EP4231829A1

EP4231829A1 - Method for microbiome balancing

Info

Publication number: EP4231829A1
Application number: EP21787484.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Siyu Dong; hejian JIANG; Lizhe YANG; Qin Yin
Original assignee: Unilever Global IP Ltd; Unilever IP Holdings BV
Current assignee: Unilever Global IP Ltd; Unilever IP Holdings BV
Priority date: 2020-10-20
Filing date: 2021-10-18
Publication date: 2023-08-30
Also published as: CN116437810A; WO2022084207A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to use of a composition comprising a quaternary ammonium compound and a licorice extract in microbiome balancing on a surface, wherein balancing means selectively reducing the number of microbes selected from Escherichia Coli and Staphylococcus aureus, while having less effect on or selectively increasing the number of microbes of Staphylococcus Epidermidis; wherein the licorice extract is glycyrrhiza root extract; wherein the weight ratio of the quaternary ammonium compound to the licorice extract ranges from 1:5000 to 1:100; and wherein the quaternary ammonium compound comprises didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, diisobutyl phenoxy ethoxy ethyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium saccharinate, octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl ethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, methyldodecylbenzyl ammonium chloride, methyldodecylxylene-bis-trimethyl ammonium chloride, methyl benzethonium chloride, cetyl pyrinidinium chloride, cetrimonium bromide or mixtures thereof.

Description

METHOD FOR MICROBIOME BALANCING

Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method for microbiome balancing on a surface. In particular, the invention relates to the use of a composition comprising a quaternary ammonium compound and a licorice extract in microbiome balancing on a surface.

Background of the Invention

Microbes e.g. bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa and mites are often found to be present on surfaces such as fabrics, hard surfaces and skin. Microbiome of a surface refers to this entire population of microbes that are present on a surface. Some of the microbes present on the surface considered to be beneficial whereas some of the other microbes that cohabits with the good microbes are detrimental in nature.

Antimicrobial compositions are commonly used by individuals to eliminate or reduce the number of harmful microbes. However, the application of antimicrobial composition also kills the microbes which are beneficial.

The present inventors have surprisingly found that a composition comprising a quaternary ammonium compound and a licorice extract provides microbiome balancing by selectively reducing the number of harmful microbes while having no/less effect on or selectively increasing the number of beneficial microbes.

Summary of the Invention

In a first aspect, the present invention is directed to use of a composition comprising a quaternary ammonium compound and a licorice extract in microbiome balancing on a surface, wherein balancing means selectively reducing the number of microbes selected from Escherichia Coli and Staphylococcus aureus, while having less effect on or selectively increasing the number of microbes of Staphylococcus Epidermidis', wherein the licorice extract is glycyrrhiza root extract; wherein the weight ratio of the quaternary ammonium compound to the licorice extract ranges from 1 :5000 to 1 :100; and wherein the quaternary ammonium compound comprises didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, diisobutyl phenoxy ethoxy ethyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium saccharinate, octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl ethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, methyldodecylbenzyl ammonium chloride, methyldodecylxylene-bis-trimethyl ammonium chloride, methyl benzethonium chloride, cetyl pyrinidinium chloride, cetrimonium bromide or mixtures thereof.

In a second aspect, the present invention is directed to a non-therapeutic use of a composition comprising a quaternary ammonium compound and a licorice extract in microbiome balancing on a surface, wherein balancing means selectively reducing the number of microbes selected from Escherichia Coli and Staphylococcus aureus, while having less effect on or selectively increasing the number of microbes of Staphylococcus Epidermidis', wherein the licorice extract is glycyrrhiza root extract; wherein the weight ratio of the quaternary ammonium compound to the licorice extract ranges from 1 :5000 to 1 :100; and wherein the quaternary ammonium compound comprises didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, diisobutyl phenoxy ethoxy ethyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium saccharinate, octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl ethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, methyldodecylbenzyl ammonium chloride, methyldodecylxylene-bis-trimethyl ammonium chloride, methyl benzethonium chloride, cetyl pyrinidinium chloride, cetrimonium bromide or mixtures thereof.

