WO2005084628A1

WO2005084628A1 - Flavoured toothpaste composition

Info

Publication number: WO2005084628A1
Application number: PCT/IB2004/004229
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alessandro Tumpici; Laura Paglieri
Original assignee: Paglieri Sell System S.P.A.
Priority date: 2004-02-19
Filing date: 2004-12-21
Publication date: 2005-09-15
Also published as: ITMI20040279A1

Abstract

This invention relates to a flavoured toothpaste composition wherein the flavour comprises at least one refreshing agent selected from the group consisting of menthol and spearmint in a percentage amount by weight in the range from 25% to 70% and at least one essential oil of plant origin, wherein if said at least one essential oil is selected from the group consisting of essential oil parsley, rose absolute, geranium, cloves or cinnamon, then the percentage by weight of said essential oil in the flavour will be between 0.01% and 1%; if said at least one essential oil is selected from the group consisting of essential oil of star anise, mandarin, eucalyptus, sage and lime then the percentage by weight of said essential oil in the flavour will be between 1% and 30%; if said at least one essential oil is essential oil of lemon then the percentage by weight of said essential oil in the flavour will be between 0.2% and 20%; and if said at least one essential oil is essential oil of orange then the percentage by weight of said essential oil in the flavour will be between 0.1% and 30%, provided that the total amount of the essential oils expressed as a percentage by weight in the flavour does not exceed 45%.

Description

DESCRIPTION "Flavoured toothpaste composition"

This invention relates to a flavoured toothpaste composition.

The use of flavours, in particular of natural origin, is well known in the field of cosmetics and in particular in the manufacture of toothpastes. Toothpaste compositions normally comprise a percentage of flavour of less than 5% which is used in order to provide a pleasant refreshing taste in the mouth during and after use of the toothpaste.

The use of menthol or peppermint as flavourings in toothpaste is known. These compounds have the ability to leave a strong refreshing sensation as well as a simultaneous feeling that cleaning has taken place. The use of essential oils of the natural type deriving from plants, flowers and fruits in toothpaste compositions is also known. In particular fruit essences have been widely used in toothpastes for children, because the flavour of menthol is generally regarded as being "strong" or even "aggressive" to the gums. The use of essential oils derived from plants, flowers and fruits is also known for their coadjuvant effect in desensitising treatments for the gums, or even for a curative or general prophylactic effect.

Toothpastes enriched with these flavours are therefore regarded as being organoleptically unsatisfactory, in that the presence of the strong fruit or flower notes does not produce a refreshing effect and therefore the sensation that cleaning has taken place.

Attempts have also been made to use suitable combinations of menthol with essential oils, but these have given rise to toothpastes with a confused flavour, i.e. wherein it is difficult to distinguish the flower/fruit taste from the refreshing sensation, which is in any event attenuated.

The object of this invention is therefore to provide a flavoured toothpaste composition wherein the flavours added can be perceptibly distinguished.

Specifically this invention relates to a toothpaste composition wherein the refreshing action of the flavour is perceived after the taste generated by the flower, fruit and/or plant flavours. The objects indicated above are achieved by providing a flavoured toothpaste composition with specific quantitative ratios in the composition of the flavour as indicated in Claim 1. This invention therefore relates to a flavoured toothpaste composition wherein the flavour comprises at least one refreshing agent selected from the group consisting of menthol and spearmint in percentage amounts by weight in the range from 25% to 70% and at least one essential oil of plant origin, wherein if said at least one essential oil is selected from the group consisting of essential oil of parsley, rose absolute, geranium, cloves and cinnamon, then the percentage by weight of said essential oil in the flavour is between 0.01% and 1%; if said at least one essential oil is selected from the group consisting of essential oil of star anise, mandarin, eucalyptus, sage and lime then the percentage by weight of said essential oil in the flavour is between 1% and 30%; if said at least one essential oil is essential oil of lemon then the percentage by weight of said essential oil in the flavour is between 0.2% and 20%; e if said at least one essential oil is the essential oil of orange then the percentage by weight of said essential oil in the flavour lies between 0.1% and 30%, provided that the total amount of the essential oils expressed as a percentage by weight in the flavour does not exceed 45%. The invention will now be described in detail with reference to a number of embodiments which are provided here by way of example and do not restrict the invention. The amounts of the substances making up the flavour and the toothpaste are expressed as percentages by weight of the total weight of the flavour and of the final toothpaste composition respectively.

