EP3434142B1

EP3434142B1 - Cosmetic carrier and cosmetic container housing same

Info

Publication number: EP3434142B1
Application number: EP17770288.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Junko Okumura; Keiji Masuyama
Original assignee: Inoue MTP KK; Inoac Corp
Current assignee: Inoac Corp
Priority date: 2016-03-23
Filing date: 2017-03-22
Publication date: 2024-01-17
Anticipated expiration: 2037-03-22
Also published as: CN108778046A; JP2017176816A; US20190104824A1; JP2021104351A; EP3434142A1; JP7335287B2; EP3434142A4; CN108778046B; JP7098274B2

Description

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cosmetic carrier for impregnating and holding a cosmetic having flowability, and to a cosmetic container in which the cosmetic carrier is housed.

Background Art

Conventionally, as a carrier of a cosmetic having flowability, such as a liquid foundation, there is a carrier formed of urethane foam (see JP 2003 12457 A and JP 2013 530252 A ).
However, the cosmetic carrier formed of urethane foam swells largely when impregnated with the cosmetic, and in particular in case of a cosmetic of emulsion containing an ultraviolet absorber (a sunscreen), swells remarkably. Thus, the cosmetic carrier formed of urethane foam is not suitable for a cosmetic containing an ultraviolet absorber.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

US 6,274,237 B1 discloses a crimpable composite fiber having a propylene copolymer as the first component and a polyethylene as the second component.
JP 2004315991A discloses a fiber aggregate for coating the liquid, comprising 60 to 85 wt. % of cellulosic fibers and 15 to 40 wt. % of crimped polyvinyl alcohol-based conjugated fibers, and is characterized in that the thickness of the fiber aggregate in a wet state is 0.80 to 0.97 (times) based on the thickness in a dry state.
US 2012/121882 discloses an actualized crimping conjugate fiber and a latently crimpable conjugate fiber suitable for a fiber assembly having high elasticity and a high level of bulk recovery properties, in particular a nonwoven fabric.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cosmetic container comprising a cosmetic carrier capable of suppressing swelling even when it is impregnated with a cosmetic having flowability, and to provide a cosmetic container housing the same.

Means for Solving the Problems

A cosmetic container comprising: a cosmetic having flowability and containing an ultraviolet absorber; and a cosmetic carrier; the cosmetic carrier impregnating and holding a cosmetic having flowability according to the present invention is defined by claim 1. Dependent claims relate to preferred embodiments.
According to some preferred embodiments, the fibers having a core-sheath structure are formed of a thermoplastic resin, a core portion is formed of a thermoplastic resin having a melting point higher than that of the sheath portion, and the fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure is formed by fusing the fibers having a core-sheath structure at a part of the sheath portion.
According to some preferred embodiments, the eccentric core-sheath type conjugate fiber has a spiral shape.
According to some preferred embodiments, the fibers having a core-sheath structure have a thickness of 2.0 dtex to 15 dtex. Incidentally, dtex (decitex) represents a weight (in grams) of a yarn with a length of 10000 m.
According to some preferred embodiments, the fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure has an apparent density of 0.03 g/cm³ to 0.10 g/cm³ (in accordance with JIS K6400-1).
A seventh disclosure of the present invention relates to a cosmetic container housing the cosmetic carrier according to an embodiment in accordance with the present invention.

Effect of the Invention

According to the present invention, by forming the cosmetic carrier with the fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure, the sheath portion forming an outer periphery of the fiber is in contact with the cosmetic impregnated in the cosmetic carrier and the inner core portion surrounded by the sheath portion is not in contact with the cosmetic. Therefore, at least the core portion can be prevented from being influenced by the cosmetic, and swelling of the entire cosmetic carrier can be suppressed.
According to some preferred embodiments, since the fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure is formed by fusing the fibers having a core-sheath structure at a part of the sheath portion, a gap can be formed between fibers and the impregnating and holding property can be improved.
According to some preferred embodiments, since the fibers having a core-sheath structure comprises the eccentric sheath-core type conjugate fiber having a spiral shape, the fiber assembly is excellent in elasticity and returnability after shape deformation, and can be used continuously and successfully.
Since both the core portion and the sheath portion of the fibers having a core-sheath structure are formed of the polyolefin-based resin, the cosmetic carrier does not swell due to a liquid cosmetic composition.
According to some preferred embodiments, since the fibers having a core-sheath structure have a thickness of 2.0 dtex to 15 dtex, the cosmetic can be easily impregnated into the cosmetic carrier, and the required capacity can be maintained.
According to some preferred embodiments, since the fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure has an apparent density of 0.03 g/cm³ to 0.10 g/cm³, appropriate elasticity can be given for transferring the cosmetic with a coating member of the cosmetic.
Since the cosmetic container in accordance with the present invention houses the cosmetic carrier formed of the fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure, the cosmetic carrier is impregnated with the cosmetic, which is convenient for portability and storage, and swelling of the cosmetic carrier due to the impregnated cosmetic is suppressed, which is convenient for continued use.

