ES2252480T3 - SOFTENING COMPOSITION OF FABRICS. - Google Patents

Abstract

Fabric softener composition having an upper hydrophobic phase comprising a fragrance and a lower aqueous phase comprising a cationic softener, in which the pH value of the aqueous phase is below 5 of 4.

Description

Fabric softening composition.

The present invention relates to compositions fabric softeners, in particular softener compositions of tissue comprising an aqueous phase and a hydrophobic phase.

Fabric softeners for home use are designed primarily to give a pleasant feeling to fabrics, to provide freshness or a pleasant aroma, and to control static electricity that decreases comfort by handle or wear clothes. In general, these are dispersions aqueous containing a cationic softener as active material. Usually, fabric softener compositions have a pH value below 4 due to the active material, that is, the cationic softener while detergents contain mostly anionic surfactants as active ingredient they have a pH value above 5, preferably above from 7, and more preferably from 9 to 10, approximately, depending of the application, for example tissue or skin.

A known fabric softener composition that it comprises a cationic fabric softener, a fragrance, a non-ionic surfactant, a water soluble ionizable inorganic salt and water, is disclosed in WO 97/16516. The composition fabric softener is in the form of an aqueous phase with discretely dispersed hydrophobic particles substantially uniform throughout the aqueous phase. A problem with The aqueous dispersions of this type is that the fragrance is mixed intimately with the other ingredients. Some of the ingredients, For example, cationic softener tends to degrade the fragrance over time. In addition, aggressive acidic media, pH <4, which contain these fabric softening compositions cause the Fragrance degradation

Patent WO01 / 98450 discloses a multiphasic fabric care composition comprising phases visually distinct While the agents of fabric care, which include perfume, the reference no provides no information about the perfume and the cationic softener must be contained in separate phases.

At present, it has been discovered that you can produce a fabric softener composition comprising a fragrance and a cationic softener, which substantially does not present the problems associated with the degradation of the fragrance material during storage in aggressive media.

Accordingly, the present invention provides in one of its aspects a softening composition of tissue that has a hydrophobic upper phase comprising a fragrance and an aqueous lower phase comprising a softener cationic, in which the pH value of the aqueous phase is per under 4.

The compositions according to the present invention They have numerous advantages. Through the proportion of two phases distinct, the fragrance is separated from aggressive media, such as the cationic softener and consequently of the acidic aqueous phase that at a pH value below 4, particularly between 3 and 1, more particularly between 2.5 and 1, it can act by degrading the fragrance, and thus, its effect is much more lasting compared to fragrances used in aqueous dispersion systems.

Additionally, since substantially all of the fragrance is located in the hydrophobic phase that sits on top of the aqueous phase, an enhanced fragrance burst is presented to the user when opening a container, for example a bottle, containing a composition according to the present invention, in comparison with aqueous dispersion systems in which the fragrance is dispersed throughout the composition in a less
concentrated.

Other advantages of the present invention will be evident from the description and the examples that follow.

How the composition is provided in a system of two phases, it must be agitated before its use to ensure a good mixture of all ingredients. But nevertheless, Due to the problem of fragrance degradation, it is desirable that after use, the composition reestablishes its shape in two phases as fast as possible, and preferably, that the separation in the different phases occurs within the, approximately 10 to 40 minutes after stirring.

It has been observed that certain softeners cause a rapid phase separation. Softeners can be selected for use in a composition according to the present invention, among cationic softeners, more particularly among the group of the cationic quaternary ammonium salts; ammonium compounds ester bound quaternaries; imidazolinium salts; and you leave amido amine Particular examples of these cationic softeners They are described in more detail below.

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Quaternary ammonium salts useful in The present invention can be selected from the compounds of the formula:

one

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in which each of the R1 and R2 is independently selected from a residue of hydrocarbon having from 8 to 28, preferably from 2 to 24 atoms carbon; R 3 and R 4 represent hydrocarbon residues containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms; and X - is an anion, which can be any suitable anion, compatible with softener, by example, halide (preferably chloride or bromide), methylsulfate, ethyl sulfate, formate, sulfate, nitrate, acetate and the like. Between representative examples of these ammonium compounds quaternary include dimethyl quaternary ammonium chloride and tallow, dimethyl quaternary ammonium methylsulfate, chloride of dihexadecyl dimethyl ammonium, quaternary ammonium methylsulfate of dimethyl and hydrogenated tallow, dihexadecyl diethyl ammonium chloride and di (cocoalkyl) dimethyl chloride ammonium.

