FR3014647A1 - UNIT OF APPLICATION OF A COSMETIC PRODUCT - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an application unit (100) for a cosmetic product (P) for an applicator (1) comprising a receiving zone of the application unit, said application unit comprising a support (4). having a first sleeve-shaped portion adapted for releasably securing the support to the receiving area, and a second portion forming at least one receiving compartment (34) for the cosmetic composition and / or application elements According to the invention, the application unit is characterized in that the support comprises a slot (37) extending over at least 50% of the length of the support, or even at least 90% of the support. the length of the support.

Description

The present invention relates to an application unit for a cosmetic product applicator on human keratin materials, in particular eyelashes or eyebrows. By "cosmetic product" is meant any composition as defined in Council Directive 93/35 / EEC of 14 June 1993. Application EP 1 955 610 discloses an applicator tip exclusively composed of an eyelash makeup composition. , molded and adapted to be mounted by fitting on a heating medium having a finger shape. However, such a tip composed of a cosmetic product mounted directly on the heating support soiled this support which must be cleaned after each use. In addition, in order to be able to slip on the support the product must imperatively extend all around the applicator tip. In addition, the handling of the tips composed solely of a make-up composition may result in the user's fingers being soiled. Application US 2007/0286831 discloses a mascara applicator comprising a heating element surmounted by a comb, in which the product is in the form of bars or balls deposited on the heating member while the latter is in housing. Feeding means comprising a piston, a barrel or a worm are provided to bring the product on the heating member. The product is not directly supplied with the comb but requires a complex dispenser with many mechanical parts, which can affect the reliability and / or result in the loading of the product into unwanted particles. PCT application WO 2006/043544 discloses a device for applying a cosmetic product comprising a removable unit mounted on a receiving zone of a base facing a heating member and receiving the product in the form of a tablet. dispose on the unit by the user then to melt thanks to the heating element. However the handling of the tablets can cause a soiling of the fingers of the user. US Pat. No. 5,316,712 also discloses a process for manufacturing a solid cosmetic product mainly obtained from a powder and an injection-molded oil, for example on a container such as a cup. However, during this process it is necessary to previously place the cups in the mold which causes an increase in the manufacturing time and a risk of misplacement of the cups may affect the reliability of the manufacturing process.

PCT application WO 2011/131907 is still known, an application unit comprising a support and a cosmetic product whose composition is different from the material forming the support, this unit being intended to be mounted on a heating receiving zone. an applicator. The application unit may take the form of a sleeve that engages a tubular heating receiving zone. However, there are significant dimensional constraints to meet to get a fitting fit on the receiving area. In addition, during heating the receiving zone may expand causing difficulties in removing the unit already mounted and / or difficulties in mounting a new unit.

There is a need to allow the application of a cosmetic product on keratin materials using an applicator in a relatively simple, relatively reliable, hygienic and convenient to use. The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a unit for applying a cosmetic composition for an applicator in order to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks by proposing an improved application unit. For this purpose the invention proposes a unit for applying a cosmetic product for an applicator comprising a receiving zone of the application unit, said application unit comprising a support comprising a first portion in the form of a suitable sleeve. removably securing the support to the receiving area, and a second portion forming at least one receiving compartment of the cosmetic composition and / or application elements of a cosmetic composition. According to the invention, the support comprises a slot extending over at least 50% of the length of the support, or even over at least 90% of the length of the support. The invention advantageously allows to have application units, which can be preloaded in product, adapted to be slipped on a reception area in a simple manner regardless of the slight dimensional variations of manufacture and / or expansion of the unit and / or the receiving area. According to other characteristics of the invention, the unit may comprise a cosmetic product to be applied to human keratin materials, the composition of the product being different from the material forming the support, the cosmetic product being injection-molded on the support beforehand any use of said unit with the applicator.

The support may comprise at least two receiving compartments separated from one another by ribs. The ribs may extend substantially transversely to the support The number of compartments may be odd. The unit may comprise at least two cosmetic products. The radial extent of the slot around the axis of elongation of the support is preferably less than 20 °, or even less than 10 °, more preferably less than 5 °. The slot may have a width measured between two opposite edges of the slot less than 5 mm, or even less than 2 mm, for example substantially equal to 1 mm. The invention also relates to an assembly comprising an applicator comprising a tubular receiving zone, and an application unit comprising a slot as described above. The receiving zone may be heating.

