EP2195409A1

EP2195409A1 - Improved visual cues for perfumed laundry detergents

Info

Publication number: EP2195409A1
Application number: EP08804758A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Janette Cutrona; Rudolf Govert Driel Van; Kees Bert Geerse; Edwin Leo Mario Lempers
Original assignee: Unilever PLC; Unilever NV
Current assignee: Unilever PLC; Unilever NV
Priority date: 2007-10-12
Filing date: 2008-09-25
Publication date: 2010-06-16
Anticipated expiration: 2028-09-25
Also published as: ATE531786T1; ES2376957T3; CL2008003017A1; AR068857A1; CN101821374A; CN101821374B; ZA201001723B; AU2008309815B2; PL2195409T3; WO2009047125A1; AU2008309815A1; BRPI0818083A2; MY149738A; EP2195409B1; MX2010003985A; CA2702381A1; CA2702381C

Abstract

A granular laundry detergent composition comprising at least 5 wt% surfactant, optional builder, optional further cleaning ingredients, a perfume and 0.01 to 10 wt% of visual cues wherein the visual cue is flower shaped with petals and is coloured to have a naturally occurring petal colour and wherein the perfume is floral in essence.

Description

IMPROVED VISUAL CUES FOR PERFUMED LAUNDRY DETERGENTS

This invention relates to perfumed granular laundry detergent compositions that contain contrasting visual cues made from coloured and shaped film material.

BACKGROUND

It is conventional to include perfume in laundry detergent compositions. Such products are appreciated by the consumer according to their smell. The smell in the pack, the smell in use and the smell on the clothes before and after dying and/or ironing have all been the focus of much research and many patents. Possibly a hint of the type of perfume in a given composition is made by the naming of the variant or the way the product is marketed. It is desirable to provide better information about the type of perfume in the composition .

Recently, there have been publications linking perception of smells with shape and colour. In Neuron, VoI 39, 375-386, 17 July 2003. "The Nose Smells What the Eye Sees: Crossmodal Visual Facilitation of Human Olfactory Perception"; Jay A. Gottfried and Raymond J. Dolan reported: The human sense of smell is unreliable acting by itself. It needs visual cues to be more accurate. The underlying brain network involved in this olfactory and visual process was studied. The brain activity of subjects was monitored by MRI as they perceived smell and sight stimuli. The stimuli were manipulated in various combinations and the brain changes in subjects monitored. The researchers found that visual cues impact upon the olfactory cues as registered in the frontal part of the brain's hippocampus and the brain's rostromedial orbitofrontal cortex.

In J Neurophysiol 93: 3434-3441, 2005. "Color of Scents: Chromatic Stimuli Modulate Odor Responses in the Human Brain", by Robert A. Osterbauer, Paul M. Matthews, Mark

Jenkinson, Christian F. Beckmann, Peter C. Hansen and Gemma A. Calvert. It was reported that: Colour has a profound effect on the perception of smells. For example, strawberry-flavoured drinks are judged to smell more pleasant when coloured red than when coloured green. Moreover, descriptions of the "nose" of a wine are dramatically influenced by its colour. Colour cues affect olfaction as seen by the changes in brain activity in the brain's caudal regions of the orbitofrontal cortex. In these experiments, laboratory subjects were given various combinations of smells - lemon, strawberry, spearmint, or caramel - and colours - yellow, red, turquoise, or brown. When a colour and smell matched expectations, such as yellow colour together with a lemon odour, there was more activity in brain regions that process olfactory information than when the smell was given alone. Mismatches of colour and smell produced less brain activity.

Thus, actions such as adding red colouring to white wine can alter how a person perceives the wine's odour - and the publication revealed how we can watch the brain while this happens .

In GB2358403A, coloured water-soluble plastic film particles are added to a powdered laundry detergent of contrasting colour. The examples of this patent application use 5mm diameter circular or star shaped film particles. GB2358403A also discloses that the visual cues may suitably have other symmetrical and regular shapes, such as squares and triangles. As an alternative to the use of identical shapes, matched sets of shapes are suggested, for example, geometrical shapes: triangles, squares, pentagons, and hexagons; numerals; letters of the alphabet; heavenly bodies: sun, moon, and stars.

