Norman Meltzer, 72, a physiologist and retired research and development executive for Helene Curtis, died in Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge on Sunday, Dec. 31, of heart failure. He managed and designed safety and testing programs for new cosmetics products in the late-1950s and ’60s. He retired in 1998 as corporate director of product integrity, in which he served as a legal liaison and expert witness for the Helene Curtis research and development department. He oversaw the development of several patent-winning hairstyling products during his career. Mr. Meltzer early on had worked to ensure individual Helene Curtis products were safe to use, testing products that included shampoos, antiperspirants, antacids and wrinkle smoothers. He introduced into the cosmetics industry two preservatives, now widely used, that prevented bacterial growth without posing risks to users in the late-1970s. Among the product lines he worked on were Suave, Degree and Salon Selectives, said his wife, Enid. “He was patient, but very thorough,” she said. “He knew where to get the information people would need.” A Chicago native, Mr. Meltzer earned an undergraduate biology degree from Roosevelt University in 1951, a master’s in physiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1953, and a doctorate in physiology from the U. of I. in 1958. A research and teaching assistant at the university beginning in 1952, he worked briefly as a physiology instructor there in 1957 and ’58, before joining Helene Curtis as a group leader in the biology division. He became an associate director of research and development in 1965, and acquired additional oversight responsibilities until being named corporate director of product integrity in 1986. He continued consulting with Helene Curtis after his retirement. Mr. Meltzer was a past chairman of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists Midwest Chapter and in 1993 won the Robert C. Ring Award for his scientific contributions to the cosmetics industry. In addition to his wife, Mr. Meltzer is survived by a daughter, Roberta Senzel; a son, Mark; and six grandchildren. Services were held Wednesday in Wilmette.