The invention will be better understood on reading the following description of nonlimiting examples of implementation thereof, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: FIG. 1 schematically represents an applicator comprising a application unit according to the invention, - Figure 2 is a top view of the application unit of Figure 1 in isolation without cosmetic product, Figure 3 is a first variant of the application unit of the FIG. 2 is a second variant of the application unit of FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the application unit of FIG. 2, FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view along VII-VII of the application unit of FIG. 2 devoid of a cosmetic product; FIG. cross-sectional view according to VIII-VIII of the FI application unit FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a variant of the application unit; FIGS. 10 and 11 represent an applicator variant according to two different positions of use; FIGS. 12 to 18 represent variants of application units that are not loaded with a cosmetic product, and adapted to the support of FIG. 10. With reference to the figures, in particular to FIG. 1, an applicator 1 according to a first example of implementation , comprises a base 2 extending mainly along a longitudinal axis X, and an electric heating element 3. An application unit 100 is removably mounted on the base 2 at a receiving zone on the electric element In the example described, the receiving zone extends parallel to the longitudinal axis X, but it could be otherwise. The applicator 1 comprises in particular an autonomous energy source, for example an electric battery, for supplying the electric heating element 3 intended to transmit its heat to the application unit 100. The electric heating element 3 can be made in various ways, and may comprise a resistive electrical conductor, wound or in the form of a flexible track, for example.

In general, the electric heating element 3 has, for example, a nominal power of between 0.5 and 2 W, for example of the order of 0.8 W, and makes it possible to reach a temperature greater than 50 ° C. for example a temperature of 70 ° C for an ambient temperature of 20 ° C. This electric heating element 3 may comprise a metal coating, made for example of stainless steel or anodized aluminum, then defining the receiving zone facing at least a part of the application unit 100 when it is fixed. in the reception area. The metal coating is tubular, for example substantially cylindrical, extends from the base 2 of the applicator parallel to the axis X, and is configured to receive the application unit 100. The metal coating is for example open at its distal end of the base 2 of the applicator so as to define a cavity adapted to receive a lug of the application unit 100 when the latter is mounted on the receiving zone. In a variant shown in FIG. 10, the receiving zone of the application unit 100 extends forming a curved tube from a flexible portion 6 situated between the base 2 of the applicator and the receiving zone. . The curve may be substantially circular and have a radius of curvature R of between 10 and 100 mm, advantageously between 20 and 30 mm to best adapt to the application of the product on the eyelashes for example. The flexible portion 6 is shape memory so that the user can orient the reception area relative to the base according to the desired application gesture. A first configuration of the applicator is shown in FIG. 10, in which the reception zone extends substantially parallel and in the extension of the base. A second configuration of the applicator is shown in FIG. 11, in which the receiving area of the application unit extends substantially perpendicularly to the base. To move from the first configuration to the second configuration the user applies a force to deform the flexible portion. When it releases the force exerted, the flexible portion remains in the desired deformed position. The flexible shape memory portion may in particular be made of thermoplastic material and / or metal. It advantageously takes the form of a sleeve through which the electrical components connecting the power supply to the heating element extend, such as electrical wires or a flexible circuit. For example the flexible portion is formed by a helically wound wire, and an elastomeric thermoplastic material overmolded on the wire. As a variant, the flexible portion may be formed by a succession of rigid rings forming ball joints nested one after the other. The cross section of the receiving zone is advantageously circular, however it may take any other shape such as polygonal or oval. FIGS. 2 to 6 show, in isolation, application units 100 at an intermediate stage of manufacture, devoid of product in FIGS. 2 to 5, and loaded in product in FIG. 6. These application units 100 are suitable for a applicator according to the first example of implementation described above but their characteristics can be adapted to application units suitable for other types of applicators. An application unit 100 comprises a support 4 adapted to the positioning and the removable attachment of the application unit to the receiving area of the applicator 1. In addition, the removable attachment of the support 4 to the reception area makes it possible to easily change the product, the applicator 1 thus remaining clean and able to receive a new application unit 100. The removable attachment is made by removable fitting. As such, the support has the shape of a tubular sleeve of internal section complementary to the section of the receiving zone.

The sleeve-shaped support has a slot 37 extending in the length of the support as can be seen in the rear view of the application unit of FIG. 18. Preferably the slot 37 extends over at least 50 % of the length of the support, or even at least 90% of the length of the support. The slot extends rectilinearly but may also extend following a curve or ripples.