In WO2006/079416, 0.1% coloured visual cues made from gum Arabic film are added to a laundry detergent powder. The gum Arabic cues are irregularly shaped and are produced by fragmenting a large film of the appropriate material. When film material is broken in this way, it forms random shapes with sharp angles, generally having a triangular or "spiky" appearance .

It is an object of the present invention to produce an improved visual cue that may aid identification and appreciation of perfume odour in a laundry detergent composition, especially a laundry powder composition.

It is also an object to provide a granular laundry detergent composition comprising perfume and coloured and shaped visual cues that contribute to an improved experience of the washing process.

DEFINITIONS

Visual Cue

Means a consumer perceivable point of differentiation in a detergent composition. This could be a feature of the bulk composition: e.g. colour, viscosity, size of granules, or it could be achieved by having visually distinct particles included in the composition, in a minor amount.

Visual Cue Particle

Means a coloured speckle, film particle or other solid visually contrasting particle added to a detergent composition in a minor amount to function as a visual cue.

Lamellar Visual Cue (or Lamellae)

Means visual cue particles in the form of planar film material made into shapes. The shapes may be cut from a sheet of film or may be cast directly. Such lamellae are also called "film particles".

Flower Shaped (or Flower-Like)

Means planar film shapes (or lamellae) that have the outline of the shape of a flower with petals. Especially a stereotypical flower having a central generally circular area with a number, preferably six, of rotationally symmetrically dispersed "petals" radiating therefrom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a granular laundry detergent composition comprising at least 5 wt% surfactant, optional builder, optional further cleaning ingredients, a perfume and 0.01 to 10 wt% of visual cues wherein the visual cue is flower shaped with petals coloured to have a naturally occurring petal colour and wherein the perfume is a floral perfume.

Preferred visual cue shapes are based on flower shapes having six rotationally symmetrically disposed "petals".

Preferred visual cue colours are selected from the group comprising: yellow, red, blue, lilac, violet, orange, purple and green colours.

Preferred visual cues have a diameter of between 2mm and 10mm.

The visual cues are advantageously formed of coloured soluble film material with a maximum thickness of lmm, preferably 0.4 mm most preferably 0.25mm, most preferably 0.2 mm.

The visual cues preferably have a relative density of less than 0.8, preferably 0.5, most preferably 0.4. This ensures that the cues float and assists in continued provision of a visual cue for the perfume, even during the wash.

The advantage of such visual cues lies in their improved effectiveness in reinforcing and conveying perfume attributes to the user. This in turn contributes to an improved experience of the washing process and has been shown even to result in an enhanced perception of cleanliness and freshness of the washed fabrics.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To provide an effective visual cue for perfume it is desirable that the petals must be evenly distributed throughout a detergent composition, so the segregation must be not too large. This is particularly significant when the cue is used in a detergent powder composition.

The petal shaped visual cues do not segregate unduly during mixing, handling, transport. Segregation would lead to unacceptable dosing variability for consumers. At the level of segregation observed the consumer accepts it. Moreover, there is evidence that the experienced level of segregation actually has a positive effect on performance due to the 'surprise' factor. This can be quantified experimentally by reflectance measurements (see data) .

Each visual cue preferably has a weight of > 1 mg and < 4 mg, more preferably between 1.5 and 3.5 mg and a specific gravity of > 200 and < 500, preferably between 250 and 400 is highly advantageous for the petals. The invention also encompasses use of two or more completely different petals in one composition. These will advantageously have been cut from different films and may be different colours as well as different shapes and/or sizes.

The film from which the visual cue is made may itself be perfumed and/or it may incorporate other ingredients beneficial to the washing and/or designed to enhance the effect of the visual cue. Among these may be mentioned fluorescer, pearlescent materials, iridescent materials, reflecting materials, pro-fragrances, material having tactile benefits such as glycerine, materials delivering skin care benefits such as Aloe Vera.

Some ingredients (fluorescer) may increase the effect of the visual cue. It is also possible to include a low level of dye to counter any yellowing. Shading dye delivers a real benefit in the wash. Aloe Vera could be included this way too .

Other functional ingredients that can be used in the petals are TAED, Gerol, DTI-I, enzymes, shading dye and perfume. The most preferred ingredients for use in films are those that only need to be present at very low levels in the powder formulation, especially perfume, shading dye, bleach catalysts, fluorescer. Such materials may be instable in detergents due to interaction with moisture and other ingredients. The film also permits a greater range of soluble dyes to be used than was possible for speckles. It also gives the advantage that there is very little if any bleeding of dye into the bulk of the powder. Soluble dyes are preferred over pigments, as they do not stain cloths.