Among the appropriate materials are also include dialkylethoxyl methyl ammonium methosulfate based on soft fatty acids, dialkylethoxymethyl ammonium methosulfate based on hard fatty acids, and compounds in which R3 and R 4 represents methyl, R 2 is a hydrocarbon group C 13-15, R 3 is CH 2 CH 2 OCOR 5 wherein R 5 is stearyl, and X - is the anion Methylsulfate

A cationic softener particularly preferably useful in the composition according to the present invention, it can be an ester bound quaternary ammonium compound, represented by the formula:

2

in which each R 6 group is independently select among hydrocarbon residues C 1-6, such as alkyl, alkenyl or hydroxyalkyl; and in which each group R 7 is selected independently between hydrocarbon residues C_ {8-28} linear or branched, such as groups alkyl or alkenyl;

T is

3

in the that

R 8 represents hydrogen, methyl, or ethyl;

n is an integer between 0-5 and m is an integer between 1-4;

and X - is an anion as defined previously.

A preferred ammonium compound material ester bound quaternary is one of formula:

4

in which each R9 is a linear or branched alkyl or alkenyl chain comprising, at least 11 atoms, such as tallow and X - is such an anion as defined above and, in particular, is methylsulfate. A compound that has tallow such as R 11 and X - is the anion Methylsulfate is available in Witco, under the trade name of Rewoquat® WE 18. Another example of this type of material is a compound in which R 11 is partially hardened tallow and X - is the anion Methylsulfate

Another preferred class of cationic softener that It contains two ester groups is represented by the formula:

5

wherein R 10 is a residue of linear or branched alkyl or alkenyl, such as tallow, or tallow partially hardened, and X - is an anion, such as defined above and in particular chloride or Methylsulfate

Other bound quaternary ammonium compounds to the ester, which can be used in the compositions herein invention, are those of formula:

6

in which every

R 11 is independently selected from C 1-4 hydrocarbon residues, such as alkyl, alkenyl or hydroxyalkyl groups; and each R 12 is independently select from hydrocarbon residues C_ {8-28} linear or branched, such as groups alkyl and alkenyl;

T has the meaning above described;

n is an integer between 0-5 and m is an integer between 1-4;

X <- is an anion as defined above, which is preferably selected from halide, Methylsulfate and Ethyl Sulfate.

The most preferred class of cationic softener it is a quaternary ammonium fatty acid ester compound Biodegradable formula:

7

in which each R 13 represents independently an aliphatic hydrocarbon residue having 8 to 22 carbon atoms; R 14 represents (CH 2) s R 16 in which R 16 represents a alkoxycarbonyl residue containing from 8 to 22 carbon atoms, benzyl, phenyl, phenyl alkyl-C 1 -C 4 substituted, Oh oh; R 15 represents (CH 2) t R 17 in the that R 17 represents benzyl, phenyl, phenyl alkyl-C 1 -C 4 substituted, Oh oh; q, r, s and t each independently represent a number from 1 to 3; and X - is an anion as defined previously, and the symbol "a" represents the ionic valence of the anion.

Other preferred cationic softeners are the hydrocarbylimidazolinium salts having the formula:

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8

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wherein R 18 is a residue of hydrocarbon containing 1 to 4, preferably 1 or 2 atoms of carbon; R 21 is a hydrocarbon residue containing from 8 to 25 carbon atoms; R 19 is a linear hydrocarbon residue or branched containing 8 to 25 carbon atoms; R 20 is hydrogen or a hydrocarbon residue containing 1 to 4 atoms carbon; and X - is an anion as defined above, and in particular, a halide, methylsulfate or ethyl sulfate.

Among the preferred imidazolinium salts are include metosulfate from 1-methyl-1- (seboylamide-) ethyl-2-seboyl-4,5-dihydroimidazolinium and the chloride of 1-methyl-1- (palmitoylamide) ethyl-2-octadecyl-4,5-dihydroimidazolinium. Other useful imidazolinium materials are chloride 2-heptadecyl-1-methyl-1- (2-stearylamido) -ethyl-imidazolinium and the chloride of 2-lauryl-1-hydroxyethyl-1-oleyl-imidazolinium.

Another class of preferred cationic softener are the amino amido compounds of the formula:

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9

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in which R 22 and R 23 independently represent aliphatic hydrocarbon residues C 12 to C 30; R 24 represents (CH 2 CH 2 O) p H, CH 3 or H; n = 1 to 5; m = 1 a 5; and p = 1 a 10.