Brief Description of Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cosmetic carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a cosmetic container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Description of Embodiments

A cosmetic carrier 10 according to an embodiment as shown in Fig. 1 is one for impregnating and holding a cosmetic having flowability, and is formed of a fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure. In the cosmetic carrier 10, a sheath portion forming an outer periphery of the fiber is in contact with a cosmetic impregnated in the cosmetic carrier 10 and an inner core portion surrounded by the sheath portion is not in contact with the cosmetic. Therefore, at least the core portion can be prevented from being influenced by the cosmetic, and swelling of the entire cosmetic carrier 10 can be suppressed. This assembly is formed of only fibers having a core-sheath structure.
The fibers having a core-sheath structure are formed of a fiber in which a periphery of the core portion is surrounded by the sheath portion. The fibers having a core-sheath structure are formed of a thermoplastic resin, and the core portion is formed of a thermoplastic resin having a melting point higher than that of the sheath portion. According to this constitution, even if the fibers having a core-sheath structure are fused at a part of the sheath part at the melting point of the sheath part, the core portion is not fused and the fiber assembly can be produced efficiently by cooling from a low melting point. Materials of the core portion are limited to polypropylene, and those of the sheath portion are limited to polybutene-1, both polyolefin resins that show no deterioration over time due to components of the cosmetic. In addition, the polyolefin-based resin is preferable since swelling does not occur due to a liquid cosmetic composition.
Further, among the polyolefin-based resin, according to some embodiments, the core portion consists of polypropylene (having a melting point of 165°C), and the sheath portion consists of polybutene-1 (having a melting point of 115°C to 130°C in accordance to JIS K7121) which a high molecular weight and thus is excellent in bulkiness recovery performance when heat is applied. Further, it is preferable since compression set is small and compatibility with polypropylene as the core portion is good. In addition, it is preferable that the fibers having a core-sheath structure have a thickness of 2.0 dtex to 15 dtex, since the cosmetic can be easily impregnated into the cosmetic carrier 10, and the required capacity can be maintained. Further, from a viewpoint of impregnating and holding the cosmetic, the thickness of the fibers having a core-sheath structure is still more preferably 2.0 dtex to 10 dtex, and particularly preferably 2.0 dtex to 7.0 dtex.
The fibers having a core-sheath structure may be either actual crimp exhibiting steric crimp, or latent crimp exhibiting steric crimping by heating, and the crimp may be either a wave shape or a spiral shape. Of these, a fiber in which the spiral shape and the wave shape are combined is preferable since the fiber assembly is excellent in elasticity and returnability after shape deformation.
Further, an eccentric core-sheath type conjugate fiber is preferable for steric crimp thereof. A cross section of a core portion of the eccentric core-sheath type conjugate fiber may have a different shape other than a circle, such as an elliptical shape, a Y shape, and an X shape. A cross section of the eccentric core-sheath type conjugate fiber may also have a different shape other than a circle, such as an elliptical shape, a Y shape, an X shape, a #-shape, a polygon shape and a star shape, or a hollow shape.
For the above crimped conjugate fiber and the fiber assembly using the same, reference can also be made with Japanese Patent and Japanese Patent Publication, JP-A-2011-021300 .
As the fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure, those produced by a known method can be used. For example, a thermal bond method, a needle punch method, a hydroentangling method, and the like can be mentioned. Particularly, it is more preferably that the fibers having a core-sheath structure are fused at a part of the sheath portion to form the fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure. In this assembly, a gap can be formed between fibers and the impregnating and holding property can be improved. In addition, the producing method thereof is not limited, and can be carried out by, for example, a hot air conveyor furnace type method, a molding type method, a method using a mesh belt (a method described in Japanese Patent No. 4195043 ), or the like, and thereafter the obtained product is cut into a size suitable for the cosmetic carrier by a cutting process such as press. Incidentally, in production of the assembly by fusing the fibers having a core-sheath structure at a part of the sheath portion, fusing of the fiber is performed at a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the sheath portion and lower than the melting point of the core portion.
It is more preferable that, from a viewpoint of obtaining the impregnating and holding property of the cosmetic, the fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure has an apparent density of 0.03 g/cm³ to 0.10 g/cm³ (in accordance with JIS K6400-1), since it can give appropriate elasticity for transferring the cosmetic with a coating member of the cosmetic. In addition, a size of the assembly of the core-sheath structure fibers is not particularly limited, and is determined depending on the ease of use or the size of a container to be housed or the like.
As shown in Fig. 2, the cosmetic carrier 10 is carried and kept in a state of being housed in an inner tray of a cosmetic container 30. That is, the cosmetic container 30 has a structure in which the cosmetic carrier 10 is housed in a container body 20. The container body 20 includes a housing container forming the container body 20 and a lid body 21 combined with the housing container so as to be openable and closable. The housing container is provided with a housing recess 22 whose upper surface is open, and the cosmetic inner tray is housed in the housing recess 22.
The lid body 21 is connected to an upper portion of the housing container by a hinge or the like, or is openable and closable as a screw. The housing recess 22 and the cosmetic inner tray can be covered by covering the housing container with the lid body 21. In this example, the cosmetic carrier 10 is housed in the inner tray, and further a liquid cosmetic is impregnated and held in the cosmetic carrier 10.
In addition, the container body may be one that can house cosmetic tools such as puffs together with the cosmetic carrier. For example, one in which a housing portion of the cosmetic carrier and a housing portion of the cosmetic tools provided side by side in the container body, one in which puffs or the like can be stacked and housed on the cosmetic carrier, or the like can be mentioned.
The cosmetic to be impregnated in the cosmetic carrier is not particularly limited as long as it is a cosmetic having flowability. A cosmetic containing an ultraviolet absorber is one of the suitable cosmetics. In addition, use of the cosmetic impregnated in the cosmetic carrier is performed by rubbing a surface of the cosmetic carrier with a finger or a cosmetic tool such as a puff, and sticking the cosmetic impregnated and held in the cosmetic carrier to the finger or the cosmetic tool.

