The effect of ethyl myristate on the release rate of 4-hexylresorcinol from petrolatum base was studied at pH 7.4 and 37 degrees. 4-Hexylresorcinol was analyzed spectrophotometrically at 278 nm. The release rate of hexylresorcinol from the ointments was directly proportional to the square root of time and depended on the percentage of ethyl myristate in the ointment base. For 0, 0.5, 1, 3, and 5% of ethyl myristate, the release rates were 29.6, 35.4, 38.3, 55.7, and 70.0 micrograms/hr1/2/cm2, respectively. The solubility of hexylresorcinol in the petrolatum base was determined as a function of ethyl myristate using partitioning techniques. The enhancement in hexylresorcinol solubility was rationalized on the basis of 1:1 and 1:2 complexes between hexylresorcinol and ethyl myristate. The complexation constants of these complexes were estimated to be 10 M-1 and 206.1 M-2, respectively. The diffusion coefficient of hexylresorcinol in the petrolatum base was estimated to be 1.31 x 10(-8) cm2/sec.