The radial extent of the slot 37 around the axis of elongation of the support is preferably less than 20 ° or even less than 10 °, more preferably less than 5 °. The slot 37 has a width measured between two opposite edges of the slot less than 5 mm, or even less than 2 mm, for example substantially equal to 1 mm. Thus the support 4 may extend along a longitudinal axis Y which may be parallel to the longitudinal axis X of the base 2 of the applicator 1 when the application unit is mounted thereon. The support 4 may comprise, as illustrated, a frame comprising two lateral branches 30 interconnected at their proximal and distal ends and by the proximal 31 and distal portions 32 of the support 4. The frame then forms a compartment adapted to receive a cosmetic product . As illustrated in FIG. 7, each of the branches 30 and the proximal 31 and distal portions 32 of the support 4 may have an internal profile complementary to the receiving zone of the applicator and in particular to the electric heating element 3. For example the inner profile is in an arc so as to fit on a cylindrical receiving zone, the free ends of each leg, opposite the compartment, facing each other so as to define the slot 37. Thus the inner face of the support 4 , that is to say the face facing the heating element 3 or its metal coating, forms an envelope that extends almost a revolution around the Y axis for example to form the sleeve. The support 4 may be configured to exert a combing action, in particular on the eyelashes. Thus, the support 4 may comprise ribs 33 parallel to each other. The ribs 33 may be oriented transversely to the Y axis as illustrated in Figures 2, 5 and 6, or otherwise, for example forming an angle with the Y axis for example equal to 45 ° as in Figure 4, or same oriented parallel to the Y axis as in Figure 3. The ribs 33 may also not be parallel to each other.

The ribs 33 can connect the lateral branches 30 of the outer side of the application unit 100, that is to say on the opposite side to the heating element 3, when the application unit 100 is in place on the reception area. The base of the ribs 33 then has a profile in the form of an arc in the extension of the arcuate profile of the branches 30 so as to be able to position itself in contact with the cylindrical receiving zone. The ribs 33 divide the frame into a plurality of compartments 34 adapted to receive a cosmetic product. For example, in the case of ribs 33 oriented transversely to the Y axis, the support may comprise between two and fifteen ribs. The distance between two adjacent ribs is for example between 0.2 and 1.2 mm.

Preferably an application unit 100 may have a larger dimension along the Y axis less than 30 mm, or even 20 mm. The frame is divided into an odd number of compartments for example, a frame about 12mm long along the Y axis, is divided into 9 compartments of about 1mm along the Y axis by 8 ribs 33 transverse to the axis Y and less than 0.4mm thick. These 8 ribs 33 can be supplemented by two extremal ribs on the proximal 31 and distal portions 32 of the support 4 so that the first and last compartments 34 are identical to the others. The ribs 33 may extend radially away from the support 4, for example the ribs 33 may have a height of 1 mm beyond the axis comprising the vertices of the proximal portions 31 and distal 32. The ribs 33 illustrated are of identical height but may also have heights that vary from one end to the other of the support, including passing through a minimum to mid-length of the support.

The ribs 33 may also have different types of profiles, for example rounded, triangular or, as illustrated, in a pointed arch. In addition, the ribs 33 may define a bearing zone allowing a user to more easily remove the support from the receiving area, for example by sliding it on the base, without the fingers of the user entering in contact with the cosmetic product P. The ribs 33 may also not extend radially away from the support 4. Figures 12 to 17 show alternative supports 4 adapted to the curved receiving zone shown in Figure 10 Referring to Figure 12, the support 4 is formed of a sleeve of circular section and extending along an axis of elongation whose radius of curvature is substantially identical to that of the receiving zone of the applicator 1. in order to be able to get into this reception area. A portion of the support comprises an opening forming a reception frame of the cosmetic product not shown. This opening extends along the support. A material bridge of the support 4 can divide longitudinally this opening into two parts. Ribs 33 divide the frame into a plurality of compartments 34 adapted to receive a cosmetic product. The ribs 33 are oriented transversely to the Y axis, and extend radially away from the support 4. The cross section of the ribs 33 substantially forms a half-moon. With reference to FIG. 13, the support 4 is similar to that of FIG. 12 but includes pins extending radially from the material bridge. A pin is arranged between each rib 33. The height of the pins is identical to that of the ribs but it may be otherwise. These pins allow for example a better maintenance of the product on the support, and also allow better separation of the eyelashes during the application of the product. Referring to Figure 14, the support 4 is similar to that of Figure 12 but each rib 33 has at least one pin extending radially from the radial end of the rib.

