organisms detected were Staphylococcus epidermidis, Micrococcus spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, C and ida spp. and diphtheroids, the first being the most frequent. Three mascara br and s, in their original unopened containers, were challenged with st and ard organisms according to compendial procedure for testing the efficacy of antimicrobial preservatives in pharmaceutical products. These mascaras passed the test as stipulated by BP [1988] and USP [1990] for topical and ophthalmic preparations. When other unopened containers of the same mascara br and s were challenged with Ps. aeruginosa and S. epidermis, isolated from old used mascaras, significant proportions of the inoculated organisms survived for extended periods [ca. 16 weeks] with regrowth taking place at one time or another. One of the mascara br and s displayed an even active growth of both challenge organisms during the first week of inoculation. The results supported the findings of others in that mascaras could be easily contaminated during use with hazardous organisms, hence should comply with rigid microbiological quality assurance