EP0310472A1 - Method for compacting a powder-based cosmetic preparation - Google Patents

Abstract

A quantity of powdery cosmetic preparation (2), which may include a binder, is placed in an enclosure (1) which is open at its upper part and whose lower part is delimited by a cup (4) comprising an opening (9) and being intended to contain, at the end of the operation, the resulting compact cosmetic preparation. The enclosure (1) is delimited, in the region of the opening (9), by a base counterplate (3). The pulverulent preparation (2) is compressed using a compacting piston (13), possibly heated. The surface of the compact cosmetic preparation, which is accessible through the opening (9), constitutes the surface for taking the product by the user. By inserting between the counterplate (3) and the cup (4), a flexible film (11) secured to said cup (4), it is possible to obtain product protection and inviolability. Usable for compact make-up powders.

Description

The present invention relates to the field of cosmetic preparations constituted by compressed dry powders or by mixtures of compressed dry powders, or also by powder-anhydrous binder mixtures, these cosmetic preparations which advantageously contain colored or tinted pigments, used for make-up of the face, and often being designated by the term "compact".

Generally, it is known that this type of powder consists of a powder base chosen in particular from talc, rice starch, kaolin, silk powder or polymer powder to which pigments are added to obtain coloring for example of titanium, zinc or iron oxides. When a pearlescent effect is desired, a mica powder or a mica powder coated with metal oxides, in particular titanium and bismuth or aluminum powders, is added. To obtain sufficient adhesion to the skin, a small amount of binder is generally added, for example vegetable, animal, mineral or synthetic oils, zinc stearate, sorbitol or lanolin. These powders can also contain preservatives such as methylparaben or propylparaben, surfactants, preferably nonionic and perfumes.

To obtain a make-up compact, the basic fluid powder is placed in the bottom of an enclosure, in which a piston or a punch is slid which compresses said powder to ensure the cohesion of its grains. In general, it is arranged so that the enclosure is, at its base, delimited by a cup which receives the resulting compact product.

However, it has been found that the compact product thus obtained does not hope to be homogeneous over its height, in particular that it is more brittle in the region near the bottom of the cup, and harder in the opposite region, on the surface of which the compacting piston was applied. The reason is that the pressure applied to the fluid powder does not pass through the powder layer due to the elasticity of the powder layer. However, in use, it is easier to take the powder from a more brittle part.

The present invention proposes, in order to be able to benefit from this advantage, a method which makes it possible to directly obtain a packaging of compact product accessible by the user through this more brittle part. To this end, provision is made for the cup placed in the bottom of the enclosure to have at least one opening, said enclosure being delimited, at this (or these) opening (s), by a base counterplate. Under these conditions, after the compacting operation, in the final packaging consisting, for example, of a box, the resulting cup is presented turned over on itself so that the product can be withdrawn through its opening (s) (s).

Furthermore, in the implementation of conventional compacting, it has been found that the edges of the compacts often have defects. With the method of the present invention, it suffices to have the opening (s) at the bottom of the cup, mainly in the central region thereof; in this way, the edges of the compact are hidden in the final packaging, which then offers a more aesthetic appearance.

In accordance with an alternative implementation of the method according to the invention, a base counter plate can be used having, in correspondence with each opening, a slightly convex shape, so that the compact protrudes from the bottom of the cup, by the (or the) opening (s) made therein, according to a slightly curved part also giving a more aesthetic appearance to the whole.

Another advantage of the process according to the invention is that the above-mentioned openings can have any which cut, therefore, advantageously, original or aesthetic cutouts, but that, in all cases, the same compacting piston can be used for a cup of given overall shape. It suffices simply to replace, each time, in the compaction system, the cup with another comprising another type of opening.

It is also possible, in the compacting system, to interpose, between the base plate and the cup, a protective film advantageously constituting a film of inviolability of the powder; it is also possible to provide, at the bottom of the cup, at least one transverse bar which separates the opening of the bottom of the cup into two zones, so as to compact, in the same operation, powders of different natures, for example containing pigments of different colors, in particular for presenting complementary makeup products.

It is also possible to provide for hot compaction, in order to obtain better cohesion of the resulting compact product, which is advantageous in particular in the case where the powder contains a binder which distributes better and faster in the base powder. ; the binder can also be used in the form of microcapsules.

