GB2321644A - Cosmetic composition comprising cupuacu extract - Google Patents

Abstract

A cosmetic composition for the treatment of the hair and/or the body including a natural extract from cupuacu. The cosmetic composition is in particular used as a shampoo/conditioner, but may also be employed in mascaras, lipsticks and nail treatments.

Description

Cosmetic composition for the treatment of the Hair and/or the Body The invention relates to a cosmetic composition for the treatment of the hair and/or for the body, containing naturally occurring ingredients. The composition is used in particular but not exclusively as a shampoo/conditioner agent for the keratinaceous areas of the body such as the hair, skin and nails.

Cosmetic compositions for the treatment of the body such as shampoos and conditioners for the hair and moisturisers for the body, are well known items and the subject of much research. Shampoos act as cleansing agents for the removal of oils and/or dirt from the body and hair surface. Conditioners on the other hand have a number of functional properties and are used to improve the keratinaceous parts of the body such as the hair, eyelashes, nails and skin.

Conditioners improve the shine and manageability of, in particular, hair and nails. In the case of the hair, they reduce inter-fibre tangle, causing the hairs to lie substantially parallel to one another. Conditioners also increase softness and strength of hair, skin and nails by acting as humectants enabling water to pass into the hair, nails and skin and they also reduce water loss by leaving a sugar/carbohydrate coating as hair/body surfaces. However, the vast majority of such products on the market use synthetic ingredients, which many consumers prefer to avoid where possible in favour of products principally containing ingredients from nature. Guar gum conditioners are known but for these, the bean extract must first be processed to create the conditioning effect with the result that these products are not regarded as natural by many consumers. Other natural products tend to contain only a small quantity of the natural product, usually for reasons of cost or minimal product performance increases provided by the natural ingredient. Such natural products are therefore at a commercial disadvantage compared to the synthetic shampoos and conditioners.

The present invention seeks to provide a cosmetic composition for the treatment of the body containing natural ingredients having the improved characteristics of conditioning surfaces such as the hair or skin, which they come into contact with.

According to the invention there is provided a cosmetic composition for the treatment of the hair and/or the body, including a natural extract from cupuacu (theobroma gran(iLflonem). The extract may be in the form of pulp and/or juice and/or oil. Typically the pulp and juice are obtained from the fruit and plant while oil is obtained from seeds of the cupuacu plant.

In a preferred embodiment the proportion of cupuacu is in the range of 1 to 25% by weight based on the total weight of the composition, preferably within the range 3-9%, a typical value being 5%.

The invention is based on the surprising effect that cosmetic compositions containing cupuacu have superior conditioning properties on the hair and body. The cupuacu tree is a close relative of the cocoa tree and is prevalent in the amazon basin.

The fruit of the cupuacu tree is used extensively for culinary purposes as an alternative to cocoa in this region and its properties as a foodstuff are well documented. This superior shampoo/conditioning effect is completely unexpected and there is no evidence that native peoples have used cupuacu fruit for cosmetic purposes.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the examples.

Generally the cupuacu fruit is prepared by maceration. The pulp and juice mixture so obtained may then be preserved using known cosmetic preservatives such as a 0. 1% solution of sodium metabisulphate. Alternatively or in addition to using preservatives, the pulp and juice mixture can be heated to a temperature which destroys microorganisms. A typical temperature is up to 700. The treated pulp and/or juice is then packing it under vacuum in an air tight container. The pulp and the juice are separable using a centrifuge resulting in about 50% pulp and 50% juice by weight.

Eyetex tests on the pulp has shown it to be only a mild eye irritant and therefore the pulp is classified as suitable for cosmetic use by the majority of the population.

Analysis of the fruit pulp indicates that it contains typically 1.45% citric acid and 0.35% malic acid. It is also high in vitamin C (70mg/kg).

An example of a composition suitable for a hair conditioner is (proportions in percentage by weight): cupuacu pulp 5.00 cetrimonium chloride 0.116 cetyl alcohol 3.00 cetearyl alcohol/PEG-20 stearate 2.50 cyclomethicone and dimethicone copolyol 5.00 hydrogenated lecithin, C12-16 alcohols and palmitic acid 0.50 sclerotium gum 0.50 cetrimonium bromide 0.05 polyquaternium- 10 0.20 parabens 0.40 phenoxyethanol 0.60 fragrance 0.20 the balance being water up to 100% Although pulp is used in the embodiment described, in an alternative embodiment, the juice could be used either in the same proportion. In a further embodiment both pulp and juice, or a combination of both, could be mixed in substantially the same proportion as in previous embodiments. It would also be possible to add small quantities of cupuacu oil, derived from the seeds of the fruit. In alternative embodiments the quantity of cupuacu could be 3% or 9%, in each case the balance being provided by water.