For incorporation of sensitive ingredients into the film, it is advantageous if the film contains polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) .

The preferred film materials comprise water soluble polymer, surfactant and colorant. Optional further ingredients are: adjuncts to assist in the manufacture of the film, for instance release agents and water. Besides its effect of control of relative humidity of the film, water also assists in plasticising the film and regulates its solubility.

The polymer may be selected from water soluble film forming polymers, especially those used in formulation of detergent powders. Preferred polymers include polymers which dissolve and/disperse completely in water within 30 minutes with agitation at a temperature anywhere in the range of from 293 to 333K.

Preferred water soluble polymers are those capable of being cast into a film or solid mass, for example as described in Davidson and Sittig, Water-Soluble Resins, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York (1968) . Preferred water-soluble resins include polyvinyl alcohol, cellulose ethers, polyethylene oxide, starch, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyacrylamide, polyvinyl methyl ether-maleic anhydride, polymaleic anhydride, styrene maleic anhydride, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, polyethylene glycols, carboxymethylcellulose, polyacrylic acid salts, alginates, acrylamide copolymers, guar gum, casein, ethylene-maleic anhydride resin series, polyethyleneimine, ethyl hydroxyethylcellulose, ethyl methylcellulose, hydroxyethyl methylcellulose, sugars. Lower molecular weight water-soluble, polyvinyl alcohol film- forming resins are preferred.

Polyvinyl alcohols preferred for use therein have an average molecular weight anywhere between 1,000 and 1,000,000, preferably between 5,000 and 250,000, for example between

15,000 and 150,000. Hydrolysis, or alcoholysis, is defined as the percent completion of the reaction where acetate groups on the resin are substituted with hydroxyl, -OH, groups, A hydrolysis range of from 60-99% of polyvinyl alcohol film-forming resin is preferred, while a more preferred range of hydrolysis is from about 70-90% for water-soluble, polyvinyl alcohol film-forming resins. The most preferred range of hydrolysis is 80-89%. As used in this application, the term "polyvinyl alcohol" includes polyvinyl acetate compounds with levels of hydroloysis disclosed herein.

Another suitable polymer is a polyvinyl alcohol film, made of a polyvinyl alcohol copolymer having a comonomer having a carboxylate function.

The preferred grade of PVA picks up water only at an RH well above that of granular detergent compositions. Thereby, it protects the other film ingredients from decomposition by water and soluble dyes from bleeding. The visual cue film particle may comprise 10 to 80% polymer or polymer mixture.

Although any suitable surfactant or surfactant system may be used, the surfactant is preferably an anionic surfactant, especially if the granular composition comprises a builder.

Suitable anionic surfactants include are well-known to those skilled in the art. Examples of high-foaming sulphonate or sulphate type surfactants include alkylbenzene sulphonates, particularly linear alkylbenzene sulphonates having an alkyl chain length of Cs-Ci₅; primary and secondary alkylsulphates, particularly Cs-Ci₅ primary alkyl sulphates; olefin sulphonates; alkyl xylene sulphonates; dialkyl sulphosuccinates; and fatty acid ester sulphonates. Sodium salts are generally preferred.

Further information is given in the open literature, for example, in "Surface-Active Agents and Detergents", Volumes I and II, by Schwartz, Perry and Berch.

The preferred anionic surfactants are alkylbenzene sulphonates, more especially linear alkylbenzene sulphonate (LAS) , which is preferably present in an amount of from 12 to 24 wt%, more preferably from 12 to 22 wt% and especially from 15 to 22 wt%.

Even more preferred are primary alcohol sulphates (PAS) , particularly Cs-Cis, preferably C12-C15, primary alcohol sulphates. A particularly preferred surfactant is primary alcohol sulphate (PAS) with a carbon chain length of 12. Visual cue Film particles containing up to 50% PAS, may be used.

The film may additionally include a second surfactant. The second surfactant is preferably chosen from amphoteric surfactants, zwitterionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants and ethoxylated anionic surfactants.