The present invention therefore firstly relates to a process for the compacting of a cosmetic preparation based on powder, according to which a quantity of said pulverulent preparation is placed in an enclosure which is open at its upper part and whose lower part is delimited by a cup intended to contain, at the end of the operation, the resulting compact cosmetic preparation, to constitute, with the latter, an element for conditioning the cosmetic preparation, and the pulverulent preparation is compressed in said enclosure, characterized by the fact that a cup is used, the bottom of which has at least one opening, said enclosure being delimited, in the region of said (or of said) opening (s) by a base plate on which said cup rests, the surface of the compact cosmetic preparation which is accessible through said opening (s), constituting, in the final packaging of the cosmetic preparation compact, the sampling surface, by the user, of said preparation.

In particular, a cup is used, the opening (s) of which (are) made in the central part of the base, the border region of the compact cosmetic preparation being protected from the outside by the peripheral zone of the bottom of said cup.

According to a variant of the method according to the invention, a counter plate is used, the surface of which facing the opening (or each opening) of the bottom of the cup is slightly concave in order to obtain a slightly convex surface for the preparation. projection from the plane of the outer wall of the bottom of the compact cup.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the process of the invention, it is possible to have, between the bottom of the cup and the base counterplate, a flexible protective film capable of remaining integral with said cup and its contents after compacting. This film must be made of an extremely flexible material in the case where the previous variant is used.

One can in particular use a film welded or bonded to the outer edge of the bottom of the cup, or else a completely adhesive film, such a film thus achieving the inviolability of the compact cosmetic preparation in the associated cup. In the case where the film is completely adhesive, one obtains, when the latter is removed, a surface of the compact product which comprises a slight screening, which can be sought from an aesthetic point of view.

One can also provide for the use of a rigid cover mounted in place of the flexible film, this cover can be obtained by injection and can be secured to the bottom of the cup by snap-fastening.

According to another characteristic of the method according to the invention, it is possible to provide, in the enclosure, facing the counter plate, and passing through the opening (or at least one of the openings ) from the bottom of the cup, at least one transverse bar which separates powdery cosmetic preparations of different natures, and compact these preparations simultaneously.

According to the invention, a layer of liquid adhesive, for example hot-melt adhesive, can be deposited on the bottom of a housing capable of receiving by interlocking the cup containing the compact preparation, the bottom of said cup being turned towards the outside, and said adhesive is then left to harden, to ensure the fixing of the cup on the bottom of the case and on the lower internal edge of the side wall of said case, to constitute the final packaging of the compact preparation.

In known manner, it is possible to use a powdery cosmetic preparation which contains a certain amount of at least one binder, for example from 2 to 15% by weight relative to the totality of the powdery cosmetic preparation. In particular, it may be useful to use a binder (s) conditioned in microcapsules, which burst during compression, in order to distribute the binder within the powder particles.

Furthermore, according to an advantageous characteristic of the present invention, hot compaction can be carried out. In this case, a compacting piston equipped with a heating device is used in particular and the temperature of the compacting piston is adjusted to a value of, for example, between 40 and 300 ° C.

In the case where hot compaction is carried out and a binder is used, for a cosmetic preparation given, it is possible to choose a rate of binder less than or equal to that which would be chosen for compacting without adding heat, in order to obtain a respectively more powdery or more creamy texture of the compact cosmetic preparation. The binder, whatever its form, is distributed better and faster within the composition; less can be used for equal cohesion, with a more powdery texture obtained.

Furthermore, in the case of the use of hot compaction and the use of at least one binder, provision may be made for the use of hydrophobic binders, such as waxes, which cannot be could use if there was no heat input, which makes it possible to obtain more hydrophobic compacts, for a makeup that is more resistant to water.

In the case where a protective film is used, if the compaction is carried out hot, a film capable of withstanding the heat applied will of course be chosen.

The present invention also relates to a compact cosmetic preparation obtained according to the process defined above.

to better understand the object of the present invention, we will describe below, purely by way of non-limiting, several embodiments shown in the accompanying drawing.

• - la figure 1 représente une vue schématique en coupe verticale d'un dispositif de compactage adapté pour la mise en oeuvre du procédé conforme à la présente invention ;
• - la figure 2 est une vue en perspective de la coupelle renferment la préparation cosmétique, telle qu'elle est obtenue en fin de compactage par le dispositif de la figure 1, cette coupelle étant présentée en position retournée afin de montrer le côté de prélèvement du produit compact ;
• - la figure 3 représente, en coupe longitudinale, la coupelle de la figure 1 après mise en place dans un boîtier de présentation ;
• - la figure 4 est une vue analogue à la figure 1 d'un dispositif de compactage réalisé selon une variante ;
• - la figure 5 est une vue analogue à la figure 1 illustrant la possibilité de réaliser des coupelles à plusieurs compartiments ; et
• - la figure 6 représente la vue de dessus de la coupelle de la figure 5, après compactage, montrant les sur­faces de prélèvement des produits compactés dans ces compar­timents.