In a third aspect, the present invention is directed to a composition comprising a quaternary ammonium compound and a licorice extract for use in microbiome balancing on a surface, wherein balancing means selectively reducing the number of microbes selected from Escherichia Coli and Staphylococcus aureus, while having less effect on or selectively increasing the number of microbes of Staphylococcus Epidermidis', wherein the licorice extract is glycyrrhiza root extract; wherein the weight ratio of the quaternary ammonium compound to the licorice extract ranges from 1 :5000 to 1 :100; and wherein the quaternary ammonium compound comprises didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, diisobutyl phenoxy ethoxy ethyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium saccharinate, octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl ethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, methyldodecylbenzyl ammonium chloride, methyldodecylxylene-bis-trimethyl ammonium chloride, methyl benzethonium chloride, cetyl pyrinidinium chloride, cetrimonium bromide or mixtures thereof.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for microbiome balancing on a surface comprising the step of applying a composition comprising a quaternary ammonium compound and a licorice extract to the surface, wherein balancing means selectively reducing the number of microbes selected from Escherichia Coli and Staphylococcus aureus, while having less effect on or selectively increasing the number of microbes of Staphylococcus Epidermidis', wherein the licorice extract is glycyrrhiza root extract; wherein the weight ratio of the quaternary ammonium compound to the licorice extract ranges from 1:5000 to 1:100; and wherein the quaternary ammonium compound comprises didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, diisobutyl phenoxy ethoxy ethyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium saccharinate, octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl ethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, methyldodecylbenzyl ammonium chloride, methyldodecylxylene-bis-trimethyl ammonium chloride, methyl benzethonium chloride, cetyl pyrinidinium chloride, cetrimonium bromide or mixtures thereof.

The method is preferably for non-therapeutic benefits.

Non-therapeutic use or method means that the surface in contact with the composition comprising a quaternary ammonium compound and a licorice extract is not in need of medical treatment or the surface is not infected in a way that requires medical attention.

All other aspects of the present invention will more readily become apparent upon considering the detailed description and examples which follow.

Detailed Description

Except in the examples, or where otherwise explicitly indicated, all numbers in this description indicating amounts of material or conditions of reaction, physical properties of materials and/or use may optionally be understood as modified by the word “about”. All amounts are by weight of the final composition, unless otherwise specified. It should be noted that in specifying any ranges of values, any particular upper value can be associated with any particular lower value.

For the avoidance of doubt, the word “comprising” is intended to mean “including” but not necessarily “consisting of” or “composed of”. In other words, the listed steps or options need not be exhaustive.

The disclosure of the invention as found herein is to be considered to cover all embodiments as found in the claims as being multiply dependent upon each other irrespective of the fact that claims may be found without multiple dependency or redundancy.

Where a feature is disclosed with respect to a particular aspect of the invention (for example a composition of the invention), such disclosure is also to be considered to apply to any other aspect of the invention (for example a method of the invention) mutatis mutandis.

A microbe can be described as a tiny living organism, such as bacterium, fungus, virus protozoan, or mite. A microbiome on a surface refers collectively to all the microbes on the surface. In other words, a microbiome is a community of microbes.

The term “microbiome balancing” as used herein, means selectively eliminating/killing/reducing the microbes considered to be harmful existing on a surface whereas keeping the microbes considered to be beneficial substantially at the same level or even increasing the number of microbes which are considered to be beneficial.

At least one of the microbes considered to be harmful is selected from Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli), which exist widely in nature, including air, water, dust, skin of humans and animals etc. These are normally identified as opportunistic pathogens to human, which can cause purulent infection and inflammation.

At least one of the microbes considered to be beneficial is Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis). S. epidermidis is reported to be a beneficial bacterium that participates in the maintenance of skin health. It is a kind of normal microbe which is likely to be involved in competitive exclusion of pathogens. It is thus an indication of microbiome status of the surface. The increase and maintenance of S. epidermidis is an important route to maintain the composition of healthy microbiome.

Microbiome balancing is obtained by selectively reducing at least one of the microbes selected from E. coli and S. aureus, while having less effect on or selectively increasing the number of microbes like S. epidermidis.

The present invention relates to use of a composition comprising a quaternary ammonium compound and a licorice extract in microbiome balancing on a surface. The surface is preferably a skin surface including human or animal skin, for example, a surface like the hands, face, body, or the oral cavity. In another preferred embodiment, the surface is a hard surface. Such hard surfaces are typically those commonly require cleaning, sanitisation or disinfection. Such surfaces may be found in many household or industrial environments, and may include for example kitchen and bathroom surfaces, table tops, floors, walls, windows, utensils, cutlery and crockery. Such surfaces may be made from different materials, including for instance plastics, wood, metal, ceramics, glass, concrete, marble and painted surfaces. In another preferred embodiment, the surface is a surface of clothes, fabrics and/or cloth fibres.

The composition may be applied to the surface by any suitable means known to the skilled person. For instance, a suitable means may be pouring, dropping, spraying or wiping in case of liquid compositions. The composition may be diluted or dissolved in a suitable medium, preferably water, before or whilst applying the composition to the surface.

