Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Live hair or scalp treating compositions – Polymer containing
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-30
2004-04-20
Webman, Edward J. (Department: 1617)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Live hair or scalp treating compositions
Polymer containing
C424S070170, C424SDIG001, C424SDIG002, C424S047000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06723312
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a readily sprayable and/or vaporizable cosmetic composition comprising, in a cosmetically acceptable aqueous or aqueous/alcoholic medium, at least one polymer selected from a fixing polymer and a conditioning polymer and at least one specific acrylic copolymer and to the use of this specific copolymer for improving the vaporization or the spraying of the composition comprising at least one fixing and/or conditioning polymer.
Hair compositions to be sprayed onto the hair are essentially composed of a solution, in most cases aqueous/alcoholic, and of a polymer, optionally as a mixture with various cosmetic adjuvants. This solution is packaged either in a pump-action spray or in an appropriate aerosol container which is pressurized using a propellant gas.
For essentially ecological reasons, a search is underway to reduce the compounds which are volatile at atmospheric pressure, known as VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), present in the compositions. The VOCs are mainly the propellants and certain solvents, such as ethanol.
Thus, legislation in certain countries has laid down a minimum VOC content in aerosol cosmetic compositions. In order to decrease the amount of VOC, attempts have been made to replace solvents, such as ethanol, by water. These modifications can result in problems, in particular with respect to the quality of the spraying of the spray. The sprayed liquid particles are not fine, the spray is often narrow, i.e., non-diffuse, and the formation of a slight foam and/or bubbles can take place.
As the spraying is an essential component in the final quality of a composition to be sprayed onto hair, it is essential to overcome these disadvantages in order to obtain good distribution over the whole of the hair and correct fixing and/or conditioning of the hair.
European Application EP-A-590,604 describes an aqueous composition based on an anionic acrylic copolymer and hair spray compositions comprising this aqueous composition based on an anionic acrylic copolymer. This polymer-based composition is compatible with many solvents. It exhibits good cosmetic properties. However, the appearance of the sprays obtained is still unsatisfactory.
The present inventors have discovered, unexpectedly and surprisingly, that, by combining the polymers commonly used in compositions for form retention and/or for conditioning of the hairstyle with the specific anionic copolymer described above in EP-A-590,604, it is possible to obtain aqueous or aqueous/alcoholic compositions which are readily sprayable and/or vaporizable.
The subject of the present invention is therefore a cosmetic composition comprising, in a cosmetically acceptable aqueous or aqueous/alcoholic medium, at least one polymer selected from a fixing polymer and a conditioning polymer and at least one acrylic copolymer formed from (a) approximately 35 to 75% by weight of an alkyl acrylate, (b) approximately 25 to 65% by weight of alkyl methacrylate and (c) approximately 1 to 15% by weight of at least one ethylenic carboxylic acid having from 3 to 5 carbon atoms, the alkyl radicals having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms and these percentages being expressed by weight with respect to the total weight of copolymer.
Another subject of the invention is the use of the copolymer described above for improving the quality of the vaporization or of the spraying of cosmetic compositions packaged, for example, in a pump-action spray or in an aerosol and comprising a fixing and/or conditioning polymer.
The sprays obtained with the compositions according to the invention can be more diffuse and the drops can be finer. The compositions can also show no or very little foaming.
In the context of the present application, cosmetic compositions for form retention of the hairstyle is understood to mean any composition having the function of temporarily fixing the shape of the hairstyle, such as, for example, lacquers, hair-setting compositions and styling sprays. Fixing power of the composition denotes the ability of the latter to give the hair a cohesion such that the initial hair shaping of the hairstyle is retained.
Fixing polymer is understood to mean any polymer having the function of temporarily fixing the shape of the hairstyle. In the context of the present application, conditioning polymer is understood to mean any polymer having the function of improving the cosmetic properties of hair, in particular softness, disentangling, feel or static electricity.
According to the invention, the acrylic copolymer described above generally has a glass transition temperature of 10 to 50° C. approximately and preferably 20 to 40° C. and more particularly still 25 to 35° C. This copolymer can exhibit a number-average molecular weight of 10,000 to 50,000 and preferably 20,000 to 40,000.
The alkyl acrylate is preferably chosen from methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, propyl acrylate and butyl acrylate. Ethyl acrylate is particularly preferred.
The concentration of alkyl acrylate is preferably 40 to 70% by weight and more particularly 50 to 60% by weight with respect to the total weight of the copolymer.
The alkyl methacrylate is preferably chosen from methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, propyl methacrylate and butyl methacrylate. Methyl methacrylate is particularly preferred.
The concentration of alkyl methacrylate is preferably from 30 to 50% by weight and more particularly from 30 to 40% by weight with respect to the total weight of the copolymer.
The preferred ethylenic carboxylic acids are acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid, itaconic acid or their mixtures. Acrylic acid and methacrylic acid are particularly preferred. According to the invention, it is possible to use salts of these carboxylic acids.
The concentration of ethylenic carboxylic acids, or of their salts, is preferably from 5 to 15% by weight and more particularly from 8 to 12% by weight with respect to the total weight of the copolymer.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, acrylic acid is used with methacrylic acid, each in a concentration of from 2 to 10% by weight, the total of these two acids not exceeding 15% by weight of the total weight of the copolymer.
The copolymer can also contain small amounts, i.e., preferably less than 10%, more preferably less than 5% and most preferably less than 2%, of a polymerizable monomer other than those mentioned above.
The copolymer can be used in the form of an aqueous dispersion. Generally, the dispersion then comprises at least 0.05% of surfactant making possible the dispersing and the maintenance in dispersion of the polymer.
According to the invention, it is possible to use any type of surfactant in the said dispersion but preferably a non-ionic surfactant and more particularly polyoxyalkylenated (C
5
-C
12
)alkyl phenols.
The mean size of the particles of the copolymer in the dispersion is preferably from 0.1 to 1 micron.
According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, use is made of a copolymer comprising 50 to 60% by weight of ethyl acrylate, 30 to 40% by weight of methyl methacrylate, from 2 to 10% by weight of acrylic acid and from 2 to 10% by weight of methacrylic acid, the total concentration of acrylic and methacrylic acid not exceeding 15% by weight with respect to the total weight of the acrylic copolymer.
Such a copolymer is, for example, described in European Patent Application EP-A-590,604, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
An aqueous dispersion of the acrylic copolymer described above comprising 25% by weight of ethyl acrylate/methyl methacrylate/methacrylic acid/acrylic acid copolymer having a glass transition temperature of approximately 30° C. is in particular sold under the name Amerhold DR-25 by the company Amerchol.
According to the invention, the carboxylic acid functional groups of the acrylic copolymer can be partially or completely neutralized.
According to the invention, it is possible to use any fixing and/or conditioning polymer known per se. In particular, it is possible to use a fixing and/or conditioning polymer chosen
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner LLP
L'Oreal
Webman Edward J.
LandOfFree
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