Essential . oils are non-greasy essences extracted by distillation from flowers, plants and woods or by pressing peel and skins. They have a complex composition and a high capacity for evaporation. Preferably the essential oils added according to the invention are essences of orange and lemon, in amounts of between 20% and 30% and 0.5% and 15% by weight respectively. Preferably the refreshing agent is menthol alone, in an amount between 15% and 45%. When spearmint is used as a refreshing agent it is preferably used in a percentage of between 35 and 45%.

The toothpaste composition preferably contains the flavour in amounts equal to 1% with respect to the weight of the toothpaste composition. The remainder corresponding to 100% of the added flavour comprises sweeteners and additives .

In addition to the flavour the toothpaste composition contains basic ingredients known to those skilled in the art of formulating toothpastes, such as moistening agents, abrasive agents, viscosity imparting agents and detergents . Various additives which identify the type of toothpaste, for example tartar-preventing, caries- preventing, abrasive and whitening substances, as well as the common additives for toothpastes such as sweeteners, colouring . agents and antibacterial substances, are also added.

The final toothpaste may be a formulation designed to provide total protection for the mouth, to protect the gums, to prevent halitosis, to prevent caries, for use by smokers or an anti-tartar, anti-plaque or whitening formulation.

In addition to enabling time-delayed release of the flavours deriving from the various essential oils, the flavoured toothpaste according to the invention is formulated so as to obtain specific advantages associated with the different natural essences making up the flavour.

For example toothpaste flavoured with lemon and orange has showed the stimulating property of the gums, that flavoured with rose has been resulted effective in combating halitosis .

Examples of the preparation of toothpastes.

Example 1 Toothpaste preparation for total protection of the mouth The flavour composition was first prepared by distillation and subsequent blending of the essences. Final flavour composition 1 comprised the following amounts of essential oils and refreshing agents: spearmint 35-45% star anise 5-10% lemon 0.5-1% menthol 5-10% sweeteners 0.5-1% additives q.s. In order to prepare the toothpaste the following ingredients were used in the corresponding amounts :

The ingredients of phase A were mixed and the mixture obtained was stirred for 20 minutes in order to solvate the cellulose. The components of phase B and phase C were then added in sequence, keeping the mixture constantly stirred at an average blade stirring speed of 4 Bmf (Blade motor force) . Sodium saccharinate was added to flavour composition 1 and the solution obtained with the other components of phase D was then added to the mixture. After slow stirring (blade speed 1 Bmf) for 10/15 minutes, the components of phase E were then added after being dissolved in water, continuing with constant stirring for 10 minutes. The toothpaste composition prepared in this way was then subjected to the usual tests for the packaging of a toothpaste . Example 2 Preparation of an anti-tartar toothpaste The flavour was first prepared as in Example 1, and its final composition 2 was: orange 20-30% lemon 5-10% mandarin 1-5% menthol 35-45% sweeteners 0.5-1% additives q.s. In order to prepare the toothpaste the following ingredients were used in the corresponding amounts :

The ingredients of phase A were mixed and the mixture obtained was stirred for 20 minutes to solvate the cellulose. The components of phase B and phase C were then added in sequence, keeping the mixture constantly stirred with an average blade stirring speed of 4 Bmf . The components of phase D were then added continuing the constant slow stirring (blade speed 1 Bmf) for 15 minutes. Flavour composition 2 and the components of phase E were then added to the mixture after dissolution, continuing with stirring for 10-15 minutes. The toothpaste composition prepared was then subjected to the usual tests for the packaging of a toothpaste. Example 3 Preparation of an anti-plaque toothpaste The flavour was initially prepared as in Example 1, and its final composition 3 was: lemon 4-10% cinnamon 0.1-1% lime 5-8% orange 0.1-1% menthol 60-70% sweeteners 0.5-1% additives q.s. In order to prepare the toothpaste the following ingredients were used in the corresponding amounts:

The ingredients indicated above and included into the various phases A-E were mixed in accordance with the procedure indicated in Example 1 and the toothpaste preparation so obtained was then subjected to the usual tests for the packaging of toothpastes. Example 4 Toothpaste preparation for the protection of gums and sensitive teeth The flavour was initially prepared as in Example 1 and its final composition 4 was: rose absolute 0.01-0.02% geranium 0.01-0.1% Cloves 0.01-0.1% Menthol 25-35% Sweeteners 0.5-1% Additives q.s. In order to prepare the toothpaste the following ingredients in the corresponding amounts were used:

The ingredients indicated above included in the various phases A-E were mixed in accordance with the procedure indicated in Example 1. The toothpaste preparation so obtained was then subjected to the usual tests for the packaging of toothpastes. Example 5 Preparation of a toothpaste for halitosis The flavour was initially prepared as in Example 1 and its final composition 5 was: eucalyptus 25-35% star anise 1-5% parsley 0.05-0.5% menthol 15-25% sweeteners 0.5-1% additives q.s. In order to prepare the toothpaste the following ingredients in the corresponding amounts were used:

