Abstract A study of nine water‐miscible or water‐dispersible ointment bases is reported. Selected surface‐active agents were compounded to produce pharmaceutically acceptable ointment bases, and their irritant effects on intact human skin were determined. The bases were composed predominantly of surface‐active material and contained no water. Antiseptic action from these bases was shown to be superior by cup plate test to that obtained when oily bases were used. A correlation between the ionic character of a surface‐active agent and cutaneous irritation is suggested by the data.