Examples

In order to confirm the swelling resistance in the cosmetic carrier of the present invention, the swelling resistance was examined for the following examples and comparative examples.
Comparative example 1: Fibers having a core-sheath structure include a core portion formed of PP (polypropylene) and a sheath portion formed of PE (polyethylene), and have a thickness of 2.2 dtex. An fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure is Vafter (trade name) manufactured by INOAC Corporation, has an apparent density of 0.04 g/cm³, and has a size before immersion shown in Table 1. This fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure was produced by heat fusing the sheath portion (which also applies to Examples 2 to 7). Incidentally, the volume was calculated from dimensions (which also applies to the following).
Comparative example 2: Fibers having a core-sheath structure include a core portion formed of PP (polypropylene) and a sheath portion formed of PE (polyethylene), and have a thickness of 2.2 dtex. An fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure is Vafter (trade name) manufactured by INOAC Corporation, has an apparent density of 0.06 g/cm³, and has a size before immersion shown in Table 1.
Comparative example 3: Fibers having a core-sheath structure include a core portion formed of PP (polypropylene) and a sheath portion formed of PE (polyethylene), and have a thickness of 2.2 dtex. An fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure has an apparent density of 0.08 g/cm³, and has a size before immersion shown in Table 1.
Comparative example 4: Fibers having a core-sheath structure include a core portion formed of PP (polypropylene) and a sheath portion formed of PE (polyethylene), and have a thickness of 6.7 dtex. An fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure has an apparent density of 0.04 g/cm³, and has a size before immersion shown in Table 1.
Comparative example 5: Fibers having a core-sheath structure include a core portion formed of PP (polypropylene) and a sheath portion formed of PE (polyethylene), and have a thickness of 6.7 dtex. An fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure has an apparent density of 0.06 g/cm³, and has a size before immersion shown in Table 1.
Comparative example: 6: Fibers having a core-sheath structure include a core portion formed of PP (polypropylene) and a sheath portion formed of PE (polyethylene), and have a thickness of 6.7 dtex. An fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure has an apparent density of 0.08 g/cm³, and has a size before immersion shown in Table 1.
Example 7: Fibers having a core-sheath structure include a core portion consisting of PP (polypropylene) and a sheath portion consisting polybutene-1, and have a thickness of 6.7 dtex and an eccentricity ratio of 25%. A cross-sectional shape thereof is a double-circle, spirally-formed crimped fiber whose center of gravity position is displaced. An fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure is Vafter (trade name) manufactured by INOAC Corporation, has an apparent density of 0.04 g/cm³, and has a size before immersion shown in Table 1.
Comparative Example 8: A fiber assembly having an apparent density of 0.05 g/cm³, is produced from a single thermoplastic resin fiber, having a thickness of 5.6 dtex and formed of polypropylene resin, and a core-sheath structure thermoplastic resin fiber, having a thickness of 2.2 dtex and formed of polypropylene/polyethylene resin, by a thermal bond method at a weight ratio of 7:3. A size before immersion shown in Table 1 was used.
Comparative Example 9: Polyether-based urethane foam (a net type with a cell membrane removed), having a number of cells of 40/25 mm and an apparent density of 0.03 g/cm³; trade name: CFH-40, manufactured by INOAC corporation. A size before immersion shown in Table 1 was used.