The composition is preferably a home care composition, a personal care composition or a pet care composition. A home care composition is a composition used for treatment, cleaning, caring or conditioning of the home or any of its contents. The foregoing includes, but not limited to, chemicals, compositions, products, or combinations thereof relating to or having use or application in the treatment, cleaning, cleansing, caring or conditioning of surfaces, furniture and atmosphere of the home and household contents, such as clothes, fabrics and/or cloth fibers and the manufacture of all of the foregoing products. Examples of a home care composition include but not limited to liquid laundry compositions, powder laundry compositions, hand dishwash compositions, hard surface cleaning compositions, home surface sanitizers, disinfectants, unit-dose liquid compositions, or fabric conditioning compositions. A personal care composition is a composition for the treatment, cleaning, caring or conditioning of the person. The foregoing includes, but not limited to, chemicals, compositions, products, or combinations thereof relating to or having use or application in the treatment, cleansing or conditioning of the person (including in particular the skin, hair and oral cavity), and the manufacture of all the foregoing. Examples of a personal care composition include but not limited to leave-on skin lotions and creams, shampoos, conditioners, shower gels, soap bars, antiperspirants, deodorants, shave creams, depilatories, lipsticks, foundations, mascara, sunless tanners or sunscreen lotions. A pet care composition is a composition for the treatment, cleaning, caring or conditioning of the pet. The foregoing includes, but not limited to, chemicals, compositions, products, or combinations thereof relating to or having use or application in the treatment, cleansing or conditioning of the pet (including in particular the skin, the nails, paw pads or the keratin containing fibers such as hair and fur), and the manufacture of all the foregoing. Examples of a pet care composition include but not limited to shampoos, conditioners, skin cleansers, skin moisturizers. Home care products, personal care products and pet care products are for example products marketed under mass market brands.

The composition of the present invention may further be used as or incorporated in industrial and/or institutional products. Industrial and institutional products are for example products being marketed under professional brands, with non-limiting examples being products for industrial, institutional, janitorial, and medical cleaning, cleaning-in-place, food services, veterinary, and agricultural products. Industrial and/or institutional products also include products for cleaning of the person (such as hand sanitisers) for medical offices, hospitals and/or other institutions.

Products for use in the home care or personal care or pet care field are generally distinct from products for use in the industrial and/or institutional field. Thus, for example, a product that is marketed as a home or personal care product or a pet care product will generally not be marketed as a product for industrial and/or institutional use and vice versa. Therefore, certain embodiments of the present invention, when carried forth into practice, will relate to the one field, but not the other.

Quaternary ammonium compound

The quaternary ammonium compound suitable for use in compositions of the present invention is cationic surfactant represented by the general formula (I): wherein Ri and R2 are linear or branched alkyl, alkenyl or hydroxyalkyl chains having from 8 to 12 carbon atoms, R3 and R4 are lower alkyl groups containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, wherein R2 or R4 can optionally be an aryl or aralkyl group substituted with a halogen atom or alkyl group, and X' is a monovalent anion, preferably a halide ion.

Suitable quaternary ammonium compound for use in this invention includes, didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, diisobutyl phenoxy ethoxy ethyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium saccharinate, octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl ethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, methyldodecylbenzyl ammonium chloride, methyldodecylxylene-bis-trimethyl ammonium chloride, methyl benzethonium chloride, cetyl pyrinidinium chloride, cetrimonium bromide or mixtures thereof.

Preferably, the quaternary ammonium compound is alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, which includes, for example, benzalkonium chloride (BKC), diisobutyl phenoxy ethoxy ethyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (benzethonium chloride; BZC), methyl benzethonium chloride, cetyl pyrinidinium chloride, cetrimonium bromide or mixtures thereof. Benzalkonium chloride is particularly preferred.

The quaternary ammonium compounds mentioned above, are available as a single quaternary ammonium compound, as well as mixtures of two or more different quaternary ammonium compounds e.g. under trademarks BARDAC™, BARQUAT® and HYAMINE® (all by Lonza); and BTC® and ONYXIDE® (both by Stepan).

Quaternary ammonium compounds available as a single quaternary ammonium compound include didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (available as BARDAC™ 2250 R and BTC® 1010, both 50% active; and BARDAC™ 2280 R and BTC® 1010-80, both 80% active), dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (available as BARDAC™ LF, 50% active; BARDAC™ LF-80, 80% active), alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (available as BARQUAT® MB-50, BARQUAT® MX-50, BARQUAT® QJ-50, HYAMINE® 3500, BTC® 50, BTC® 50E, BTC® 65, BTC® 776, BTC® 824, BTC® 835; each 50% active; and the same is available as BARQUAT® MB-80, BARQUAT® MX-80, HYAMINE® 3500-80, BTC® 8248, BTC® 8358; each 80% active), diisobutyl phenoxy ethoxy ethyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (50% active - HYAMINE® 1622); and n-alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium saccharinate (available as ONYXIDE® 3300, 95% active).