Preferred amphoteric second surfactants are amine oxides. The most preferred amine oxide is coco dimethylamine oxide. Preferred zwitterionic second surfactants are betaines, and especially amidobetaines, for example, coco amidopropyl betaine .

Preferred nonionic second surfactants include the primary and secondary alcohol ethoxylates, especially the C8-C20 aliphatic alcohols ethoxylated with an average of from 1 to 20 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol, and more especially the C10-C15 primary and secondary aliphatic alcohols ethoxylated with an average of from 1 to 10 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol.

Preferred ethoxylated anionic second surfactants, include alkyl ether sulphates (ethoxylated alcohol sulphates) .

Also suitable for use as second surfactants in the visual cues of the present invention are Cs-Cis alkyl monoethanolamides, for example, coco monoethanolamide . The second surfactant system used in the film particle may additionally comprise minor amounts, e.g. less than 5% of the film, of cationic surfactant.

Surfactant may be included at a level of up to 90 wt%, preferably up to 75 wt%, most preferably up to 60 wt% in the film.

The visual cue needs to be easily visible in wash liquor as well as against the background of the detergent formulation, therefore it is preferably coloured. Non fabric-substantive colorants may be included in the film composition at a level of 0.001 to 0.5 wt%, preferably 0.1 to 0.3 wt% of the film.

Suitable colorants include any that are used to colour detergent liquids or powders. Yellow, blue, violet, purple, red, orange, green, pink and lilac are preferred colours. White pigmented or dyed visual cues may also be used if the remainder of the laundry detergent composition is sufficiently coloured to contrast with such a white colour.

The visual cues can be made by cutting or punching a film or could be formed by cutting an extruded rod with a petal like cross section. The method of manufacture is not critical to the invention.

The granular laundry detergent composition comprising the shaped visual cue petal can be any type at all, provided it includes more than 5 wt% surfactant and perfume as essential components. It is preferred if the petal contrasts in colour but this is not essential if the petals will separate in use by floating on the surface of the wash liquor whilst the granular remainder of the composition sinks or disperses. Preferred surfactants are the ones that may be included in the petal film composition. Preferred builders are phosphates and carbonates.

Granular laundry detergent compositions for use in the invention may be built or unbuilt, low or high foaming, and contain any suitable type of detersive surfactant. However, it is preferred for handwash applications that they are built high foaming compositions comprising anionic surfactant. Phosphate and/or carbonate builders are preferred. It is especially beneficial if the surfactant system in the powder has synergistic compatibility with the anionic surfactant in the visual cue. Such surfactant combinations are well known in the field.

The granular composition may be manufactured by any of the known processes, such as spray drying, dry mixing and combinations thereof. It may be formed by using adjunct granules. It is desirable that the visual cues are post dosed to the composition, preferably using a low shear mixer to ensure an even distribution of the visual cues through the granular composition. The film particles are included in the total composition at a weight percentage in the range 0.01 to 10 wt%, preferably 0.03 to 2 wt% most preferably 0.1 to 1 wt%.

The compositions may suitably contain from 10 to 80%, preferably from 15 to 70% by weight, of detergency builder. Preferably, the quantity of builder is in the range of from 15 to 50% by weight.

Often granular detergents used for hand washing of laundry include inorganic phosphates, more especially sodium tripolyphosphate . Other possible phosphate builders are sodium orthophosphate and pyrophosphate.

Sodium tripolyphosphate is preferably present in an amount of from 10 to 40 wt%, more preferably from 15 to 35 wt%, most preferably from 20 to 30 wt%.

Alternative inorganic builders that may be used in place of or in addition to phosphates are sodium carbonate, layered silicates, and amorphous aluminosilicates .

Alternatively or additionally, the detergent compositions of the invention may contain as builder a crystalline alkali metal (preferably sodium) aluminosilicate (zeolite). Preferred zeolites are zeolite A (zeolite 4A), and zeolite MAP as described and claimed in EP 384 070B.

