Opinion ID: 277859
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Intended Use Doctrine: The Illegal Mixture.

Text: 24 In the first place, Mrs. Pruitt has not established a cause of action because she has not shown that the mixture of these products was intended. This fact had to be established because a product is not defective unless injury occurred during an intended use. Lartigue v. R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 5th Cir. 1963, 317 F.2d 19; Spruille v. Boyle-Midway, Inc., 4th Cir. 1962, 308 F.2d 79. The directions on each package suggest that the mixture was not intended. The 'New Blue Bleach' said: 'Do not mix Helene Curtis New Blue Bleach with anything except Helene Curtis Creme Developer (or a good-grade or fresh 20 volume hydrogen peroxide).' It is undisputed that Cosmair peroxide is a cream rather than hydrogen peroxide. The label on the Cosmair bottle said: 'For tinting or bleaching, use Oreor exactly as you would use 20-volume peroxide with Imedia Petite, Imedia Petite Excellence, Imedia Creme, Super Blue Creme Oil Lightener.' It is undisputed that Helene's product is none of the above. 25 Mr. Dieter, the cosmetic chemist for Helene, compared the peroxides. He stated that hydrogen peroxide has the viscosity of water while the cream peroxide is similar to hand lotion. The cream peroxide contains additives which thicken the product and also provide some emollients or conditioning actions when used on the hair. He stated further that there was definitely a physical difference between the products, but his company had no way of ascertaining the chemical differences since the formula for the Cosmair product was a trade secret. Because of the uniqueness of cream peroxide, Mr. Dieter stated that Helene recommended that a hydrogen peroxide be used when Helene's own Cream Developer was not used, since there is nothing unique about a hydrogen peroxide. Cosmair's expert agreed that the trade secrets made it impossible to know about the products' compatibility; that the directions were meant to be followed; and that he did not recommend that the products be used together. Appellee has suggested that these directions serve both commercial and safety ends. Although they may have a dual nature, the decisions demonstrate that a failure to follow directions cannot support a finding of a defect. Prosser, The Fall of the Citadel (Strict Liability to the Consumer), 50 Minn.L.Rev. 791, 824 (1966). Indeed, instructions accompanying cosmetics are an integral part of the warranty and are to be strictly followed. E. I. DuPont De Nemours & Co. v. Baridon, 8th Cir. 1934, 73 F.2d 26. This principle is particularly applicable to a bleaching product which has the inherent danger of burning the scalp or hair if misapplied in any way. Furthermore, directions become more important when products are to be mixed. All the relevant decisions presented evince a hesitancy to hold the maker responsible when mixtures are involved. No doubt many of the plaintiffs' problems in these cases stem from the requirement that the other possible causes be negated by a preponderance of the evidence. But aside from the preponderance-of-the-evidence approach, which we have rejected, these decisions reflect the valid policy concern for the potential abuses of jury speculation when mixtures are the cause of injury. What these decisions justifiably demand is that there be a rational basis in the record from which the jury can make a selective choice between the products before the manufacturer can be held responsible for the harm caused by his product or the mixture. See Bathory v. Procter & Gamble Distributing Co., 6th Cir. 1962, 306 F.2d 22; Sheptur v. Procter & Gamble Distributing Co., 6th Cir. 1958, 261 F.2d 221; Harrod et al. v. Edward E. Tower Co., 346 Mass. 532, 194 N.E.2d 392 (1963). This requirement is all the more warranted when the products involved were never meant to be used together. Unlike the case of Ozark v. Wichita Manor, Inc., 5th Cir. 1958, 252 F.2d 671, in which component parts were used to produce a final product, it is clear in the instant case that the products involved were not marketed for that purpose. 26 Nor can it be said that Appellants should have foreseen the mixture, since the trade secrets of one maker prevented any safety tests on the product of the other. Manufacturers cannot be responsible for a combination which they did not recommend and which they had no way of guarding against at the manufacturing stage. Lartigue v. R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 5th Cir. 1963, 317 F.2d 19. Moreover, the mixing of these products amounted to an abnormal handling or substantial alteration which, because it was uintended and unforeseen, excuses the makers from responsibility for any harm. Noel, Manufacturers Negligence of Design or Directions for Use of a Product, 71 Yale L.J. 816 (1962); Prosser, The Fall of the Citadel (Strict Liability to the Consumer), 50 Minn.L.Rev. 791 (1966). 27