Quaternary ammonium compounds that are available as a mixture of two or more quaternary ammonium compounds include a mixture of alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride; and dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (available as BARDAC™ 205M, 50% active; and available as BARDAC™ 208M, 80% active), a mixture of octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride; and dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (available as BARDAC™ 2050, 50% active; and available as BARDAC™ 2080, 80% active), a mixture of alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride and alkyl dimethyl ethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (available as BARQUAT® 4250 and BARQUAT® 4250 Z, each 50% active; and available as BARQUAT® 4280 and BARQUAT® 4280Z, each 80% active), a mixture of methyldodecylbenzyl ammonium chloride and/or methyldodecylxylene-bis- trimethyl ammonium chloride available as HYMAINE® 2389), a mixture of octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride; and dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (available as BTC® 818, 50% active; and available as BTC® 818-80%, 80% active), a mixture of alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, didecyl dimethyl ammonium choride; and dioctyldimethylammonium chloride (available as BTC® 885, 50% active; also available as BTC® 888, 80% active), a mixture of alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride and alkyl dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chloride (available as BTC® 2125 M and BTC® 2125 M 50, each 50% active, available as BTC®2125M 80, 80% active; and available as BTC® 2125 M 80E, 81 % active).

The composition preferably comprises from 0.0001 to 10% by weight of the quaternary ammonium compound, more preferably from 0.001 to 8% and most preferably from 0.002 to 5%, based on total weight of the composition and including all ranges subsumed therein.

Licorice extract

The term “licorice extract” as used herein, refers to an extract obtained from a member of the Glycyrrhiza genus, for example, obtained from the root of a member of the Glycyrrhiza genus. Preferably the licorice extract is glycyrrhiza glabra root extract. The licorice extract may be provided in any suitable form, for example, a solid or a liquid. The preferred form of the licorice extract is solid, more preferably in the form of a powder. When the licorice extract is solid, it preferably comprises less than 10% by weight of water, more preferably less than 7%, even more preferably less than 5% and most preferably less than 1% by weight of water. In other words, the licorice extract preferably comprises 0 to 10% by weight of water, more preferably from 0 to 7%, even more preferably from 0 to 5% and most preferably from 0 to 1 % by weight of water.

The licorice extract suitable for use in the present invention may be prepared by a method comprising the steps of: i) washing, drying and crushing the licorice root; ii) extracting the licorice root by boiling water and the extract is purified by filtration; iii) concentrating the filtrate by distillation; iv) spray drying the resulting filtrate of step (iii) to obtain a licorice extract. “Spray drying” is described as when a liquid form of a composition is sprayed as a mist into a hot, dry chamber wherein the aqueous portion of the mist is evaporated by the dry heat of the chamber leaving only the dry constituents of the composition in a powdered form. The method may further comprise a step of dispersing the resulting licorice extract powder of step (iv) in water or other solvents to obtain a licorice extract in the form of a liquid. Suitable solvent may be butylene glycol.

The weight of licorice extract, as used in the context of the present invention, refers to the dry weight of the licorice extract. “Dry weight” as used herein, refers to the weight of material remaining after removing water and/or solvent from the licorice extract. The remaining material comprises less than 1 .5% by weight of water and/or solvent, preferably less than 1 .0%, more preferably less than 0.75%, more preferably still less than 0.5% and even more preferably less than 0.1 % and most preferably from 0.0 to 0.01 % by weight of water and/or solvent.

Preferably the licorice extract comprises triterpenoids such as glycerrhetic acid (also known as enoxolone, uralenic acid, and glycyrrhetinic acid) and glycyrrhizic acid (also known as glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhizinic acid, and glycyrrhetinic acid glycoside), flavonoids such as liquiritin apioside, isoliquiritin apioside and liquiritin, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof. Preferably, the licorice extract comprises glycyrrhizic acid, liquiritin apioside, isoliquiritin apioside, liquiritin or a combination thereof. It is preferred that the licorice extract comprises a combination of glycyrrhizic acid, liquiritin apioside, isoliquiritin apioside and liquiritin. The glycyrrhizic acid is preferably present in the licorice extract in an amount of from 2 to 15%, more preferably from 2.5 to 11%, even more preferably from 3 to 8%. The liquiritin is preferably present in the licorice extract in an amount of from 0.5 to 8%, more preferably from 0.6 to 5%, and even more preferably from 0.8 to 3%.

Suitable licorice extract is commercially available, for example, from Healthy Star Bio-Tech R&D Co., Ltd under the trade name Gancao Powder.

Preferably the derivatives of licorice extracts include their metal salts, ammonium salts or the like, and esters such as saturated fatty acid esters, unsaturated fatty acid esters, diacid half esters, glycoside esters, or the like. Examples of licorice extract ester derivatives include but not limited to monoammonium glycyrrhizinate, monopotassium glycyrrhizinate, dipotassium glycyrrhizinate, 1-beta-glycyrrhetic acid, stearyl glycyrrhetinate, 3- stearyloxyglycyrrhetinic acid, disodium 3-succinyloxy-beta-glycyrrhetinate, mixtures thereof or the like.

