STRUCTURAL, RHEOLOGICAL AND TEXTURAL PROPERTIES OF SOFT PARAFFINS.

Various aspects of soft paraffins, with the main emphasis on their rheological properties, are considered in a review of 119 references. Rheological test methods currently used are critically appraised in sections on penetrometry, continuous shear viscometry, oscillatory testing and creep analysis. The chemical nature, microscopic structure, miscellaneous methods of standardisation, formulation and work softening of petrolatums are reviewed. The textural properties of soft paraffins are discussed; a master curve of the rheological conditions operative during spreading on the skin is presented.