IES20090332A2 - A personal care composition - Google Patents

Abstract

A personal care composition is described wherein the composition comprises (i) high molecular weight polyethylene glycol (HMW-PEG) in an amount in the range 0.05 percent - 0.5 percent by weight of the composition; (ii) an acrylates-based thickener in an amount in the range 1.0 percent - 4 percent by weight of the composition; and (iii) at least one surfactant, wherein the total amount of surfactant is in the range 11 percent - 25 percent by weight of the composition. The compositions described are suitable for use as a combined shower and shaving product as they produce a suitable foam and lather for a cleansing body wash and deliver a suitable slip/glide effect expected of a high performance shaving composition. <Figure 1>

Description

The present invention relates to personal care compositions, in particular, a composition for application to human skin and hair, that provides a long lasting post foaming lather and is suitable for use as a body wash and as a shaving foam.

Background to the Invention Shaving compositions are well known and have been the subject of much research and development in the recent past. Research has been focussed on areas such as improving the slip/glide performance of the composition. High molecular weight polyethylene glycol (HMW-PEG) compounds, for example, can be employed as high performance slip/glide. agents in shaving compositions and can also be used in cosmetic formulations as thickeners. Many prior art shaving compositions comprise HMW-PEGs, such as PEG-90M (molecular weight approx. 4,000,000 mol/g), for example.

EP I 879 550 describes a shaving composition in the form of a post-foaming aerosol shave gel that aims to improve lubricity by including Lubrajel oil (containing 1.0%-l.3% Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer) in the formulation. Post-foaming aerosol compositions generally take the form of an oil-in-water emulsion in which the post-foaming agent, which is usually a volatile aliphatic hydrocarbon, is solubilized in the oil phase, and the water phase comprises a water-dispersible soap or interrupted soap component. These compositions are generally packaged in an aerosol container with a barrier, such as a piston, to separate the post-foaming gel from the propellant required for expulsion of the product. The shaving composition may additionally comprise one or more lubricious polymers selected from the group consisting of polyethylene oxide (including HMW-PEG) and polytetrafluoroethylene.

JE 0 90 332 Similarly, EP 1 725 299 describes a shaving composition using a combination of watersoluble polymers (which may include HMW-PEG compounds) and water-insoluble lubricating polymer particles.

EP 1 435 896 discloses shaving compositions which comprise one or more water soluble polymers to increase lubricity and enhance shaving performance. The polymers employed in the shaving compositions provide the compositions with a stress ratio (i.e., the ratio of normal stress to shear stress) in excess of 3.0 when measured at a shear rate of 800 sec'1. A preferred combination of polymers includes polyethylene oxide (including HMW-PEG) and natural or synthetic polysaccharide gum.

EP 0 915 694 discloses a composition for use as a post-foaming shaving gel, for example, wherein the composition comprises about 3 % to about 20 % by weight of the composition of a surfactant system, about 0.05 % to about 10 % by weight of the composition of polyethylene oxide) and polyvinylpyrrolidone, in a combined amount, wherein the polyethylene oxide) and the polyvinylpyrrolidone are present in a weight ratio of about 1:10 to about 10:1, and about 0,1 % to about 10 % by weight of the composition of a postfoaming agent. EP 1 879 540 also describes a post-foaming aerosol shave gel, which aims to improve lubricity by formulating a particular combination of three types of lubricious additives. These additives are: i) HMW-PEG, polyvinylpyrrolidone and/or mixtures thereof; ii) water insoluble particles; and c) a hydrogel-forming polymer.

EP 1 971 319 discloses a shaving preparation giving durable lubricity. The shaving preparation comprises one or more silicone polyethers and one or more water-soluble polymers (which can include HMW-PEG) that associate with the one or more silicone polyethers in aqueous solution, The lubricity of the shaving preparation can be reactivated by wetting the skin after shaving without applying an additional amount of the shaving preparation.