However, it has been observed that of the cationic softeners mentioned above, the compounds of ester bound quaternary ammonium show a reduced tendency as emulsifying agents compared to the other kinds of cationic softeners and therefore cause rapid separation of the composition in two different phases. Other advantages of these softeners are good biodegradability and its efficient smoothing results. As a result of the advantages mentioned above, ammonium compounds are preferred quaternary bound to ester. Among the most cationic softeners Preferred according to the present invention include Rewoquat® WE18 and the Rewoquat® WE15.

Although the softeners previously referrals allow phase separation within a period of acceptable time, these are still surfactants, and it is in the nature of surfactants resistance, up to a certain magnitude, to the phase separation and for this reason the use of the minimum amount of cationic softener that is possible. However, cationic softener is necessary to provide softness to the tissues and, therefore, should be find a balance between the need for a separation of rapid phases and the competitive need for acceptable softness in the tissue. Find the right balance considering these competitive factors, is within the domain of the Routine experimentation for experienced people. But nevertheless, use in the composition according to the present is preferred invention of about 1% to about 18% (w / w) of a cationic softener, preferably from 2% to 13%, more preferably from 5% to 10% (w / w).

In fabric softener compositions of the prior art nonionic surfactants are used, for example, in combination with cationic softeners. However, the present inventors have observed that non-ionic surfactants cause emulsification to such an extent that using these Materials phase separation is not established quickly. By consequently, it is preferred to avoid the use of non-surfactants ionic in compositions of the present invention.

It has been observed that by adding salts the velocity of phase separation In this way, the aqueous phase can comprise organic salts, such as alkaline citrates and inorganic salts, for example sodium chloride and calcium chloride. Additionally, as the viscosity of the aqueous phase may fluctuate along the time, the provision of salts at this stage acts by stabilizing the viscosity. This has the advantage that the composition has a substantially constant quality over time. The compositions according to the present invention preferably comprise up to 2% (w / w), more preferably up to 1%, and most preferably, up to 0.5%, of salts.

Among the preferred inorganic salts are they include alkaline and alkaline earth halides, for example, halides Mg, Na, Li, Ca, K, and Al, nitrates, sulfates, phosphates and silicates alkaline and alkaline earth; including hydrates of these salts, and mixtures thereof.

Preferred organic salts include alkaline and alkaline earth salts of carboxylic acids including formate, acetate, propionate, pelargonate, citrate, gluconate and aromatic acids of lactate.

Other excipients optionally present in the aqueous phase are antifoaming agents, thickeners, agents fluorescent bleaching agents, optical brightening agents, agents anti-wrinkle, anti-shrinking agents, sun screens, agents color care, dyes, ironing facilitators.

The fabric softening composition according to the The present invention comprises up to 8% (w / w) of these others excipients, preferably from 2% to 5% (w / w).

The hydrophobic phase according to the present invention It comprises an oil and fragrance.

To achieve rapid phase separation after stirring the composition according to the present invention, oils are preferred in which the HLB (balance hydrophilic-lipophilic) is below 5, more preferably between 4 and 1. The oil may be an oil of hydrocarbon, for example a mixture of hydrocarbon oils obtained from petroleum, in particular, petroleum jelly or by example Isopar® produced by Exxon, in particular Isopar® L, Isopar® M or Isopar® H. Other preferred oils are oils of silicone, such as dimethicone polysiloxane or Tegopren®; or oils ester, such as isopropyl myristate, ethylhexyl laurate, Isopropyl laurate, octyl adipate and ethylhexyl cocoate. In addition, mixtures of ester oils, oils of hydrocarbon and silicone oils. For environmental reasons, Biodegradable oils are preferred. Therefore, the more preferred oils are ester oils, for example, isopropyl myristate, isopropyl palmitate, diethylhexanoate neopentyl glycol, glycerol trioleate or glyceryl triheptanoate. These oils are preferred, which have a speed of low evaporation, to avoid altering the characteristics of the fragrance for oil.

The fabric softening composition according to the The present invention comprises from 1% to 50% (w / w), preferably from 3% to 20% (w / w), and most preferably, from a 5% to 12% (w / w) hydrophobic phase.

In addition to the function of providing a phase support for the fragrance that separates from the aggressive medium that It contains the aqueous phase, the oil can also treat a tissue to provide softness to it. Therefore, the presence of the oil can have the beneficial effect of allowing the use of less amount of cationic softener, which is relatively expensive compared to oil.

Additionally, the oil can coat the fragrance, so that when the composition is applied to a fabric it tends to promote prolonged release of the fragrance and thus increase the substantivity of the fragrance in the fabric, for example, the preferred compositions according to the The present invention can provide fragrance to a tissue for a period of up to 7 days after treatment. It has been observed that the loss by rinsing of the fragrance during the rinse cycle and / or the loss of fragrance during the drum drying process is much smaller, compared to water dispersion fabric softeners. In dry fabrics you can be achieved 3-5 times stronger fragrance, measured by headspace (headspace) as compared to conventional fabric softening aqueous dispersion. Headspace analysis is described in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, volume 19, No. 6 (1971), pages 1049-1056.