Referring to Figure 15, the support 4 is similar to that of Figure 12 but the ribs 33 have a substantially quarter-moon shaped cross section. The ribs 33 are alternately arranged as they move along the material bridge. Thus the ribs extending on one side of the central material bridge alternate with the ribs extending on the other side of the material bridge. Pins can be placed between each rib 33 as in FIG. 32 or on the ribs as in FIG. With reference to FIG. 17, the support 4 is similar to that of FIG. 14, but the half-moon ribs 33 have a recess at their extremum. A pin may be disposed on each rib 33 in the recess. In the illustrated examples the bottom of the support 4 is perforated but it can be full according to other variants. A perforated bottom allows direct transmission of heat from the heating element 3 to the product P and thus a faster application temperature. The support 4 is for example made of plastic, in particular a polyolefin such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) or, alternatively, non-polyolefinic materials such as styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN), acrylonitrilebutadiene- styrene (ABS) or polyoxymethylene (POM). These plastics may optionally be filled with particles or mineral fibers, for example metal oxides, powder or fiberglass or carbon black, for example to improve and / or control the transfer of heat into the support 4 to the product, and / or to improve the rigidity of the support 4. Alternatively the support 4 may be made of metal, for example aluminum, brass, silver or stainless steel. The support 4 is made by injection molding. Support variants 4 comprising a single frame forming a compartment adapted to receive a cosmetic product have been described, but application unit variants may comprise several frames. The support 4 may also, as shown in FIG. 9, have projecting protruding elements 28. In the case of an application on the eyelashes, the applicator elements 28 may be useful for separating the laden eyelashes and defining combing means for the eyelashes. The application elements 28 may be arranged on the branches 30 of the support 4, for example the application elements 28 may extend in two rows parallel to the longitudinal axis Y of the support 4, each disposed on a branch 30. of support 4.

When the support 4 is made of thermoplastic material, the application elements 28 may be made in one piece with the rest of the support 4 or, alternatively, being reported thereon. In the example shown, the application elements 28 are teeth extending between the ribs 33. The same number of application elements 28 is for example disposed between two adjacent ribs 33. The applicator elements 28 may be arranged in rows parallel to the Y axis and project above the ribs 33. The cosmetic product P also called cosmetic composition may extend as illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7, 9 and 10, in the frame of the support 4 formed by the two lateral branches 30 interconnected at their proximal and distal ends. Thus the product P extends over less than one revolution around the Y axis of the support 4, resting by an internal face, opposite to the application face against the bottom of the support 4, which is positioned opposite the electric heating element 3 when the application unit 100 is in place on the base 2. The product P thus extends only over a portion of the metal element covering the heating element, thus avoiding dirtying the entire surface of the metal element. When the support 4 has ribs 33 the product P does not extend above the ribs 33. Preferably the product P is less partially set back from the upper end of said ribs 33, allowing a user to take the application unit 100 without his fingers coming into contact with the cosmetic product P, and therefore avoiding dirtying the fingers The support 4 carries for example between 10 and 100 mg of product, for example between 20 and 50 mg of product, for example of the order of 30 mg. This quantity being for example suitable for a single use. When the product is for example of the mascara type, the quantity of product makes it possible for example to make up a fringe or two fringes of eyelashes. By mascara is meant a composition intended to be applied to keratinous fibers. The cosmetic product P is, for example, an eyelash makeup composition having a property that varies as a function of the temperature, for example a running characteristic. The product may be applicable cold.

This is for example a composition comprising at least one reversible solid polymer at room temperature. By "solid" is meant a product that does not flow under the effect of gravity at 20 ° C. The composition may comprise at least one compound chosen from: polymers and copolymers comprising at least one alkene monomer, in particular ethylene-based copolymers, polyvinyl acetate homopolymers, silicone resins, block ethylenic polymers film-forming agents, which preferably comprise at least a first block and at least a second block having different glass transition temperatures (Tg), said first and second blocks being interconnected by an intermediate block comprising at least one constituent monomer of the first sequence and at least one constituent monomer of the second block, copolymers of dienes and styrene, sulfopolyesters, copolymers of alkene and of vinyl acetate, in particular copolymers of ethylene and of acetate of vinyl; ethylene-octene copolymers, vinyl polyacetate homopolymers, T-silicone resins, such as polyphenylsiloxanes, and film-forming block ethylenic copolymers derived essentially from monomers chosen from alkyl methacrylates, alkyl acrylates, and mixtures thereof, copolymers of butadiene and styrene, copolymers obtained by condensation of diethylene glycol, cyclohexane di-methanol, isophthalic acid, sulfoisophthalic acid, and mixtures thereof. The spinnability can in particular be from dmax to 5 mm, being in particular determined according to the protocol described in paragraphs [0120] to [0127] of application EP 1 955 610. Product P is, for example, solid at 20 ° C. and has a character hot-running at a temperature above 30 ° C, for example at a temperature between 30 ° C and 80 ° C, preferably between 40 ° C and 70 ° C. The electric heating element then has the role of bringing the product to a temperature sufficient to cause its melting and allow the formation of son of product, especially at the end of the eyelashes. The product may not have hot running characteristics, for example the heating of the product may also increase the adhesion of the product to the eyelashes to facilitate obtaining a deposit having more gloss or allow the use of compounds which not suitable for a cold application. The product may have a melting temperature greater than or equal to 50 ° C., for example close to 54 ° C.