Recently, there has been a trend towards combination products whereby the product is suitable for use as both a body wash and a shave gel. EP 0 941 059 describes a foamable skin ΙΕ ο 9 Ο 3 3 2. preparation suitable for use as shaving preparations and body washes with an improved foaming performance, which contains the key ingredients; i) 0.5% to 50% by wt of an amphoteric surfactant selected from betaines and suitaines; ii) 0.01% to 2% by wt of a cellulosic ether; iii) 0.01% to 5% by wt of a C12 - C22 ester of polyethylene glycol and; iv) at least 10% by wt of water. The viscosity control provided by the cellulosic ethers helps the shaving foam stay in place in a shower environment, U.S. Patent No. 5,902,779 describes a ‘shower & shave’ composition which provides a luxurious lather that cleanses, conditions, and can function as a shaving foam, The key ingredients of the composition include: i) water; ii) a fatty acid surfactant and; iii) 0.1 wt % to about 6 wt % behenamidopropyl PG-dimonium chloride.

Despite the prior art, there remains a need for improved ‘shower & shave’ compositions which can produce a suitable foam and lather for a cleansing body wash and also deliver the appropriate slip/glide performance of a shaving composition.

Ob ject of the Invention It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved “shower and shave 20 composition” which addresses the problems in the art and gives an effective and aesthetically acceptable ‘shower & shave’ product comprising HMW-PEG, Summary of the Invention Accordingly, the invention provides a personal care composition comprising: (i) high molecular weight polyethylene glycol (HMW-PEG) in an amount in the range 0.05% - 0.5% by weight of the composition; (ii) an acrylates-based thickener in an amount in the range 1.2% - 4% by weight of the composition; and (iii) at least one surfactant, wherein the total amount of surfactant is in the range 11 % - 25 % by weight of the composition.

IE 0 9 0 3 3 2 The personal care composition according to the invention is suitable for use as a combined body wash and shaving foam. Thus, the composition according to the invention may be advantageously used for persons who wish to shave while showering, that is to shave and shower simultaneously with a single product. The personal care composition of the invention is desirable since it provides improved slide/glide performance, resulting in the prevention/reduction of nicks. Furthermore, the personal care composition of the invention is cost effective for the consumer, since it avoids the requirement for purchase/use of separate shaving/shower products. Finally, use of a combined product saves the user time and requirement for water.

The skilled person will be aware of the technical difficulties that can be experienced when incorporating HMW-PEG into a high surfactant formulation system, most notably, an undesirable increase in viscosity and a ‘stringing’ effect, which gives an aesthetically unacceptable product. This problem would not be apparent in known shaving compositions, where lower levels of surfactants are typically used. The compositions of the invention surprisingly overcome this problem, since the presence of the acrylates based thickener unexpectedly relieves the stringing” effect.

Advantageously, the composition according to the invention can produce a foam and lather suitable for cleansing and washing a body, while delivering the appropriate slip/glide performance of a normal shaving composition and at the same time overcomes problems known in the art associated with formulating HMW-PEG containing products. Desirably, the composition delivers a good slip/glide performance for a smooth and comfortable shave.

The personal care shower and shaving preparations of the present invention may comprise one or more HMW-PEG moieties. The composition suitably comprises HMW-PEG in an amount in the range 0.05% - 0.5% w/w. In a preferred embodiment, the composition comprises HMW-PEG in an amount in the range 0.1% - 0,5% w/w.

The HMW-PEG moieties may be selected from a group of linear homopolymers which are derived from ethylene oxide. The most preferred HMW-PEG moieties which are suitable for | £ y 9 0 3 3I use in the present invention are those moieties having a molecular weight in excess of 2,000,000 Da.

Preferably, the composition comprises a high molecular weight polyethylene glycol (HMW5 PEG) selected from the group consisting of polyethylene glycol-45M (PEG-45M) and polyethylene glycol-90M (PEG-90M). PEG-45M and PEG-90M are commercially available from the Dow Chemical Company under the tradename “Polyox WSR N-60K” and “Polyox WSR-309”, respectively.

The composition according to the invention suitably comprises a combination of HMWPEG, one or more surfactants and an acrylates-based thickener. Such a combination of components favourably interact such that the viscosity of the preparation is cosmetically acceptable.

Acrylates based thickeners of high yield value are particularly preferred. Suitably the composition comprises an acrylates-based thickener in an amount in the range 1.2%-4% by weight of the composition, preferably in an amount in the range 1.5% - 2.85% by weight of the composition.

The acrylates-based thickener may be selected from the group consisting of acryiate-based polymers including Carbopol ETD 2020, Carbopol Aqua SF-1, Viscolam MAC-10 and Rheocare TTN. The skilled person will appreciate that other suitable polymers exist on the market which give similar performance to these specific acrylate based polymers examples.