Comparative Example 10: Polyester-based urethane foam (a net type with a cell membrane removed), having a number of cells of 30/25 mm and an apparent density of 0.03 g/cm³; trade name: MF-30, manufactured by INOAC corporation. A size before immersion shown in Table 1 was used.

[Table 1]

	Before immersion				After 24 hours of immersion
	Vertical dimension (mm)	Lateral dimension (mm)	Thickness (mm)	Volume (cm3)	Vertical dimension (mm)	Lateral dimension (mm)	Thickness (mm)	Volume (cm³)	Rate of change (%)
comparative Example 1	50.25	40.16	6.93	13.99	50.19	40.05	7.33	14.73	5.29
comparative Example 2	50.38	40.32	7.31	14.85	50.34	40.22	7.44	15.06	1.41
comparative Example 3	50.45	40.52	6.73	13.76	50.46	40.26	6.55	13.31	-3.27
comparative Example 4	50.13	40.37	6.72	13.60	50.19	40.14	6.53	13.16	-3.24
comparative Example 5	50.41	40.21	7.44	15.08	50.47	40.22	6.97	14.15	-6.17
comparative Example 6	50.51	40.36	6.55	13.35	50.19	40.51	6.53	13.28	-0.52
Example 7	50.32	40.27	7.28	14.75	50.25	40.10	7.12	14.35	-2.71
Comparative Example 8	50.01	40.04	7.57	15.16	52.08	40.95	8.42	17.96	18.47
Comparative Example 9	4914	39.32	8.17	15.79	49.37	39.99	9.00	17.77	12.54
Comparative Example 10	48.96	38.73	7.85	14.89	50.57	40.39	8.35	17.06	14.57

The cosmetic carriers of the Examples and Comparative Examples were immersed in an ultraviolet absorber (trade name: Uvinul (registered trademark) A plus B, manufactured by BASF Japan) for 24 hours such that the whole cosmetic carrier was immersed therein, taken out therefrom, and dimensions thereof were measured. Based on the obtained dimensions, volumes and rates of change were calculated according to a formula: {(volume of sample piece after immersion) - (volume of sample piece before immersion)} / (volume of sample piece before immersion) × 100 (%).
Values of dimensions, volumes and rates of change after immersion into the ultraviolet absorber are shown in Table 1, and the swelling resistance is determined based on the obtained rates of change.
In comparative examples 1-6 and Example 7, the rates of change were 6.17% or less (-6.17%), while in Comparative Examples ⁸ to ¹⁰, the rates of change were 12.54% to 18.47%. In comparative examples 1-6 and example 7, the rates of change were smaller than those of Comparative Examples 8 to 10, and the swelling resistances were excellent. Incidentally, in some examples, the rate of change had a negative value since the fiber assembly shrank due to moisture.
In addition, instead of the ultraviolet absorber, the swelling resistance was examined for the examples and comparative examples using a commercial cosmetic containing an ultraviolet absorber.
The cosmetic used is B.A Creamy Foundation (B3) (trade name), manufactured by Pola Inc., and the ultraviolet absorber contained is ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and hexyl diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl benzoate.
When the results were shown, in Comparative Examples 1 to 6, the rates of change were 5.4% or less, while in Comparative Examples 8 to 10, the rates of change were 12.6% to 18.5%. In Comparative Examples 1 to 6 and Example 7, the rates of change were smaller than those of Comparative Examples 8 to 10, and the swelling resistances were excellent.
Accordingly, the cosmetic carrier of the present invention has little swelling with respect to a cosmetic and can be used for a cosmetic containing an ultraviolet absorber.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application (2016-58047) filed on March 23, 2016 , and Japanese Patent Application (2017-28645) filed on February 20, 2017 .

Description of Reference Numerals

10: Cosmetic carrier
20: Container body
21: Lid body
22: Housing recess
30: Cosmetic container

Claims

A cosmetic container comprising: a cosmetic having flowability and containing an ultraviolet absorber; and a cosmetic carrier, the cosmetic carrier impregnating and holding the cosmetic,
wherein the cosmetic carrier (10) is formed of a fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure, wherein the fibers having a core-sheath structure comprise an eccentric core-sheath type conjugate fiber,

characterized in that

the core portion of the core-sheath type conjugate fibers consists of polypropylene,

and the sheath portion of the core-sheath type conjugate fibers consists of polybutene-1.
The cosmetic container according to claim 1, wherein the core portion consisting of polypropylene has a melting point of 165°C, and the sheath portion consisting of polybutene-1 has a melting point of 115°C to 130°C, and the fibrous aggregate having a core-sheath structure is formed by fusing the fibers having the core-sheath structure at a part of the sheath portion.
The cosmetic container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the core-sheath type conjugate fibers have a thickness of 2.0 dtex to 7 dtex.
The cosmetic container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fibrous aggregate has an apparent density of 0.03 g/cm³ to 0.10 g/cm³ in accordance with JIS K6400-1.