The licorice extract is preferably present in an amount of from 0.0001 to 20% by weight of the composition, more preferably from 0.001 to 10% and most preferably from 0.01 to 5%, based on total weight of the composition and including all ranges subsumed therein.

In compositions intended to be diluted before application, the minium preferred concentrations of the quaternary ammonium compound and the licorice extract can be higher. It is generally preferred that the concentrations of the quaternary ammonium compound and the licorice extract in the composition in the use according to the present invention are equal or higher than the optimal concentrations in the working composition, because in many typical applications, the composition is either used pure or is diluted to form the working composition. For example, when washing hands with water and a composition of the present invention, the lather produced, typically is a 50 wt% dilution of the original composition. Similary, in body wash situations, soap bars or soap liquids are typically diluted until about 8 wt% soap in water, corresponding to an approximately tenfould dilution of the product. Another example is “dilute at home product”, which is concentrated product that can be diluted by the user to form a working composition. The amount of water instructed to be used is variable but it is preferrd that the dilution is at least 1 :1 and preferably no more than 5:1 , water to concentrated product. Therefore, the concentration of the quaternary ammonium compound and the licorice extract in the composition is preferably such that, when the composition is diluted or dissolved with a suitable medium before or during use, the concentration in the diluted or dissolved mixture is still sufficient to provides microbiome balancing benefits on a surface.

The composition comprises the quaternary ammonium compound to the licorice extract in a weight ratio ranging from 1 :5000 to 1 :100, preferably from 1 :4000 to 1 :200 and more preferably from 1 :3500 to 1 :300.

The antimicrobial action of two or more active compounds is considered additive if the combined action merely results from the addition of the effects the individual components would have in isolation. In contrast, the antimicrobial action of two or more active compounds is considered to be synergistic if the combined effect of the two or more compounds is stronger than expected based on the assumption of additivity. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the antimicrobial action of the one compound may be enhanced by the action of the other compound and vice versa. Such enhancement may for instance originate from cooperative interplay between the mechanisms of antimicrobial action at the molecular level. Such enhanced antimicrobial action may manifest itself for instance by the fact that lower concentrations of active compounds are required to obtain complete microbial kill, or alternatively, that the same extent of microbial kill is arrived at in a shorter time.

Whether an antimicrobial composition comprising two or more active compounds is capable of synergistic antimicrobial action may for instance be determined following the procedures and using the criteria as outlined in the examples hereafter. Typically, evidence of synergistic antimicrobial action may be provided at concentrations below the minimum inhibitory concentrations of each of the components when taken individually. However, it is generally believed that synergistic action can still occur when the concentration of one or more of the active compounds is raised above its minimum inhibitory concentration (when taken individually).

Surfactants

The composition of the present invention preferably comprises from 0.0001 to 80% by weight of one or more surfactants, more preferably from 0.001 to 70%, more preferably still from 0.005 to 60% and most preferably from 0.1 to 50%, based on total weight of the composition and including all ranges subsumed therein. Any type of surfactant, i.e. anionic, cationic, non-ionic, zwitterionic or amphoteric can be used.

Preferably, one or more anionic surfactant may be selected from linear alkyl benzene sulfonate (LAS), alkoxylated primary alcohol sulfate, non-alkoxylated primary alcohol sulfate, olefin sulfonate, ester sulfonateand secondary alcohol sulfate.

It is particularly preferred that anionic surfactant that may be used in the composition is alkyl benzene sulfonates (LAS) having alkyl chain containing from 8 to 20 carbon atoms. Generally, the counter ion for anionic surfactants is an alkali metal, typically sodium, although instead of alkali metals, other amine based counter ions can also be present. A preferred LAS that may be used as an anionic surfactant in the composition is sodium salt of linear alkyl benzene sulfonates (Na-LAS) having an alkyl chain length of 8 to 15, more preferably 12 to 14 carbon atoms.

Alternatively, the anionic surfactant is an alkoxylated primary alcohol sulfate. It is generally represented by the formula R5O(C2H4O)xSO3'M⁺ where Rs is an alkyl chain having from 10 to 22 carbon atoms, saturated or unsaturated, M is a cation which makes the compound water-soluble, especially an alkali metal, ammonium or substituted ammonium cation, and x averages from 1 to 15. Preferably, Rs is an alkyl chain having from 12 to 16 carbon atoms, M is sodium and x averages from 1 to 9, preferably x is 1 to 7. An example of alkoxylated primary alcohol sulfate is sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES). A preferred alkoxylated primary alcohol sulfate that may be used as anionic surfactant in the composition is SLES having an average of 1 to 5 moles of ethylene oxide (EO) units per mole, more preferably having 1 to 3 EO units per mole.