The composition according to the present invention may contain all kinds of natural and / or synthetic fragrances, for example geraniol, citronellyl acetate, d-limonene, orange and vanillin terpenes. The composition comprises a fragrance or a mixture of fragrances. However, to limit the migration of the fragrance from the hydrophobic phase to the aqueous phase, water soluble fragrances should preferably be avoided. Conventionally, the water solubility of a fragrance is measured using different procedures, such as for example the procedure disclosed by Etzweiler et al. , In Analytical Chemistry, volume 67, No. 3 (1995) expressed in grams per gram of fragrance solution; or it can be determined from the partition coefficient of the fragrance between octanol and water, expressed as log P. Log P can be measured directly, but more conveniently, it can be calculated from the structure of the molecule, using any of the different commercially available software programs, such as the ACD Software. The calculated value is abbreviated to clogP. Accordingly, the preferred fragrances have a water solubility below 20,000 ppm, preferably below 10,000 ppm, more preferably below 5000 ppm, and most preferably below 2000 ppm. Thus, fragrances such as phenylethyl alcohol and diethylmalonate should preferably be avoided. Additionally, the preferred fragrances have a clogP greater than 2, the most preferred a clogP greater than 3. In a preferred embodiment, the composition according to the present invention comprises from about 0.1% to about 3% ( p / p) of fragrance. The most preferred fragrance compositions are those that have at least 80% (w / w) fragrance, with a clogP greater than 2.

Optionally, the hydrophobic phase may comprise a lipophilic dye, for example Puricolor® FBL5 blue, Puricolor® FBL5 blue, Puricolor® ABL9 blue, Puricolor® U3 green or Puricolor® AYE23 yellow
Ciba

A preferred composition according to the present invention comprises from 2% to 18% (w / w) of cationic softener; from 1% to 50% (w / w) oil; from 0.1% to 3% (w / w) of fragrance; and from 29% to 96.9% (w / w) of water.

A particularly preferred composition according to The present invention comprises from 2% to 15% (w / w) of cationic softener; from 3% to 20% (w / w) ester oil; from 0.1% to 3% (w / w) fragrance; from 57% to 92.9% (w / w) of Water; and from 2% to 5% (w / w) of other excipients.

The compositions according to the present invention are They can use as fabric softeners. These can be added at the last rinse cycle in an amount of 35 ml to 150 ml per 4 Kg of fabrics in general, or in particular of garments. But nevertheless, the quantities used are based on the preferences of the Username.

The present invention is illustrated by the examples. following.

Example 1

A fabric softener composition according to the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "biphasic fabric softener") was formulated as follows:

% p / p Part A Rewoquat® WE 18 Metosulfate di- (sebocarboxyethyl) hydroxy-ethylmethylammonium 10.00 (Goldschmidt) Water Deionized 74.45 Chloride calcic 0.50 Myacide® BT330 (Boots) 2-Bromo-2-nitropropan-1,3-diol 0.05 Part B Myristat of Isopropyl 11.50 Isopar ™ M (Exxon) 2.50 Fragrance 1.00 100.00

Water and Rewoquat® were heated separately WE 18 at 50 ° C. While stirring the preheated water, the half of Rewoquat® WE 18 (preheated to 50 ° C). Chloride was added calcium and then the remaining part of Rewoquat® WE 18, while stirring the mixture. After cooling to temperature Under stirring, the Myacide® BT330 was added. Finally I know added part B.

Example 2 Fragrance evaluation: substantive profile

The biphasic fabric softener composition prepared according to Example 1 was compared with a composition Single phase fabric softener formulated as follows:

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% p / p Part A Water Deionized 81.75 MgCl2 (saturated solution) 1.00 Part B Rewoquat® WE 18 Metosulfate from 13.00 (Goldschmidt) di- (sebocarboxyethyl) hydroxy-ethylmethylammonium GenapolO100 (Hoescht) Fatty alcohol C16-C18 ethoxylate 10EO 2.00 Defoamer 110A-EU Emulsion of silicone 1.00 (Dow Corning) Part C Dequest 2010 (Monsanto) Acid hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic 0.20 Proxel GXL (ICI) Benzoisothiazolinone salt sodium 0.02 Bronidox L (Cognis) 5-Bromo-5-nitro-1,3-dioxane 0.03 Fragrance 1.00 Part C 100.00

Part A was heated with stirring at 65 ° C. TO then, part B (preheated to 65 ° C) was added while the mixture was stirred. After cooling to room temperature Under stirring, part C. was added.