Suitably, the total amount of surfactant present in the composition is in the range 11% -25% by weight of the composition, most preferably in the range 15% - 25% by weight of the composition.

It will be appreciated by those skiiled in the art that the level of surfactant in a composition can be selected in order to increase the degree of foaming produced by the composition, In a preferred embodiment, the personal care composition of the invention comprises a greater /£ 090 332 level of surfactant (>10% w/w) than is generally used in conventional shave products (<8% w/w).

The composition according to the invention may comprise one or more surfactants such as anionic and zwitterionic surfactants, for example. The surfactants in the preparation provide the cleansing and lathering properties of the preparation. Examples of suitable anionic surfactants include sulfonates, carbonates, sarcosinates, soaps and fatty acid salts. Preferred anionic surfactants include sodium lauryj ether sulphate (also called sodium laureth sulphate or SLES with two moles of ethoxylation) or ammonium lauryl ether sulphate.

Examples of suitable zwitterionic surfactants (amphoteric surfactants) include dodecyl betaine, dodecyl dimethylamine oxide, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocamide MEA and cocamide DEA.

In a preferred embodiment, the at least one surfactant is selected from the group consisting of sulfonates, carbonates, sarcosinates, soaps, fatty acid salts, sodium lauryl ether sulfate, ammonium lauryl ether sulphate, dodecyl betaine, dodecyl dimethylamine oxide, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocamide MEA and cocamide DEA.

The composition may comprise sodium lauryl ether sulfate in an amount in the range 6.0% 15.0% w/w.

The composition may comprise cocamidopropyl betaine in an amount in the range 0.5% to 5.0% w/w.

The personal care composition of the present invention may comprise one or more vehicles or carriers, in addition to water, that provide advantageous properties to the composition, including softening the hair, diluting the shaving preparation to a desired consistency to aid spreading on the skin and acting as a solvent or carrier for the components in the shaving preparation.

IE 0 9 0 3 3 2 Ί The vehicle is the major component of the preparation and is added in an amount sufficient to dissolve, disperse and/or stabilise the ingredients. Preferred vehicles or carriers include polyhydric alcohols such as glycerine, ethylene glycol, butylene glycol and water.

In a preferred embodiment the composition comprises water in an amount in the range 60% to 80% w/w.

The composition according to the invention may further comprise one or more components selected from the group consisting of anaesthetics, anti-allergenics, antifungals, anti10 inflammatories, antimicrobials, antiseptics, chelating agents, colourants, emollients, emulsifiers, fillers, hair growth inhibitors/hair minimising agents, humectants, lubricants, waxes, moisturisers, thickeners, viscosity control agents and vitamins.

The composition may further comprise ingredients such as fragrances, pigments and foam stablilisers, for example. Other suitable components known generally to the person skilled in the art may also be included in the composition according to the invention.

The composition according to the invention preferably comprises an aqueous composition. The composition is suitably in the form of a gel, foam, liquid or cream, for example.

The composition may be in the form of an aerosol or non-aerosol formulation.

In a preferred embodiment, the composition of the invention is in the form of a non-aerosol gel formulation. The advantages of a non-aerosol formulation will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. For example, non-aerosol formulations are more environmentally friendly.

It will be appreciated that the composition described herein may be dispensed as either nonpost foaming or as post foaming, if suitable ingredients such as butane, isobutane, isopentane, methyl perfluorobutyl ether or methyl perfluoroisobutyl ether, for example, are included in the formulation. ΙΕ ΰ 90 3 32 The invention further provides for the use of (i) at least one high molecular weight polyethylene glycol (HMW-PEG) in an amount in the range 0,05% - 0.5% by weight of the composition; (ii) at least one surfactant, wherein the total amount of surfactant is in the range 11 % - 25 % by weight of the composition, and (iii) an acrylates-based thickener in an amount in the range 3,2% - 4% by weight of the composition, in the manufacture of a persona! care composition for combined showering and shaving.

The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the examples, Detailed Description The composition according to the present invention comprises an improved personal care composition which is suitable for use both as a body wash and a shaving preparation. The composition comprises high molecular weight PEG, an acrylates-based thickener and at least one surfactant.