The product is for example chosen to be heated several times at a temperature of at least 90 ° C, without being damaged. The product described in this example is of the mascara type for application on the eyelashes, but alternatively, the product may be intended for application to the lips, nails or may still be a product for making up the skin, for example a foundation, in these other applications the support 4 may then not include ribs 33. The product P is loaded on the support 4 by injection molding. The injection molding process will be described later in the description. In non-illustrated embodiments, an application unit 100 may comprise several cosmetic products P, P '.

The different products are for example of different colors or have different properties. The various products offered may for example lead to makeup more or less loaded, more or less lengthening. According to another variant not shown, in the case of a support comprising two rows of compartments, each of these rows comprises a different cosmetic composition P, P '. For example, the first composition P can be a makeup base for keratinous fibers or a composition for the cosmetic treatment of keratinous fibers, and the second composition P 'can be a makeup of keratinous fibers or a composition to be applied to a mascara. Such compositions are described in particular in application WO2009062947. In this way, the user can first apply the first eyelash preparation product P and then the second product P 'for eyelash makeup.

The process for manufacturing and loading the support 4 with P-product by injection molding is described in document WO 2011/131907. By injection molding means molding of a part by an injection of a material in the fluid state under pressure greater than atmospheric pressure in a closed volume apart from the injection orifice defined by the mold. The supports 4, after the product loading being carried out in particular by the injection molding process, can be marketed in a packaging, for example a blister pack, comprising a plurality of application units 100 with or without an applicator 1. In the case where an applicator 1 is provided in the package, an application unit 100 may already be attached to the applicator 1. The application units may contain the same or different products. The different products are for example of different colors or have different properties. The various products offered may for example lead to makeup more or less loaded, more or less lengthening.

Especially when the appearance of the products on the corresponding media does not allow the user to differentiate easily, the media can be made with identifiers to distinguish them. The supports can for example be made with different colors, with each color being associated a corresponding product. The user can thus choose the support of the color corresponding to the product he wants to apply. Different media available to consumers can be packaged individually or alternatively in a common packaging. The supports may for example be in strings, being for example linked together by bridges of breakable material. This can facilitate the manufacture of the application units.

The applicator can be offered to the consumer with the base and several application units. The base can in particular be proposed in the same packaging with several identical application units or with several application units carrying different products and the user can then choose an application unit depending on the product he want to use.

It is also possible to propose to the user, in particular within the same packaging, application units loaded or not with the same product but having different reliefs, for example having more or less application elements in the same packaging. protrusion or ribs oriented differently, for example to comb more or less the eyelashes during the application and make a makeup more or less loaded. The invention is not limited to the illustrated examples. The characteristics of the various examples may especially be combined within non-illustrated variants. The expression "comprising a" shall be understood as meaning "containing at least one" unless the contrary is specified.

Claims (10)

REVENDICATIONS1. Application unit (100) of a cosmetic product (P) for an applicator (1) comprising a reception area of the application unit, said application unit comprising: a support (4) comprising a first portion in the form of a sleeve adapted for detachably fixing the support to the reception zone, and a second portion forming at least one compartment (34) for receiving the cosmetic composition and / or the application elements of a cosmetic composition , the application unit is characterized in that the support comprises a slot (37) extending over at least 50% of the length of the support, or even over at least 90% of the length of the support. 2. Application unit (100) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the unit comprises a cosmetic product (P) to be applied to human keratin materials, the composition of the product being different from the material forming the support, the cosmetic product being injection molded onto the support prior to any use of said unit with the applicator. 3. Application unit (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the carrier (4) comprises at least two receiving compartments (34) separated from each other by ribs (33). 4. Application unit (100) according to claim 3 characterized in that the ribs (33) extend substantially transversely to the support (4) 5. Application unit (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the number of compartments (34) is odd. 6. Application unit (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least two cosmetic products (P, P '). 7. Application unit (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the radial extent of the slot (37) around the axis of elongation of the support is preferably less than 20 °, or even less than 10 °. °, even better below 5 °. 8. Application unit (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the slot (37) has a width measured between two opposite edges of the slot less than 5 mm or less than 2 mm, for example substantially equal to 1 mm . An assembly comprising an applicator (1) having a tubular receiving zone (3), and an application unit (100) according to one of claims 1 to 8. 10. The assembly of claim 9, characterized in that the receiving zone is heated.