Dry itching skin is a concomitant of several skindiseases. It also is observed as a primary dermatologic complaint in the aged, and in persons intolerant to soap or frequent bathing.Pillsbury and associates (1) state that lack of water is the important defect contributing to dry skin, and that skin lipids may be important in preventing water loss from the stratum corneum. The studies of Berenson and Burch (2) indicate that keratin may act as a matrix in withholding lipids or lipoprotein complexes, and these complexes are probably the chief barrier to water loss.Prominent among the lipid constituents of the skin are the phospholipids. These polar, fat and water-soluble substances play a vitally important role in the physiologic activities of all living cells. It is significant that the concentration of phospholipids in both young tissue and repair tissue is considerably higher than in other types of cell (3). As the phosphatides form part of the cell membrane, the extent of their hydration may well be a determining factor of the water-carrying capacity of the whole tissue. In a recent study, Elworthy (4) measured the adsorption of water on phosphatides and found it to be of considerable magnitude. These observations on the role of the phospholipids stimulated interest in the development of a bath oil high in phospholipid content. ' In contrast to most other bath oils which do not contain phosphatides but contain chiefly mineral oil, this new preparation is devoid of both mineral oil and lanolin. Thus it has a closer relationship to the normal lipid content of skin and advantageously lacks a potentially allergenic lipid of animal origin. SUBJECTS AND METHODSInitially, 72 patients with various dermatoses (Table 1) were included in this study, but observations were completed on only 71 because 1 patient did not return for follow-up. Fifty-nine subjects used the bath oil as adjunctive treatment for the relief of pruritus and/or dry skin associated with dermatoses. The remaining 12 had "senile" skin and used the bath oil without other therapy.When a large area of skin was involved, the subject was instructed t o add 1 tablespoonful of the oil t o bath water.When a limited area of skin was involved, the subject was instructed t o apply a dab of oil with wetted hands t o the site of the dermatosis or dry skin. Patients with "senile" skin occasionally were given a ditferent oil or an oilated powder for comparison with the nil high in phospholipids.Eighteen patients were less than 13 years old, and 15 were more than G5 years old. The rest were in intervening age groups, and had dermatologic disorders not necessarily associated with age.