A European washing machine with 4 kg of fabrics was loaded mixed, including cotton terry towels. In the last cycle 35 grams of fabric softener were added to the rinse. The Cotton terry towels were used to assess efficiency of each fabric softener by an expert court.

TABLE 1

fabric softener biphasic single phase fabric softener dry towels after 24 hours 4 3 towels dry after 5 days 4 2 Evaluation scale: 5 = very strong 4 = strong 3 = moderate 2 = weak 1 = very weak

The members of the court compared the intensity of the fragrance in dry tissues (Table 1). With the biphasic fabric softener prepared according to example 1 is achieved an intensity of fragrance and a quality of fragrance much higher compared to single phase fabric softener prepared according to the previous formulation. Additionally, using The biphasic fabric softener fragrance seems fresher.

Example 3 Fragrance evaluation: "Headspace"

The cotton terry towels were washed according the washing protocol of example 2. The towels were dried on line and placed in a glass container 1 day / 5 days after drying. Headspace was collected for 15 minutes and an extraction flow of 30 l / minute. Then the Samples were analyzed by GC / MS. The results are shown in the Table 2.

TABLE 2

biphasic fabric softener fabric softener single phase fabric dry towels after 24 hours 489 ng / l 148 ng / l dry towels after 5 days 394 ng / l 89 ng / l

Biphasic fabric softener released significantly more fragrance in terry towels cotton.

Example 4 Fragrance composition

Ingredients % p / p Acetate Benzyl 4.0 Acetate Bornyl 4.0 Acetate Citronellyl 0.8 Acetate Menthanyl 2.0 Acetate Butylcyclohexyl PT 3.0 Phenoxyacetate 2-Propenyl 3.6 Phenyl Ethyl Acetal 1.0 Verdyle Acetate? 10.0 Aldehyde Cyclamen Extra 2.5 Benzyl benzoate 8.0 Citronellol 16.0 Pure Crystallized Coumarin 7.0 Diphenyl Oxide 2.0 Geraniol 980 4.0 Isoraldeine® 70 5.2 Lavender Essential Oil 2.0 Lilial 3.5 Linalool Synthetic 2.0 N-112 0.1 Pure® Peche 0.1 Rosacetol ™ 7.5 Pure Terpineol 10.0 Vanillin 1.0 Virdine® 0.7 100.0

Claims (12)

1. Fabric softener composition that has a upper hydrophobic phase comprising a fragrance and a phase lower aqueous comprising a cationic softener, in which the pH value of the aqueous phase is below 4. 2. Fabric softener composition, according to the claim 1, wherein the cationic softener is selected from the group of imidazolinium salts; the amido amines; and the ester bound quaternary ammonium salts. 3. Fabric softener composition, according to claims 1 and 2, comprising up to 18% (w / w) of the cationic softener. 4. Fabric softener composition, according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the oil is selected from the list of hydrocarbon oils, oils silicone and ester oils. 5. Fabric softener composition, according to the claim 4, comprising hydrocarbon oil, oil silicone or ester oil with a balance hydrophilic-lipophilic less than 5. 6. Fabric softener composition, according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a 1% to 50% (w / w) of the oil. 7. Fabric softening composition, according to the claim 1, comprising

from 2% to 18% (w / w) cationic softener;

from 1% to 50% (w / w) oil;

from 0.1% to 3% (w / w) fragrance; Y

from 29% to 96.9% (w / w) of water.

8. Fabric softener composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the fragrance is characterized by a clogP greater than 2, preferably a clogP greater than 3. 9. Fabric softener composition, according to any of the preceding claims, adapted for the dispersion upon stirring, in which the dispersion separates into a hydrophobic phase and an aqueous phase of approximately 10 a, approximately 40 minutes after stirring. 10. Method of prolonging the release of fragrance of a fabric up to 7 days, which includes the stage of treat a fabric with a composition such as those described in any of the preceding claims. 11. Softener composition of packaged tissue, characterized by an upper hydrophobic phase comprising a fragrance and a lower aqueous phase comprising a cationic softener, in which the pH value of the aqueous phase is below 4. 12. Fabric softener composition packaged, according to claim 11, comprising

from 2% to 18% (w / w) cationic softener;

from 1% to 50% (w / w) oil;

from 0.1% to 3% (w / w) fragrance; Y

from 29% to 96.9% (w / w) of water.