Alternatively, anionic surfactant is a non-alkoxylated primary alcohol sulfate. A preferred example of non-alkoxylated primary alcohol sulfates that may be used as anionic surfactant in the composition is sodium lauryl sulfate.

Alternatively, anionic surfactant are water-soluble alkali metal salts of organic sulfates having alkyl radicals containing from 8 to 22 carbon atoms, the term alkyl being used to include the alkyl portion of higher acyl radicals. Examples include sodium and potassium alkyl sulfates, especially those obtained by sulfating higher C8 to C18 alcohols, produced for example from tallow or coconut oil, sodium alkyl glyceryl ether sulfates, especially those ethers of the higher alcohols derived from tallow or coconut oil and synthetic alcohols derived from petroleum, ester sulfonates and the alpha-olefin sulfonates.

Examples of suitable non-ionic surfactant include the condensation products of a higher alcohol (e.g., an alkanol containing from 8 to 18 carbon atoms in a straight or branched chain configuration) condensed with 5 to 30 moles of EO. For example, lauryl or myristyl alcohol condensed with 16 moles of EO, tridecanol condensed with 6 moles of EO, myristyl alcohol condensed with 10 moles of EO per mole of myristyl alcohol, the condensation product of EO with a cut of coconut fatty alcohol containing a mixture of fatty alcohols with alkyl chains varying from 10 to 14 carbon atoms in length and wherein the condensate contains either 6 moles of EO per mole of total alcohol or 9 moles of EO per mole of alcohol and tallow alcohol ethoxylates containing 6 EO to 11 EO per mole of alcohol.

Condensates of 2 to 30 moles of EO with sorbitan mono- and tri-Cio-C2o alkanoic acid esters having a HLB of 8 to 15 like e.g. polyoxyethylene (4) sorbitan monolaurate, polyoxyethylene (4) sorbitan monostearate, polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan trioleate and polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan tristearate may also be employed as the non-ionic surfactant. These surfactants are commercially available from Imperial Chemical Industries under the trade name Tween™.

Particularly preferred non-ionic surfactant that may be used in the composition are lauryl alcohol condensed with 5, 7 and 9 moles of EO (laureth 5, laureth 7 and laureth 9).

A further class of preferred non-ionic surfactant include the alkyl poly glucosides and rhamnolipids.

Examples of suitable amphoteric surfactant include amide, betaine and amine oxide type. Particular examples of amphoteric surfactants include cocodiethanol amide and cocomonoethanol amide, cocoamidopropyl betaine and coco amido propyl amine oxide. A preferred amphoteric surfactant that may be used in the composition is cocoamidopropyl betaine.

In addition to the quaternary ammonium compound, the composition of the present invention may also comprise other cationic surfactants. Carrier

The composition of the present invention preferably comprises a carrier. Preferably, the carrier is selected from the group consisting of solvent, oil, inorganic particulate material, starch, air and mixtures thereof. The carrier is preferably from 0.1 to 99% based on total weight of the composition. Suitable solvents include, for example, water; glycols, such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, and polypropylene glycol; glycol ethers; alcohols, such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, phenethyl alcohol and phenoxypropanol; ketones, such as acetone and methyl ethyl ketone; esters, such as ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, triacetyl citrate, and glycerol triacetate; carbonates, such as propylene carbonate and dimethyl carbonate; and mixtures thereof. It is preferred that the solvent is selected from water, glycols, glycol ethers, esters and mixtures thereof. Examples of oils include mineral oils, oils of biological origin (e.g. vegetable oils), and petroleum-derived oils and waxes. The oils of biological origin are preferably triglyceride-based. Preferably, the carrier oil is not a perfume oil. Examples of inorganic particulate materials include clay, talc, calcite, dolomite, silica, and aluminosilicate. The starch may be natural starch obtained from food grains or may be a modified starch.

In certain preferred embodiments, suitable solid carriers include, for example, cyclodextrin, silicas, diatomaceous earth, waxes, cellulosic materials, alkali and alkaline earth (e.g., sodium, magnesium, potassium) metal salts (e.g., chloride, nitrate, bromide, sulfate) and charcoal.

Thus, in many of the envisaged applications such as personal care/washing, home care/cleaning and pet care/cleaning, the composition may be formulated with either an aqueous base or an oil/solvent base. Compositions with an aqueous base (water being the carrier), may also for instance be products in gel format. Compositions with a purely oil/solvent base may for instance be products in anhydrous stick form or propellantcontaining products.

Thus, the composition may for instance, preferably be an anhydrous stick personal care composition on a purely oil/solvent base wherein the composition has a water content of less than 0.01 wt%, and wherein the composition is preferably free of water. Alternatively, the composition may for instance, preferably be a propellant-drivable personal care composition, also comprising a propellant. Air can also be used as propellant, for instance in the form of compressed or liquefied air. However, the most preferred product format has an emulsion base (water and/or oil being the carrier) or is capable of forming an emulsion upon dilution, e.g. soap products in liquid, solid, lotion or semi-solid form for hand washing, face washing, body washing, or shaving applications; toothpaste/ dentifrices for oral care applications or products for hard surface cleaning in bar or liquid form. If the product comprises an emulsion base, it preferably also comprises one or more surfactants as described herein.

