Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Cosmetic – facial
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-26
2001-11-06
Williamson, Michael A. (Department: 1616)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Cosmetic, facial
C424S401000, C424S063000, C424S069000, C424S070600, C424S070700, C424S070900, C424S070110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06313181
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to cosmetic compositions and methods. More specifically, the invention relates to compositions and methods that replenish the skin's natural fluorescence.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It has long been recognized that normal skin exhibits a substantial level of fluorescence(Fellner, Arch. Dermatol. 112: 667-670, 1976). The fluorescence apparently exists throughout the different layers of the skin, with the epidermis showing the weakest levels, the stratum corneum being slightly stronger, and the most intense emissions being found in the dermis and subcutaneous fat(Zeng, et al., Photochem. Photobiol. 61: 639-645, 1995). The level of epidermal fluorescence varies depending upon the color of the individual's skin, with darker skins showing a higher level of fluorescence than lighter skins. However, the fluorescence in the dermis is apparently related to elements common to all skin types: elastin and collagen. The spectra of living human skin is measurable over a wide excitation wavelength, with green being the dominant autofluorescence color.
With particular respect to the dermis, it well-known that the elements responsible for fluorescence are susceptible to substantial alteration in quality and quantity due to advancing age as well as UV exposure. It is widely accepted that these changes in elastin and collagen are at least partially, and probably predominantly, responsible for many of the external changes characteristic of aged skin, whether chrono- or photoaged. The external changes that are immediately identifiable as being associated with loss or alteration of these fibers include the readily defined features, such as lines, wrinkles, and skin atrophy; however, another common age-associated feature that is perhaps more difficult to characterize is familiar loss of luster, color and tone of mature or photodamaged skin.
Interestingly, the change in structure of collagen and elastin observed at least with respect to photoaging has been shown to be correlated with a decline in the intensity of fluorescence in the photoaged skin.(Leffell, et al. Arch. Dermatol. 124: 1514-1518, 1988). This change is also reflected in chronoaged skin, which in middle age begins to lose its green fluorescence, and in later years, loses its blue fluorescence. It is very likely that the decline in the vigorous “glow” common to young, healthy skin is related at least in part to the this observed loss of fluorescence. Nonetheless, cosmetics and skin care products have traditionally focused on the camouflaging of the most easily characterized signs of aging, such as wrinkles; there has been little effort to develop products which address the seemingly more intangible problem of renewing the glow of youth in the more mature individual's skin. The present invention now provides a solution to this problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to skin-toned or non-color cosmetic compositions for application to the skin comprising effective amounts of at least one fluorescent brightener, in combination with a cosmetically acceptable vehicle. The compositions, when applied to the skin, replenish the fluorescence that may have been lost due to chrono- or photoaging, while not conferring any readily discernible amount of color on the skin. The invention also relates to a method of imparting a glow to the skin comprising applying to the skin a skin-toned or non-color cosmetic composition comprising an effective amount of a fluorescent optical brightener. The compositions can also be used to reduce the appearance of dark circles and lines on the skin, as well as reduce the appearance of symptoms of chrono-and photoaging.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Fluorescent brighteners, also referred to as optical brighteners or fluorescent whiteners, are compounds falling into a number of different chemical classes, but which share the properties of being colorless on a substrate in ordinary light, while exhibiting a colored fluorescence when exposed to UV light. Traditional optical brighteners are organic, largely aromatic or heterocyclic, and are characterized by the presence of an uninterrupted chain of conjugated double bonds; the number of double bonds varies depending upon substituents and the planarity of the fluorescent part of the molecule. The fluorescence of these compounds is normally in the blue-violet range, with an excess of brightener sometimes resulting is a bluish-green color. In addition to these organic compounds, however, there are also synthetic inorganic compounds, such as fluorescent glasses, that exhibit similar properties, i.e., that are colorless on a substrate, but show a colored fluorescence. The range of colors of the latter may be more varied than traditional optical brighteners, coming in blues, reds, or greens. The term “fluorescent brightener” or its synonyms, in the present specification and claims, is intended to encompass both types of fluorescent compounds.
The general use of fluorescent brighteners in various industries is in compensation for a yellowish cast on the substrate to which the brightener is applied. This is achieved by the brightener's absorbtion of invisible UV light and its conversion into visible blue and blue-violet light; this addition of blue-to-violet light to a substrate counteracts its yellowish appearance, which is the result of absorption of the blue-to-violet light by the substrate. The ultimate result is essentially a pure white, with no loss of light. One of the most common uses for fluorescent brighteners is in laundry detergent, where they aid in increasing the brightness of white fabrics. They have also found widespread use in the textile industry to counteract the normal yellowish color of many fibers, both natural and synthetic. The paper industry employs brighteners to whiten pulp and to enhance the surface whiteness of preformed sheets of paper.
The use of fluorescent materials in cosmetics is not unknown. There are a number of reported uses of fluorescent pigments or dyes in cosmetics, particularly in color cosmetics, principally to impart an additional dimension to the color(see, e.g., EP 370470, JP 2060978, JP 3250075, and EP 542669). In each of these cases, a fluorescent dye or pigment, such as D&C Orange No. 5, or ultramarine blue, typically constitutes the sole or primary colorant component of the cosmetic, and the color of the dye is visually prominent in the product. Fluorescent brighteners have also been disclosed, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,635,109, for use in cosmetics, for the purpose of intensifying color or shine imparted by a cosmetic composition, such as nail lacquer, lipstick or a hair cuticle coat.
In contrast to the uses of fluorescent materials of prior art, however, the present invention utilizes fluorescent brighteners in such a way as to confer a fluorescent glow to both the composition and to the skin when applied, but does not confer any visually distinct color to the skin. Also in contrast to the prior art use of fluorescent materials, the compositions in which the brighteners are used do not brightly color the skin, but rather are skin-toned to virtually colorless. In certain embodiments, particularly in the case in which the optical brightener is used in a non-color cosmetic, the composition as a whole will not confer any discernible color change to the skin. The fluorescent brighteners can be used in a color cosmetic intended to mimic the color of human skin, such as a foundation, a blush, or a self-tanner, or it can also be used in a non-color cosmetic, e.g., a skin care or transparent or translucent cosmetic which is intended to confer little or no color to the skin after application. The term “effective amount” as used in the specification and claims is that amount of a fluorescent brightener that will confer an observable fluorescence under UV light to the composition in which it is placed.
Any cosmetically acceptable fluorescent brightener may be employed in the compositions of the invention. The brighteners can be conveniently grouped acc
Color Access Inc.
Kenyon & Kenyon
Williamson Michael A.
LandOfFree
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