On this drawing :

• - Figure 1 shows a schematic view in vertical section of a compacting device suitable for implementing the method according to the present invention;
• - Figure 2 is a perspective view of the cup containing the cosmetic preparation, as obtained at the end of compaction by the device of Figure 1, this cup being presented in the inverted position in order to show the sampling side of the compact product;
• - Figure 3 shows, in longitudinal section, the cup of Figure 1 after installation in a presentation box;
• - Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 of a compacting device produced according to a variant;
• - Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustrating the possibility of making cups with several compartments; and
• - Figure 6 shows the top view of the cup of Figure 5, after compacting, showing the sampling surfaces of the compacted products in these compartments.

Referring to FIG. 1, it can be seen that an enclosure has been designated by 1 in which an amount of powder 2 has been placed intended to be compacted.

This powder can, for example, have the following weight composition:
- Talc 40%
- Pigments 10%
- Pearlescent agent (mica) 40%
- Binder (petroleum jelly, jojoba oil) possibly microencapsulated 10%

The enclosure 1 is delimited by a horizontal support 3, serving as a counter-plate in the powder compacting operation 2, by a cup 4 resting on said counter-plate 3, and by a tubular sleeve 5.

The cup 4, made of plastic for example, is constituted by a rectangular bottom 6, to which is connected a side wall 7 of low height. The quantity of fluid powder 2 introduced and the dimensions of the cup 4 are calculated so that the compaction leads to a flat parallelepiped block 8 (FIG. 3) whose upper surface is flush with the free edge of the side wall 7 of the cup 4.

The latter has the particularity that its bottom 6 has an opening 9 der ellipsoidal shape, centered on the center of the bottom 6 and occupying a large surface of said bottom.

The sleeve 5, of rectangular cross section corresponding to the internal cross section of the cup 4, has a recess 10 from its internal wall, at a distance from one of its edges which is equal to the height of the cup 4.

For compaction, the cup 4 rests on the counter plate 3 with the interposition of a film 11, the sleeve 5 coming to fit axially on the cup 4, so that the free upper edge of the latter abuts against the recess 10, the internal surfaces of the wall 7 and of the sleeve 5 coming to be placed in the extension of one another.

The film 11 is a very flexible plastic film; its shape and dimensions correspond to those of the bottom of the cup 4; moreover, it is extended laterally by a tongue 12, as is clearly visible in FIG. 2. The film 11 is bonded by its border to the periphery of the external wall of the bottom 6, or else it is completely adhesive.

In the enclosure 1, a piston 13 is slidably mounted, which can be equipped with a heating device 14, for example, by an electrical resistance. This optional device 14 is shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1.

For compaction, the piston 13 is applied to the powder 2, the level of which exceeds that of the upper edge of the cup 4 until the compact is produced 8. The compaction pressure is between 40 and 400 bars and it is maintained for 1 to 15 seconds. Then, after removing the piston and removing the sleeve 5, the assembly shown in FIG. 2 is removed, consisting of the cup 4, the compact 8 and the film 11.

We then place this set, in position returned, as shown in FIG. 3, in a housing 15, the solid bottom 16 of which is connected to a side wall 17, the internal cross section of this housing 15 being equal to or slightly greater than the cross section of the cup 4.

Before the introduction of the assembly of FIG. 2, on the bottom 16 of the housing 15, a layer of hot-melt adhesive 18 has been placed in the liquid state. Taking this adhesive allows the compact 8 to be fixed to the bottom 16 of the housing 15; moreover, the hot-melt adhesive 18, still liquid, rises laterally against the wall 17, to ensure total attachment of the cup 4 and of the housing 15.

In use, the film 11 is removed in one piece by grasping the tongue 12 and there is then access to the compact 8 through the opening 9 of the cup 4. Access to the compact product is therefore made by the less hard part of the compact 8 and, therefore, the removal of the product is easier. Furthermore, any hidden defects of the edge of the compact 8 are hidden from view, this edge being covered by the periphery of the bottom 6.

In the packaging of FIG. 3, the bonding of the compact 8 to the bottom 16 of the housing 15, avoids inadvertent cracking of the compact 8 either in use, when the user is required to press the compact 8, or at the time of transportation.

In FIG. 4, an alternative embodiment is shown according to which the counter plate 3 a has, in its region coming opposite the opening 9 of the bottom 6 of the cup 4, a slightly concave shape. In this way, a compact 8 is obtained which projects slightly through the opening 9, thus giving an aesthetic effect to the resulting packaging.