An example of a composition suitable for a shampoo having a conditioning effect is (proportions in percentage by weight): Cupuacu juice 5.00 Sodium lauroyl sarcosinate 2.00 Cocoamidopropyl betaine 3.60 Sodium laureth sulphate 4.00 Citric acid 0.20 Benzyl alcohol 0.40 Sodium benzoate 0.30 Phenoxyethanol and parabens 0.80 PEG-120 methyl glucose dioleate 0.70 Fragrance 0.50 the balance being water up to 100% A further example of a shampoo having a conditioning effect is as follows: Water 45.95 Sodium Benzoate 0.3 Panthenol 100 0.3 Ucare Polymer LK 0.3 EDTA 0.05 Texapon N10 11.4 Tegobetain F50 10.5 Comperlan COD 2.0 Cupuacu Extract 25.0 Opacifier 680 1.0 Water 1.0 Phenon.P 0.8 Benzyl ALC 0.4 Perfume 1 -27460A 0.5 Yellow 61% SOLN 0.4 Citric Acid 50% SOLN 0.1 A further example of a conditioner according to the present invention is shown below: Water 83.08 polyquarenium eg. Jaguar C145 0.3 Cetostearlyalcohol eg. Laurex CS 2.0 Cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride eg.Arquas 16-29 2.5 Yellow 6 1% 0.1 Lactil Acid 0.05 Cupuacu Oil SS4991 0.5 Cupuacu Pulp 5 Panthenol 100 0.3 Water 3 Phenoxetol/parabens eg.Phenonip 0.8 Dimethine copolyol eg.Abil B 88184 0.5 Abil B 8851 0.35 Naoh 32% 0.07 Perfume 1-27460 0.7 Natrosol 250HR 0.75 Here again pulp could be substituted for juice or a combination of both used.

Pulp tends to result in a cloudy/opaque composition, whereas the juice results in a clear composition. If pulp is to be used, a suspending agent, such as magnesium aluminium silicate, should preferably be used to ensure a stable homogeneous composition.

Capuacu extract may be incorporated in formulation including known surfactants, suspending agent, perfumes and preservatives.

It is believed that the ratio of long chain and short chain substances such as the combination of sugars and carbohydrates in the pulp or the juice are responsible for the active conditioning of the bodylhair, by forming a film over the hair and by influencing the charges between the sulphide bonds between hairs. In addition to coating provides a barrier to the loss of water from the body surface/hair. An extract of the fruit oil, although it is not essential that it is included with the pulp and/or juice for this effect to be achieved. The attributes of this conditioner are improved shine, hair strengthening and manageability. However, the exact mechanism for this conditioning has thus far resisted attempts at identification. Cupuacu functions as a conditioner on both wet and dry hair.

In use, the consistency, appearance, ease of application, feel on wet and dry hair, detangling, combability when wet and dry, the feel on the ends of the hair, the hair condition and the hair gloss were all found to be superior to known conditions.

Although the examples are limited to application to the hair and body, cupuacu would be suitable for inclusion in any cosmetic composition for the treatment of the keratin of the body, such as the eyelashes , eyebrows, lips and nails, where the improved conditioning effect is desirable. Such cosmetic compositions include skin moisurisers, shower gels, hair mousse, lipticks and mascara.

Claims (11)

Claims

1. A cosmetic composition for the treatment of the hair and/or the body including a natural extract from cupuacu.

2. A cosmetic composition according to claim 1, wherein the extract is cupuacu pulp and/or juice and/or oil.

3. A cosmetic composition according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the proportion of cupuacu is in the range of 1-25% by weight.

4. A cosmetic composition according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the proportion of cupuacu is in the range of 3-9% by weight.

5. A cosmetic composition according to Claim 3, wherein the proportion of cupuacu is 5% by weight.

6. A cosmetic composition according to any preceding claim which is used to treat the hair.

7. A cosmetic composition according to Claims 1 to 5 for use as a mascara.

8. A cosmetic composition according to Claims 1 to 4 which is used to treat the skin.

9. A cosmetic composition according to Claim 8 which is used as a lipstick.

10. A cosmetic composition according to Claims 1 to 4 which is used to treat the nails.

11. A cosmetic composition including cupuacu substantially as described herein, with reference to the examples.