Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Live hair or scalp treating compositions
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-05
2004-03-09
Criares, Theodore J. (Department: 1617)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Live hair or scalp treating compositions
C424S070110, C424S070120, C424S070121, C424S070130, C424S070150
Reexamination Certificate
active
06703008
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to aerosol hair spray compositions which comprise a first and a second silicone-grafted copolymer, having defined molecular weights, and present in a specific ratio to each other, wherein the copolymers impart a dichotomous viscosity behavior to the hair spray. In particular, the hair spray exhibits certain viscosity characteristics when it is dispensed from the can and other viscosity characteristics when it is present on the hair. This dichotomous behavior results in superior hold and excellent hair feel benefits, upon application of the hair spray composition.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hair styling compositions are well known in the art and are commercially available in a variety of forms, including, for example, mousses, gels, lotions, and hair sprays. Many of these compositions contain hair styling resins to provide temporary hair styling or “setting” benefits.
Silicone-grafted copolymers are known in the art to be particularly effective hair styling resins because these copolymers can provide good style retention benefits to the hair while also providing desirable hair feel. In particular, silicone-grafted copolymers can impart a tactile sense of softness and conditioning relative to more conventional, non-silicone-containing resins. Silicone-grafted copolymers are typically used as neutralized copolymers because, when these copolymers are used in at least partially neutralized form, the copolymers provide for a hair spray composition that is easily removable by water and/or by shampooing and that has good styling performance. U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,193 (Midha), issued on Oct. 15, 1996, teaches hair spray compositions which incorporate silicone grafted copolymers.
While hair spray compositions which contain silicone-grafted copolymers provide a superior combination of good styling and desirable hair feel relative to hair sprays which incorporate other types of resins, consumers nevertheless desire hair spray products which provide even better styling and hair feel benefits. Unfortunately, a better combination of styling and hair feel than is achieved by the incorporation of silicone-grafted copolymers is difficult to achieve.
The viscosity of the hair spray is an important element with respect to both styling and hair feel. In general, the lower the viscosity of the hair spray composition as it is present on the hair, the better (i.e., less sticky) the hair feel. This is because the low viscosity of the composition allows it to wick and spread efficiently on the hair. However, low viscosity hair sprays typically result in small droplet size of the composition as it is dispensed from the can. Small droplet size generally results in a hair spray with decreased hold, while larger droplet size is typically associated with increased hold. In these low viscosity systems, attempts to increase the droplet size by utilizing alternative inserts and spray buttons have not delivered the desired droplet size and may lead to other non-desirable changes in other properties of the hair spray as well, negatively impacting hair feel and hold. Therefore, from the standpoint of styling, hair spray compositions which have high viscosity at the point at which they are dispensed from the can are preferred.
One way to deliver a hair spray with increased styling and hair feel above and beyond what is achieved by the incorporation of silicone-grafted copolymers would be to impart dichotomous viscosity characteristics to the hair spray. In other words, develop a hair spray composition having a high viscosity when it is dispensed from the aerosol can (i.e., under high shear conditions), but having a low viscosity upon being deposited to the hair (i.e., under low shear conditions).
Past attempts to achieve the benefits of a dual viscosity system in a hair spray have failed. Attempts to increase the high shear viscosity of a low viscosity hair spray composition in order to increase hold, such as by making the composition more concentrated or by increasing the molecular weight of the silicone-grafted copolymer, have resulted in higher viscosity at low shear as well, thereby negatively impacting the hair feel imparted by the hair spray composition.
Applicants have now found a way, however, to impart the aforementioned dual viscosity characteristics to a hair spray composition and to provide hair spray compositions which provide a superior combination of styling and hair feel above and beyond that which is achieved by the mere incorporation of a silicone-grafted copolymer into a hair spray. These characteristics are achieved by blending a first silicone-grafted copolymer with a second silicone-grafted copolymer, wherein the monomers which form the respective silicone-grafted copolymers are present in the copolymers in a particular weight percentage and wherein the first and second silicone-grafted copolymers are present in the hair spray composition at a particular ratio with respect to one another.
Hair spray compositions which contain blends of silicone-grafted copolymers are generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,524 (Bolich), issued on Apr. 8, 1997. However, the '524 patent does not specifically teach silicone-grafted polymers wherein the monomers are present at ratios as described herein and, accordingly, the hair spray compositions taught therein do not necessarily deliver the same combination of good styling and good hair feel as the compositions of the present invention.
It is an object of this invention to provide hair spray formulations that exhibit a dichotomous viscosity behavior at high shear and at low shear, which results in superior hold and excellent hair feel benefits. It is also an object of this invention to provide a method for styling hair. These, and other objects will become readily apparent from the detailed description below.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to aerosol hair spray compositions which provide excellent styling and hair feel benefits. These hair spray compositions comprise: (A) from about 0.1% to about 10%, by weight, of a first silicone-grafted copolymer; (B) from about 0.1% to about 5%, by weight, of a second silicone-grafted copolymer; (C) a neutralizing system comprising at least one base selected from the group consisting of an organic base, an inorganic base, and mixtures thereof, wherein the system is present at a level sufficient to neutralize from about 30% to about 95% of the acid groups on the first silicone-grafted copolymer; (D) from about 20% to about 50%, by weight, of a propellant; and (E) the balance comprising a carrier, wherein the carrier is suitable for solubilizing the first and second silicone-grafted copolymers, and the carrier is suitable for application to hair.
The first silicone-grafted copolymer has a weight average molecular weight from about 10,000 to about 500,000. It comprises a vinyl polymeric backbone and a polysiloxane macromer grafted to the backbone. The vinyl polymeric backbone is formed from the copolymerization of randomly repeating hydrophilic monomer units, hereinbelow designated A, and may additionally include randomly repeating hydrophobic monomer units, hereinbelow designated B. The vinyl polymeric backbone comprises from about 10% to about 50%, by weight of the copolymer, of copolymerizable (hydrophilic) A monomers, and from 0% to about 85%, by weight of the copolymer, of copolymerizable (hydrophobic) B monomers. The polysiloxane macromer comprises from about 5% to about 50%, by weight of the copolymer, of polysiloxane-containing monomer units, and has a weight average molecular weight from about 500 to about 50,000.
The second silicone-grafted copolymer has a weight average molecular weight from about 300,000 to about 5,000,000. It also comprises a vinyl polymeric backbone and a polysiloxane macromer grafted to the backbone. The vinyl polymeric backbone is formed from the copolymerization of randomly repeating (hydrophobic) B monomer units. The polysiloxane macromer comprises from about 10% to about 40%, by weight of the copolymer, of polysil
Carballada Jose Antonio
Hutchins Thomas Allen
Criares Theodore J.
Sivik Linda M.
The Procter & Gamble & Company
Yu Gina C
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