Organic builders that may be used include polycarboxylate polymers such as polyacrylates and acrylic/maleic copolymers; polyaspartates; monomeric polycarboxylates such as citrates, gluconates, oxydisuccinates, glycerol mono-, di- and trisuccinates, carboxymethyloxysuccinates, carboxymethyloxymalonates, dipicolinates, hydroxyethyl iminodiacetates, alkyl and alkenyl malonates and succinates; and sulphonated fatty acid salts. Especially preferred organic builders are citrates, suitably used in amounts of from 5 to 30 wt %, preferably from 10 to 25 wt %; and acrylic polymers, more especially acrylic/maleic copolymers, suitably used in amounts of from 0.5 to 15 wt %, preferably from 1 to 10 wt %.

Builders, both inorganic and organic, are preferably present in alkali metal salt, especially sodium salt, form.

Other ingredients that are beneficially contained within a granular detergent composition include any that are conventionally employed in such compositions. Especially preferred are ingredients conventionally used in hand washing compositions. Thus, sodium sulphate, enzymes, fluorescers, dye transfer inhibiters, anti redeposition agents, shading dye and enzymes are desirably included. Although it is possible to include bleach, this is less preferred for hand wash compositions.

Use of a green granule in the composition is advantageous if used with film colours that are associated with flowers.

The visual cue effect due to this floral colour selection is further amplified by the green "stem" colour contrast in the granular composition. This is especially important for use with perfumes evocative of nature, such as floral perfumes.

A petal shape is much preferred over squares and even over hexagons, when the composition to which it is added comprises perfume and most especially when the colour of the petal shape is selected from the natural shades of lilac, pink, yellow, blue, red etc. Users prefer the "petal" to a hexagon of the same size and colour. Without wishing to be bound by theory it is believed that the closer resemblance to the natural shape of the flower and the correlation between the shape, colour and smell emanating from the powder or wash liquor gave rise to this finding.

Use of a packet matched visual cue is exciting for the consumer and increases the effect of the visual cue. Moreover, although yellow does not work as a speckle colour it can work as visual cue due to higher visibility against white powder; thus allowing greater range of colours for visual cues. Having the powder add to the overall effect can also be beneficial. For example having some green speckles in the powder has been found to combine with the petal shaped coloured visual cues to emphasise the floral aspects. This may be further reinforced by the use of a similar colour scheme on the pack.

The petals may have some contrasting dots or a punched out area in the centre to increase their likeness to a real flower. However, it has been observed that the exact mimicking of a flower is not essential. Thus the shapes can be smaller than a flower and can have somewhat simplified shapes and colour schemes to enable more cost effective manufacture without detracting from the result of enhanced perfume effect. This has been borne out in testing on human subjects. Advantageously having a hole punched out of centre of the petal also makes it lighter.

To maximise the impact of petal shaped visual cue with perfume it is desirable if the shape and smell are linked already in nature as this has been found to provoke the best possible response from the user. The colour, shape and smell should all be a close as possible to the natural ones. Suitable perfumes for inclusion in the composition (both in the petal and elsewhere) are described in WO2004/111174, WO2004/111171, WO2004/111172 and WO2005/059077. A perfume is not generally a single compound but usually a complex mixture made up of a mix of various fragrance notes. The present invention includes the use of individual compounds (fragrance notes) and complex mixtures.

The invention is particularly suited to perfumes that are not stable to high pH or bleach. In particular perfumes which decompose by more than 20% in aqueous solution at pH 11 for 7 days, or perfumes which decompose by more than 20% when exposed to aqueous solution containing 2 mM hydrogen peroxide or peracetic acid at pH 11, for 7 days. Percentages refer to loss in concentration in moles per litre. Tests should be performed at 293K with 1 mM perfume. To solubilise the perfumes, surfactants, preferably lg/L Sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) , may be used.

This includes compounds with a wide degree of different functional groups, for example, alcohols, ketones, esters, lactones, aldehydes, terpenes, and phenols.

Preferred examples of aldehydic perfumes are cyclamen aldehyde, hydroxycitronellal, hydrocinnamic aldehyde, lilial, lyral, nonadienal, and phenylacetaldehyde,

Preferred examples of phenolic containing perfumes are: raspberry ketone, vanillin, ethyl vanillin, 4-propyl-2- - I i

methoxyphenol, 4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol, 4-propenyl-2- methoxyphenol, hexyl salicylate, cis-3-hexenyl salicylate, and methyl salicylate.

Perfumes are readily available for such firms as:

International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF), Firmenich SA and Givaudan .

