Obituary: Robert Goldemberg, Cosmetic Chemist

Posted: October 20, 2008

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After Simon and Schuster published the book in 1974, The Record visited Rose and Robert Goldemberg at home in Teaneck. Mr. Goldemberg explained that despite the beneficial properties of vegetable-based ingredients, the cosmetics industry cannot use them because of their brief shelf life.

The advantage of making cosmetics at home, he noted, is that you can tailor the product to your needs.

"Cosmetics you buy are like television shows," he said. "They're made for a million people."

And millions of people, no doubt, used the cosmetics Mr. Goldemberg helped develop earlier in his career.

"Sometime between the end of World War II and 1965, cosmetics turned from a cookbook thing to a science, and Bob Goldemberg was among the leaders in that change," said Steve Herman, technical sales director for J & E Sozio, a fragrance firm in Edison. Herman took over the (Chemical Reaction) column Goldemberg wrote for many years in Drug and Cosmetic Industry magazine (now GCI).

Ken Klein, president of Cosmetech Laboratories, a Fairfield-based consultancy, said Mr. Goldemberg "was probably the first successful consultant in the cosmetics industry."