The Long Island Ladies

By Alice Park

They're paid to be opinionated. And Clinique, based in Melville, N.Y., is careful to weigh the concerns of the women on its testing panel before launching each of its new skin-care products. They visit the labs once a month so that scientists can measure their skin's density and scrutinize their wrinkles--silicone molds are used to make imprints of their face. "I never thought there was so much testing behind cosmetics before I came here," says Janet Giannattasio, 54, above. "When the ladies don't like something--if it's too greasy or smells funny or is too hard to use," says Clinique's Rose Sparacio, "we hear about it."

--By Alice Park