Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-20
2003-04-01
Ogden, Necholus (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
C510S137000, C510S157000, C510S438000, C424S401000, C424S443000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06541432
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a cleansing material which exerts an excellent cleansing effect on various makeup stains, and which sufficiently removes both aqueous makeup cosmetics and oily makeup cosmetics conveniently, quickly and sufficiently.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Makeup cosmetics must be highly adhesive to the skin, and highly resistant to moisture and sebum, so that they do not easily come off but, instead, last longer. In particular, mascara, which is one type of makeup cosmetics, contains solid waxes (beeswax, etc.), film-forming resins (acrylic resins, etc.) or emulsions thereof to give oily (water-proof) mascara products. Alternatively, makeup cosmetics may use water-soluble resins capable of forming film (polyvinyl alcohol, etc.) to give aqueous mascara products, thereby providing products which do not easily come off, but which last longer.
On the other hand, it is also necessary to efficiently remove makeup cosmetics and, thus, various cleansing materials have been employed therefore, for example: cleansing oils containing oily materials as the major components; high-viscosity cleansing compositions (for example, cleansing creams, cleansing gels) consisting essentially of oily components, water and surfactants; and low-viscosity cleansing compositions (for example, cleansing milks and milky lotions).
However, the cleansing oils and the low-viscosity cleansing compositions are inconvenient to use, since it is feared that these products would drip and stain, for example, clothes or washstands. On the other hand, high-viscosity cleansing compositions tend to take a very long time to exert the cleansing effect. Furthermore, these cleansing compositions are designed to remove either oily makeup cosmetics (for example, oily (water-proof) mascara), or to remove aqueous makeup cosmetics (for example, aqueous mascara), but cannot remove both types of makeup cosmetics at the same time.
There have been proposed two-phase cleansing compositions—containing an oily phase and an aqueous phase separated from each other—which aim at removing both of oily (water-proof) mascara and aqueous mascara at the same time. The waterproof mascara is removed by the oily phase of such cleansing compositions and the aqueous mascara is removed by the aqueous phase. However, these products are inconvenient to use, since they must be vigorously shaken by hand to give an apparently homogeneous dispersion before use, then must be absorbed by a cotton absorbent or a tissue sheet, followed by wiping the makeup cosmetics from the skin. Moreover, it is difficult to control the optimum amount of such products.
Accordingly, there have been proposed cleansing materials packed individually wherein a sheet material, which is made of a non-woven fabric or cotton, is impregnated with such a two-phase cleansing composition (see, for example, JP-A-8-40826, claim 1: the term “JP-A” as used herein means an “unexamined published Japanese patent application”).
In case of the cleansing composition described in JP-A-8-40826, the oily phase and the aqueous phase of the two-phase cleansing composition are liable to separate from each other within the sheet material. As a result, the cleansing performance varies in the upper part and the lower part of the sheet material, or on the front face and the back face thereof. Therefore, the cleansing effect is worsened.
To solve this problem, there also have been proposed sheet-type cleansing materials comprising a sheet material, which is made of, for example, cotton or a non-woven fabric impregnated with an aqueous cleansing composition containing an aqueous solution of a surfactant (see, for example, JP-A-11-49641). These cleansing materials have excellent handling properties and are convenient to use, but are insufficient for removing oily (water-proof) mascara.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide cleansing materials which exert an excellent cleansing effect on various makeup stains, and which remove both of aqueous makeup cosmetics and oily makeup cosmetics sufficiently, conveniently and quickly.
The inventors have found that an emulsion cosmetic (herein after “emulsion”) having a viscosity within a specific range is excellent in stability per se (liquid stability), and shows a high storage stability (impregnated sheet stability), without undergoing phase separation over a long period of time when employed in a cleansing material prepared by impregnating a sheet material therewith. The inventors have further found that such an emulsion exerts a high cleansing efficacy on makeup cosmetics (in particular, both of oily (water-proof) mascara and aqueous mascara) and has excellent handling properties.
Accordingly, the invention relates to a cleansing material comprising a sheet material impregnated with an emulsion having a viscosity of 200 to 4000 mPa·s at 25° C. and a viscosity of 100 to 2000 mPa·s at 50° C.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The cleansing material according to the invention comprises a sheet material impregnated with an emulsion.
The “emulsion” as used herein, is in the state where oily components and aqueous components have been homogeneously emulsified. Owing to the above-described characteristics, a cleansing material according to the invention is capable of removing not only oily makeup cosmetics (for example, oily mascara), but also aqueous makeup cosmetics (for example, aqueous mascara) at the same time. The emulsion used herein may be either one of the W/O type or the O/W type. The cleansing material according to the present invention has excellent handling properties, and is convenient to use.
The emulsion used in the present invention has a viscosity of 200 to 4000 mPa·s (preferably 500 to 3000 mPa·s) at 25° C. and a viscosity of 100 to 2000 mPa·s (preferably 100 to 1200 mPa·s) at 50° C. When the viscosity at 25° C. or 50° C. is lower than the level as defined above (i.e., an emulsion of relatively low viscosity), it is impossible to ensure any sufficient liquid stability of the emulsion. When the viscosity exceeds the level as defined above (i.e., an emulsion of relatively high viscosity), the emulsion fails to sufficiently remove makeup cosmetics and fails to impregnate into the sheet material.
The emulsion useful herein contains at least an oily component, water, and a surfactant.
When the concentration of the oily component in the emulsion is too small, it is impossible to achieve any sufficient cleansing effect on oily makeup cosmetics. On the other hand, when the concentration of the oily component is too large, the user's skin texture tends to become oily after wiping. It is therefore preferable that the concentration of the oily component ranges from 10 to 80% by weight, and more preferably from 20 to 70% by weight.
The oily component used in the emulsion of the present invention may include those commonly employed as cosmetic materials. It is possible to use two or more oily components in combination. Examples of the oily component include: hydrocarbons, such as liquid paraffin and squalane; higher alcohols, such as stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol and oleyl alcohol; fatty acids, such as oleic acid and linoleic acid; dialkyl ethers, such as isostearyl octyl ether, cetyl-1-methylpropyl ether and cetyl-1,3-dimethylbutyl ether; fatty acid esters, such as isopropyl myristate and isopropyl palmitate; fatty acid triglycerides; and silicones, such as cyclic silicones and chain-type dimethylpolysiloxane with a low degree of polymerization.
When the water content in the emulsion is too small, it is impossible to achieve any sufficient cleansing effect on aqueous makeup cosmetics. On the other hand, when the content of water is too large, it is impossible to obtain any sufficient cleansing effect on oily makeup cosmetics. It is therefore preferable that the content of water ranges from 10 to 80% by weight, still preferably from 20 to 70% by weight.
When the concentration of the surfactant in the emulsion is too small, the emulsion shows an insufficient stability in the sheet materia
Kaneda Kenji
Matsuo Keiko
Kao Corporation
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Ogden Necholus
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