Deposition of 3,4,4'-trichlorocarbanilide on human skin.

For rinse-off products such as soaps, quantitating the deposition of ingredients left behind on the skin following rinsing may be important particularly if the ingredient is biologically active, e.g. germicides, perfumes. The residue comprises the major portion of material which is available for percutaneous penetration. A method is described for quantitating the deposition of the soap germicide, 3,4,4'-trichlorocarbanilide (TCC) as the result of direct application of bar soap on human skin. A soap pellet containing 1.5% [14C]TCC was gently rubbed on a small area of the volar forearm for 30 s. 90 s after soap application the site was thoroughly rinsed with water. After rinsing, 1.4% of the applied [14C]TCC, or 0.33 micrograms/cm2, remained on the treated site as determined by cellophane tape stripping followed by scintillation counting. The amount of TCC deposited from a simulated wash with a bar soap onto human skin is compared to the amount deposited onto the skin of other species.