The composition of the present invention may be in form of a solid, a liquid, a gel or a paste. A person skilled in the art can prepare compositions in various formats by choosing one or more carrier materials and/or surfactant. The compositions of the present invention are useful for cleaning and care. It is envisaged that the composition can be used as either a leave-on product or a wash-off product, preferably a wash-off product. A particularly preferred carrier is water. When water is present, it is preferably present in at least 1 wt%, more preferably at least 2 wt%, furthermore preferably at least 5 wt%. When water is the carrier, both liquid and solid compositions are possible. Different amounts of water may be preferred depending on the product format.

Inorganic particulate material is also a suitable carrier. When inorganic particulate material is the carrier, the composition of the present invention is in a solid form. Preferably the inorganic particulate material is talc. When the composition is a solid, the composition is preferably in form of a shaped solid, more preferably a bar. The solid composition is particularly useful for skin cleaning, in particular for hand washing or a face washing. Such a bar-shaped solid composition may be a soap bar. Soap bar compositions are well-known and may be similar to the following non-limiting example composition, comprising 75.6 wt% of anhydrous sodium soap, 1 .0 wt% of glycerine, 0.5 wt% of sodium carbonate, 0.2 wt% of EHDP (ethane-1 -hydroxy-1 , 1-disphosphonate) acid, 0.04 wt% of EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) tetrasodium salt, 8.5 wt % of hydrated magnesium silicate (Talc), 0.7 wt% of sodium chloride, 0.05 wt% of dyes, 0.75 wt% perfume and water up to 100 wt%.

A solvent different from water is a preferred carrier. Although any solvent can be used, alcohol is a preferred solvent. Short chain alcohols, in particular ethanol, propanol, and isopropanol, are particularly preferred as carrier for an antimicrobial wipe or an antimicrobial hand sanitiser composition. The composition may further comprise various additional ingredients known to a person skilled in the art. Such additional ingredients include, but are not limited to: perfumes, pigments, preservative, emollients, sunscreens, emulsifiers, gelling agents, thickening agents, humectants (e.g. glycerine, sorbitol), sequestrants (e.g. EDTA) or polymers (e.g. cellulose derivatives for structuring such as methyl cellulose).

The following examples are provided to facilitate an understanding of the present invention. The examples are not provided to limit the scope of the claims.

Examples

Example 1

General method for assessment of antimicrobial synergy

Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the individual actives were determined by observing the lowest concentration at which no visible growth is observed (blue colour of resazurin).

The differing behaviours of inhibitory antimicrobials in isolation and mixtures have been widely explored using the concept of the Fractional Concentration and Fractional Inhibitory Concentration (FIC). See for instance J.R.W. Lambert and R. Lambert, J. Appl. Microbiol 95, 734 (2003); T. Jadavji, C.G. Prober and R. Cheung, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 26, 91 (1984), Hall MJ, Middleton RF, & Westmacott D (1983), and WO 2004/006876. These parameters can be defined as follows:

FIC (component A) = [MIC (component A tested in the mixture)] I [MIC (component A tested as a single active)]

Similarly, FIC (component B) = [MIC (component B tested in the mixture)] I [MIC (component B tested as a single active)] FIC = FIC (component A) + FIC (component B)

The sum of the fraction inhibitory concentration (£FIC) is widely used in the context of combinations of antimicrobial actives. It is a tool to determine whether the antimicrobial actives (when used in combination) have synergistic effect or antagonistic effect or neither of the two, i.e. , an additive effect. FIC = 1 corresponds to additive antimicrobial activity, which is not acceptable FIC > 1 corresponds to antagonistic antimicrobial activity, which is not acceptable FIC < 0.9 corresponds to synergistic antimicrobial activity

Experimental methods

Antimicrobial efficacy is tested against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Concentration of actives are expressed by weight percentage.

Microbe culture and preparation

S. aureus (ATCC 6538) was inoculated into Tryptone Soya Broth (TSB, Oxoid: CM0129) and incubated in a shaking incubator at 37 °C for 1 day. The suspension containing the microbe was then diluted 10-times with TSB and incubated again at 37 °C for another 1 day. The inoculum was further diluted by Phosphate Buffer Saline to get around 10⁵ cells /ml.

Preparation of stock solutions of the antimicrobial actives to be tested

Benzalkonium chloride (BKC): Prepare 0.1wt% Benzalkonium chloride (1000 ppm) in water then dilute with the same volume of two times concentrated TSB, then use the stock (500 ppm) to prepare working solutions in TSB.

Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract (GGE): The GGE is from Healthy Star Bio-Tech R&D Co., Ltd under the trade name Gancao Powder. Prepare 20 wt% GGE (200000 ppm) in water then dilute with the same volume of two times concentrated TSB, then use the stock (100000 ppm) to prepare working solutions in TSB.

All preparations were freshly prepared and checked to ensure complete dissolution and filtered through 0.22pm membrane.

50 pl of BKC working solution and 50 pl of GGE working solution were mixed in corresponding wells of a 96-well plate. 10 pl of bacterial suspension was dispensed in each well and the broth medium was taken as a blank control for comparison of result. The final volume of test solution in each well was 110 pl. The plates were incubated at 37 °C for 18- 24 hours, 10 pl of 0.1 % resazurin was then added to observe colour change. Finally, the plates were visually observed. Blue colour indicates no growth or inhibition of growth of microbes and red colour indicates growth of microbes.

Results MIC of the individual actives were determined by observing the lowest concentration at which no visible growth is observed (blue colour of resazurin). The sum of the fraction inhibitory concentration (£FIC) is then calculated using the formula given above. The results were reported in Table 1. TABLE 1

Example 2

The same protocol was used to test the antimicrobial efficacy against Staphylococcus epidermidis (S.epidermidis) (ATCC12228) and S. aureus (ATCC 6538). Concentration of actives are expressed by weight percentage.

TABLE 2

It is evident from the table above that samples 4 to 7 comprising combinations of BKC and GGE consistent with the present invention were able to selectively kill harmful microbes (S. aureus) while selectively increasing the number of beneficial microbes (S.epidermidis).

Claims

1. Use of a composition comprising a quaternary ammonium compound and a licorice extract in microbiome balancing on a surface, wherein balancing means selectively reducing the number of microbes selected from Escherichia Coli and Staphylococcus aureus, while having less effect on or selectively increasing the number of microbes of Staphylococcus Epidermidis', wherein the licorice extract is glycyrrhiza root extract; wherein the weight ratio of the quaternary ammonium compound to the licorice extract ranges from 1:5000 to 1:100; and wherein the quaternary ammonium compound comprises didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, diisobutyl phenoxy ethoxy ethyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium saccharinate, octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl ethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, methyldodecylbenzyl ammonium chloride, methyldodecylxylene-bis-trimethyl ammonium chloride, methyl benzethonium chloride, cetyl pyrinidinium chloride, cetrimonium bromide or mixtures thereof.

2. Use according to claim 1, wherein the quaternary ammonium compound comprises alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, diisobutyl phenoxy ethoxy ethyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, methyl benzethonium chloride, cetyl pyrinidinium chloride, cetrimonium bromide or mixtures thereof, preferably benzalkonium chloride.

3. Use according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the licorice extract is glycyrrhiza glabra root extract.

4. Use according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the licorice extract comprises glycerrhetic acid, glycyrrhizic acid, liquiritin apioside, isoliquiritin apioside, liquiritin, or combinations thereof, preferably glycyrrhizic acid, liquiritin apioside, isoliquiritin apioside, liquiritin or a combination thereof.

5. Use according to claim 4, wherein the licorice extract comprises a combination of glycyrrhizic acid, liquiritin apioside, isoliquiritin apioside and liquiritin.

6. Use according to claim 5, wherein the licorice extract comprises from 2 to 15% by weight of the glycyrrhizic acid, preferably from 2.5 to 11%.

7. Use according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the quaternary ammonium compound is present in an amount of from 0.0001 to 10% by weight of the composition, preferably from 0.001 to 8%. Use according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the licorice extract is present in an amount of from 0.0001 to 20% by weight of the composition, preferably from 0.001 to 10%. Use according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the weight ratio of the quaternary ammonium compound to the licorice extract ranges from 1 :4000 to 1 :200, preferably from 1 :3500 to 1 :300. Use according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the surface is a skin surface including human or animal skin. Use according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the surface is a hard surface, preferably the hard surface is kitchen and bathroom surfaces, table tops, floors, walls, windows, utensils, cutlery and crockery. Use according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the surface is a surface of clothes, fabrics and/or cloth fibres. Use according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the composition is a home care composition, a personal care composition or a pet care composition. Use according to claim 13, wherein the home care composition is liquid laundry compositions, powder laundry compositions, hand dishwash compositions, hard surface cleaning compositions, home surface sanitizers, disinfectants, unit-dose liquid compositions, or fabric conditioning compositions. Use according to claim 13, wherein the personal care composition is leave-on skin lotions and creams, shampoos, conditioners, shower gels, soap bars, antiperspirants, deodorants, shave creams, depilatories, lipsticks, foundations, mascara, sunless tanners or sunscreen lotions.