High Molecular Weight PEG (HMW-PEG) is a linear homopolymer derived from ethylene oxide. In order to improve the performance of the shower and shave composition (S&S composition), HMW-PEG was employed to give an improved slip/glide performance. PEG90M was the preferred HMW-PEG used in the formulation. HMW-PEG in an aqueous based system provides a significant increase in lubricity of a preparation. However, as levels of HMW-PEG are increased in a composition comprising high levels of surfactant (>10% w/w) such as in the present invention, the overall viscosity and stringiness of the system is increased which typically makes it an unsuitable material for practical use. During the formulation of the shower and shave product described herein, it was realized that the incorporation of HMW-PEG into the surfactant system lead to a significant increase in product viscosity and a change in rheology, This led to an undesirable ‘stringing’ of the system and delivered an overall aesthetically unacceptable product composition. This effect is not observed in known shaving products due to the lower levels of surfactants used in those compositions and the rigid gel structure as provided by carbomer based thickeners. «090332 It was surprisingly found that a composition suitable for combined showering and shaving could be obtained with a suitable rheology profile, which incorporates HMW-PEG into a system having high levels, that is >10 %w/w, of surfactant. The preparation has sufficient durable lubricity and slip, that following the first pass of the shaving implement additional product is not necessary.

The purpose of adding an acrylates-based thickener to the formulation is to counteract the ‘stringing’ effect observed upon addition of the HMW-PEG to the surfactant system.

Therefore, the combination of HMW-PEG with an acrylates-based thickener provides an aesthetically acceptable product with good foaming and slip/glide performance and where the viscosity of the product is determined by the interaction between the surfactants, HMWPEG and an acrylates-based thickener.

All amounts referred to herein are weight by weight (w/w) of the composition unless otherwise stated.

EXAMPLES: The following are examples of the formulation according to the invention and are not intended to be limiting in any way.

Example 1 INGREDIENT WEIGHT % FUNCTION DEIONISED WATER TO 100% SOLVENT ACRYLATES COPOLYMER (30 % ACTIVE) 6 THICKENER GLYCERINE 5 HUMECTANT SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE (70 % ACTIVE) 18.65 ANIONIC SURFACTANT COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE (38 % ACTIVE) 5.8 AMPHOTERIC SURFACTANT. SODIUM HYDROXIDE 0,35 Ph ADJUSTER ANHYDROUS CITRIC ACID 0.15 Ph ADJUSTER ΙΕ ο 9 Ο 3 3 2 PEG-90M 0.25 LUBRICANT AID PARFUM 0.3 FRAGRANCE SODIUM CHLORIDE 0.5 VISCOSITY CONTROL AGENT BRONOPOL BP 0.03 PRESERVATIVE Example 2 INGREDIENT WEIGHT % FUNCTION DEIONISED WATER TO 100% SOLVENT ACRYLATES COPOLYMER 6 THICKENER GLYCERINE 6 HUMECTANT SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE (70% ACTIVE) 16 ANIONIC SURFACTANT SODIUM LAUROYL SARCOSINATE (30% ACTIVE) 6 ANIONIC SURFACTANT COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE (38% ACTIVE) 3 AMPHOTERIC SURFACTANT SODIUM HYDROXIDE 0,35 Ph ADJUSTER ANHYDROUS CITRIC ACID 0.15 Ph ADJUSTER SODIUM CHLORIDE 0.5 VISCOSITY CONTROL AGENT PEG-45M 0.3 LUBRICANT AID BRONOPOL BP 0.03 PRESERVATIVE The words “comprises/comprising” and the words “having/including” when used herein with reference to the present invention are used to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof, It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

Claims (5)

Claims:

1. A personal care composition comprising: (i) high molecular weight polyethylene glycol (HMW-PEG) in an amount in the 5 range 0.05% - 0.5% by weight of the composition; (ii) an acrylates-based thickener in an amount in the range 1.2% - 4% by weight of the composition; and (iii) at least one surfactant, wherein the total amount of surfactant is in the range ! 1 % - 25 % by weight of the composition,

2. A composition according to claim 1, wherein said composition comprises an acrylatesbased thickener in an amount in the range 1.5% - 2.85% by weight of the composition.

3. A composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the total amount of surfactant is in the 15 range 15% -25% by weight of the composition.

4. A composition according to any preceding claim wherein said high molecular weight polyethylene glycol (HMW-PEG) is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene glycol-45M (PEG-45M) and polyethylene glycol-90M (PEG-90M).

5. A personal care composition substantially as hereinbefore described and/or exemplified. TOMKINS & CO.