The ingredients indicated above and included in the various phases A-E were mixed in accordance with the procedure indicated in Example 1. The toothpaste preparation so obtained was then subjected to the usual check for the packaging of toothpastes. Example 6 Toothpaste preparation for the prevention of caries The flavour was initially prepared as in Example 1 and its final composition 6 was : star anise 1-5% menthol 25-35% sweeteners 0.5-1% additives q.s. In order to prepare the toothpaste the following ingredients in the corresponding amounts were used:

The ingredients indicated above and included in the various phases A-E were mixed according to the procedure indicated in Example 1. The toothpaste preparation so obtained was then subjected to the usual checks for the packaging of toothpastes . Example 7 Conventional whitening toothpaste preparation The flavour was initially prepared as in Example 1 and its final composition 7 was : sage 5-15% lemon 8-15% menthol 25-35% sweeteners 0.5-1% additives q.s. In order to prepare the toothpaste the following ingredients in the corresponding amounts were used:

The ingredients indicated above included in the various phases A-E were mixed in accordance with the procedure indicated in Example 2. The toothpaste preparation so obtained was then subjected to the usual tests for the packaging of toothpastes. Example 8 Whitening toothpaste preparation for smokers The flavour was initially prepared as in Example 1 and its final composition 8 was: star anise 1-2% parsley 0.01-0.1% menthol 60-70% sweeteners 0.5-1% additives q.s. In order to prepare the toothpaste the following ingredients in the corresponding amounts were used:

The ingredients indicated above and included in the various phases A-E were mixed in accordance with the procedure indicated in Example 2. The toothpaste preparation so obtained was then subjected to the usual tests for the packaging of toothpastes. Evaluation of the toothpaste compositions Some of the toothpaste compositions obtained were used in a test for sensory evaluation at the time of use and after use. A panel of 30 testers per flavour composition was used and they were requested to evaluate the flavour compositions according to the invention on the basis of the following 5 parameters: impact, freshness, sweetness, strength and duration. Each parameter was evaluated on a scale of 1 to 10. The following average results were obtained during use of the toothpaste composition:

After cleaning all the testers confirm that all the compositions left behind a high degree of freshness and that the corresponding value assigned during use persisted after use. As may be seen from the results obtained, the composition with lemon, mandarin and orange and a menthol percentage of 35-45% was found to be the freshest, while composition 4 with rose absolute, geranium and cloves proved to have a greater duration of perception of the essential oils. Although the invention has been described in relation to a number of example compositions, changes to the same may be envisaged, for example the replacement of one additive by another having a similar function, without however going beyond the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. Flavoured toothpaste composition characterized in that the flavour comprises at least one refreshing agent selected from the group consisting of menthol and spearmint in percentage amounts by weight in the range from 25% to 70% and at least one essential oil of plant origin, wherein if said at least one essential oil is selected from the group consisting of essential oil of parsley, rose absolute, geranium, cloves and cinnamon, then the percentage by weight of said essential oil in the flavour is 0.01% and 1%; if said at least one essential oil is selected from the group consisting of essential oil of star anise, mandarin, eucalyptus, sage and lime, then the percentage by weight of said essential oil in the flavour is between

1% and 30%; if said at least one essential oil is the essential oil of lemon then the percentage by weight of said essential oil in the flavour is between 0.2% and 20%, and if said at least one essential oil is the essential oil of orange then the percentage by weight of said essential oil in the flavour is between 0.1% and 30%, provided that the total amount of essential oils expressed as a percentage by weight in the flavour does not exceed 45%.

2. Composition according to Claim 1, wherein the essential oils are essences of orange and lemon in amounts of between 20% and 30% and 0.5% and 15% by weight respectively.

3. Composition according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the refreshing agent is menthol in an amount of between 15% and 45%.

4. Composition according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the refreshing agent is spearmint in an amount of between 35% and 45%.

5. Composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the flavour is in an amount of 1% with respect to the weight of the toothpaste composition.

6. Composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the composition comprises additives selected from the group consisting of tartar-preventing, caries- preventing, abrasive, whitening, sweetening, colouring and antibacterial substances .

7. Use of the toothpaste composition according to any of Claims 1 to 6 for the formulation of a toothpaste selected from the group consisting of formulation for total protection of the mouth, anti-tartar formulation, anti-plaque formulation, whitening formulation, formulation for the protection of the gums and sensitive teeth, formulation for the prevention of caries, formulation for the prevention of halitosis and formulations for smokers.