The following is a list of preferred perfumes that may be used with the present invention: Alpha demascone; Delta demascone; Iso E super; Cinnamic aldehyde; Hexylcinnamic aldehyde; Aldehyde butylcinnamic; benzaldehyde; anisique aldehyde; Linalol; Tetrahydrolinalol; Undecavertol;

Geraniol; Nerol; Citronellol; citral; Oxyde de Rose; Geranyl acetate; Citronellyl acetate; Coumarine; Linalyl acetate;

Geranyl nitrate; Citronellyl nitrile; Cinnamonitrile;

Citronitrile; pinane; veloutone; Alpha-methylionone; damascenone; Gamma-terpinene; trifernal; lilial; citronellal; cyclosal; heliopropanal ; zestover; Aldehyde C12; tridecylenicaldehyde; Cyclosia base; octenal; pulegone;

Vertofix® Coeur, a methyl cedryl ketone from IFF; and, terpinolene .

Particularly advantageous perfume release effects may be obtained if the perfumes that are included in the lamellar visual cues are encapsulated. An encapsulated perfume is a perfume that is mixed with a polymeric material to form a particle of maximum dimension of 100 microns. Preferably, the vapour pressure of the perfume is reduced in the encapsulated particle at 293K and 1 atmosphere pressure. Typical materials used to encapsulate perfumes are modified starches, celluloses, amino-plast-resins and polyacrylates . Choosing a visual cue with curvature, particularly concavities closer to that of the convex surface of a typical granule is beneficial in solving the above problems. Furthermore, a cue that is reminiscent of a natural shape, especially one with a natural perfume is especially desirable .

As an even lighter weight alternative to film it is possible to fabricate meshes or open felt mats of polymer based material and to cut those into petal shapes in the same way as films .

The petals may be coloured, opaque, or even partially clear. In any case, it is possible to print onto the film to provide a single colour, multiple colours or a pattern such as a representation of a natural object like a leaf or flower .

One preferred class of petal shapes are those that are designed to be tilable or tessellated. To be tilable and yet to resemble petals they must have a plurality of visible indentations along their perimeter. Such concave lamellae can be expressed mathematically as that for each design of concave lamellae it must be possible to draw a straight line that passes through the periphery of the particle in more than two places. Convex shaped particles; like squares, hexagons, and rectangles can never satisfy this requirement. Another way to express the required shape mathematically is that each petal must either have a plurality of internal reflex angles, or it must have a plurality of indentations due to curved parts of its periphery.

If there are discernable internal angles, the periphery of the lamellae preferably has no internal angles less than 100 degrees and must have at least one internal angle greater than 180 degrees (a reflex angle) . At least two such angles are preferred. Advantageously, in this case, all internal angles are less than 260 degrees, so that relatively fragile points are avoided.

Most preferred are shapes with twice as many internal angles in the range 100 to less than 180 degrees as in the range more than 180 to less than 260 degrees.

The shape of the petals is preferably selected from polygons modified to have at least two opposing sides provided with an outwardly extending generally convex distortion and a corresponding inwardly extending concave distortion such that the inward and outward distortions may be fitted together by tiling.

The shape of the petals is most preferably selected from polygons modified to have each side provided with an outwardly extending generally convex distortion and a corresponding inwardly extending concave distortion such that the inward and outward distortions may be fitted together by tiling.

Preferred polygons are hexagons. A preferred shape for the concave lamellae is based on the normal construction of a, so called, Gosper island, as this enables a single and visually effective shape to be used. Koch snowflakes may also be employed if two different sized concave lamellae are desired. Gosper Islands and Koch snowflakes are well known fractal concepts and have been used previously as a basis for tessellated or tiled designs by mathematicians. A first iteration Gosper island is most preferred, as this has 18 straight sides. This shape is described in more detail below, with reference to the drawings .

It is even possible to utilise two completely different but complementary concave lamellae, as defined herein, to obtain the benefit of low waste attributable to the present invention .

To maximise the impact of a visual cue for perfume it is desirable for the shape of the lamellae to resemble something natural and normally associated with a smell; viz. a petal, a flower, etc. Advantageously, the shape of the concave lamellae and the smell of the composition are linked already in nature as this has been found to provoke the best possible response from the user. Most advantageously, the colour of the concave lamellae adds to the cueing and the colour, shape and smell should all be as close as possible to natural ones and related to the same smell, e.g. a floral smell. The size of the concave lamellae does not seem to be as important as its shape or colour. This freedom to use smaller than life sized representations of objects as visual cues enables the use of more cues for the same surface area. For instance using a 5 mm diameter visual cue with an approximate cross-sectional area of 13 mm² allows incorporation of the concave lamellar visual cues into a laundry treatment composition to deliver from 50 to 100 such cues per wash, preferably about 70 per wash.