FIG. 5 illustrates another possibility offered by the present invention, namely that of provide, in enclosure 1, on the bottom 6 of the cup 4, a transverse separation bar 19 formed between the two edges of the bottom 6, the two longitudinal edges of said bottom 6 delimiting the opening 9. This bar 19 constitutes a separation allowing the introduction, into the enclosure, of two types of pulverulent substances, 2 a , 2 b , different for example by the color of the pigments which they contain, and constituting for example complementary makeup products. The bar 19 may have a curved shape, also giving an aesthetic note to the final packaging of the compact 8.

It is understood that the embodiments described above are in no way limiting and may give rise to any desirable modifications, without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (17)

1 - Process for compacting a cosmetic preparation (2; 2 a - 2 b ) based on powder, according to which a quantity of said pulverulent preparation (2; 2 a - 2 b ) is placed in an enclosure (1) which is open at its upper part and the lower part of which is delimited by a cup (4) intended to contain, at the end of the operation, the resulting compact cosmetic preparation (8; 8 a - 8 b ) to constitute, with the latter , an element for conditioning the cosmetic preparation, and the pulverulent preparation (2; 2 a - 2 b ) is compressed in said enclosure (1), characterized in that a cup (4) is used, the bottom (6) has at least one opening (9), said enclosure (1) being delimited, in the region of said opening (s) (9) by a base plate (3; 3 a ) on which rests said cup (4), the surface of the compact cosmetic preparation (8; 8 a - 8 b ), which is accessible by said (or the esaid) opening (s) (9), constituting, in the final packaging of the compact cosmetic preparation (8; 8 a - 8 b ). the sampling surface, by the user, of said preparation. 2 - Method according to claim 1, characterized in that a cup (4) is used whose (or) opening (s) (9) is (or are) made (s) in the central part of the bottom ( 6), the border region of the compact cosmetic preparation (8; 8 a - 8 b ) being protected from the outside, in the final packaging, by the peripheral zone of the bottom (6) of said cup (4). 3 - Method according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that use is made against a plate (3a), the surface coming opposite the opening (9) (or each opening) of bottom (6) of the cup (4) is slightly concave, to give the (or each) accessible area of the compact cosmetic preparation (8; 8 a - 8 b ), a slightly convex surface, projecting from in the plane of the outer wall of the bottom (6) of the cup (4). 4 - Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that there is, between the bottom (6) of the cup (4) and the base plate (3, 3 a ), a film flexible protection (11), capable of remaining integral with said cup (4) and its contents (8; 8 a - 8 b ) after compaction. 5 - Method according to claim 4, characterized in that one uses a film (11) welded to the outer edge of the bottom (6) of the cup (4), or a film (11) fully adhesive, said film ( 11) achieving the inviolability of the compact cosmetic preparation (8; 8 a - 8 b ) of the associated cup (4). 6 - Method according to one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that one uses a film (11) tearable in one piece by a lateral gripping tab (12). 7 - Method according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that there is provided, in the enclosure (1), opposite the plate against (3, 3 a ), and through the opening (9) (or at least one of the openings) at the bottom of the cup (4), at least one transverse bar (19), which separates powdery cosmetic preparations of different natures, intended for be compacted simultaneously in said cup (4). 8 - Method according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a layer of liquid adhesive is deposited on the bottom (16) of a housing (15) capable of receiving, by interlocking, the cup (4 ) containing the compact preparation (8; 8 a - 8 b ), the bottom (6) of said cup (4) being turned outwards and said glue is allowed to harden to ensure the fixing of the cup (4) on the bottom (16) of the housing (15) and on the lower internal edge of the side wall (17) of said housing (15). 9 - Method according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a preparation is used powdery cosmetic (2; 2 a - 2 b ), which contains from 2 to 15% by weight of at least one binder. 10 - Process according to claim 9, characterized in that one uses (or) binder (s) conditioned (s) in microcapsules. 11 - Method according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the hot compaction is carried out. 12 - Method according to claim 11, characterized in that one uses a compacting piston (13) equipped with a heating device (14). 13 - Process according to claim 12, characterized in that the temperature of the compacting piston (13) is adjusted to a value between 40 and 300 ° C. 14 - Method according to claims 9 and 11 taken in combination, characterized in that, for a given powdery cosmetic preparation (2; 2 a - 2 b ), one chooses a rate of binder less than or equal to that which would be chosen for compaction without adding heat. 15 - Process according to claim 9 taken in combination with one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that at least one binder of hydrophobic nature is used. 16 - Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that there is, between the bottom (6) of the cup (4) and the base plate (3, 3a), a rigid cover capable of remaining integral with said cup (4) after compaction. 17 - Compact cosmetic preparation obtained by the process according to one of claims 1 to 16.

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