Natural shapes that may also be used for concave lamellae that can be tiled are trees, leaves and animals. A particularly advantageous shape for use as a visual cue for perfume is a petal-like shape, especially one based on a hexagon suitably modified to keep its design tilable. Each side of the hexagon is preferably modified in an identical fashion. Thus, each side has both protruding and intruding distortions that are displaced reflections of one another, the previously opposite parallel faces of the hexagon being modified so that the new surfaces are also substantially parallel, but more complex, lines. For instance, the modified faces may be sinusoidal or they may be formed of three interconnected lines. Preferably, the new perimeter line intersects the original perimeter of the hexagon substantially at the midpoint of a side of the original unmodified hexagon.

For ease of manufacture, it is preferred that the majority of the sides of the concave lamellae are straight, most preferably they are all straight.

Advantageously all the concave lamellae have substantially the same shape. They may all have substantially the same size to minimise segregation issues. The concave lamellae desirably have rotational symmetry. The preferred first iteration Gosper islands have this symmetry.

The concave lamellae may all be the same colour, or they may comprise a mixture of different colours. The colour, or colours, of the concave lamellae may be selected to match the pack colour, or colours. Most preferred colours are lilac, pink, yellow, blue, red, purple, violet, green, and orange.

Preferably, the shape of the concave lamellae is directly linked to an aspect of the base laundry treatment composition. Examples are that the shape is the outline shape of a flower and the composition has a perfume, especially a floral perfume. Ideally, the concave lamellae would also be the colour of a flower petal in this instance. A further example is that the concave lamellae are the outline shape of a bolt of lightening and the composition comprises a whitening, or bleaching, ingredient. In yet another embodiment the concave lamellae could be the outline shape of a plant and the composition contain a plant extract, like Aloe Vera.

When tiled the concave lamellae are desirably arranged in rows and columns and they are aligned in columns and offset in rows .

The invention will now be further described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings of which. Fig 1 is a pictorial representation of a flower petal visual cue .

Fig 2 is a pictorial representation of a second flower petal visual cue, which can be tessellated.

Further embodiments of the invention will be apparent to the skilled reader following this teaching and using common general knowledge.

Claims

1. A granular laundry detergent composition comprising at least 5 wt% surfactant, optional builder, optional further cleaning ingredients, a perfume and 0.01 to 10 wt% of visual cues wherein the visual cues are flower shaped with petals coloured to have a naturally occurring petal colour and wherein the perfume is floral in essence.

2. A composition according to claim 1 wherein the flower shape comprises six rotationally symmetrically disposed "petals".

3. A composition according to any preceding claim wherein the flower shape petal colours are selected from the group comprising: pink, yellow, red, blue, lilac, violet, orange, purple and green.

4. A composition according to any preceding claim wherein the flower shaped visual cues have a diameter of between 2mm and 10mm.

5. A composition according to any preceding claim wherein the flower shaped visual cues are formed of coloured water soluble film material with a maximum thickness of lmm, preferably 0.4 mm, more preferably 0.25mm, most preferably 0.2 mm.

6. A composition according to any preceding claim wherein the flower shaped visual cues have a relative density of less than 0.8, preferably less than 0.5, most preferably less than 0.4.

7. A composition according to any preceding claim wherein the flower shaped visual cue sides are all straight.

8. A composition according to any preceding claim in which all the flower shaped visual cues have the same shape.

9. A composition according to any preceding claim in which all the flower shaped visual cues have the same size.

10. A composition according to any preceding claim in which the flower shaped visual cues have rotational symmetry.

11. A composition according to any preceding claim in which the flower shaped visual cues are all the same colour

12. A composition according to any preceding claim in a pack and in which the flower shaped visual cue colour matches the pack colour

13. A composition according to any preceding claim in which the flower shaped visual cues may be tiled to be arranged in rows and columns and they are aligned in at rows and offset in columns.