Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Preparations characterized by special physical form – Cosmetic – antiperspirant – dentifrice
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-04
2002-10-01
Dees, Jose′ G. (Department: 1619)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Preparations characterized by special physical form
Cosmetic, antiperspirant, dentifrice
C424S069000, C424S078020, C424S489000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06458372
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to cosmetic compositions. More specifically, the invention relates to gel powder compositions with improved feel on application to skin.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Liquid powder compositions have become very popular in recent years for a number of reasons. Such compositions have an advantage over the traditional dusting powders in the mode of delivery is more precise; with a standard dusting powder, the user was forced to sprinkle the product over the areas where powder application was desired. Because of the light weight and particulate nature of powders generally, however, precise and limited application of the powder to the body was difficult. With liquid powders, however, the user simply smoothes the liquid product on the part of the body on which powder application is desired, and after a short time, the liquid evaporates, leaving behind the powder only where it is needed. Generally speaking, liquid powders are intended to be initially refreshing and smoothing to the skin, with the liquid base eventually transforming to a silky powder on the skin. Unlike other cosmetics that utilize powder components, for example mica, or other fillers used in color cosmetics, the user is intended to feel the powder on the skin, and to that end the powder components tend to be of a larger particle size than in other powder-containing cosmetics.
Liquid powders come in a variety of forms. All have in common the presence of a particulate powdery material combined with at least one volatile component. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,338,535 and 5,626,856 disclose non-aqueous liquid powders containing a volatile cyclomethicone combined with particulate carbohydrates such as cornstarch or tapioca. Non-aqueous compositions, however, can have a heavy or greasy feel when being applied initially, and thus may be less desirable for individuals with oily skin. Aqueous or alcoholic powder products are also known. These provide the advantage of a non-oily base, and thus can be more refreshing and cooling to apply and wear than oil-based, non-aqueous products. In such non-oily products, alcohol, water, or more typically, alcohol combined with water provide the volatile component, and the powder utilized is again primarily a starch such as tapioca or cornstarch.
In the majority of liquid powders, the particulate carbohydrates are the traditional powder components. This is primarily due to the cost of the materials, which is fairly low. Although effective in providing a powdery feel, however, these components can often leave a gritty uneven feeling on the skin when the volatile evaporates off. There thus continues to be a need for a liquid powder that provides the desirable cool feeling upon application and dry down, but which leaves a silky, smooth feeling on the skin when only the powder component remains.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an liquid gel powder composition comprising a liquid carrier, and a powder component comprising at least one type of cosmetically acceptable spherical microparticle. In a preferred embodiment, the spherical microparticle is a silicone resin, a polyurethane particle, or a combination of both. The microparticles can form all or a part of the powder component of the composition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The composition of the invention provides a cooling liquid powder composition that leaves a very smooth, powdery but non-gritty feeling on the skin when the volatile portion has evaporated off. It has been unexpectedly discovered that incorporation of spherical microparticles as all or a portion of the powder phase of an otherwise standard aqueous liquid powder composition confers a substantially different feel to the final product on the skin. Unlike the previously employed particulate carbohydrates, the particles of the invention are regularly spherical, and have a relatively uniform particle size distribution. In a preferred embodiment, the average particle diameter of the microspheres ranges from about 1-20&mgr;. Particles of this type can be of a variety of chemical compositions, for example, nylon, silica, silicone resin, polyethylene, polyurethane, and acrylate or methacrylate polymers or copolymers. Particularly preferred among these microspheres are polyurethane and silicone resin microspheres. Examples of commercially available resins of these types are BPD-500, a polyurethane(HDI/trimethylyol hexyl lactone) microsphere, and Tospearl silicone resin (polymethylsilsesquioxane) microspheres, both available from Kobo Products, Inc., South Plainfield, N.J. Particularly preferred of the Tospearl microspheres is Tospearl 145, having an average particle diameter of about 4.5&mgr;. Similar microspheres are also available from Presperse(Piscataway, N.J.).
The powder component of the composition comprises at least one type of spherical microparticle, but may also comprise a combination of microspheres. Overall, the powder component can comprise from about 1-30% by weight of the total composition, more preferably in the range of from 5-20%. The microspheres can be all or portion of the powder component; in other words, the spherical microparticles can be combined with other powder components. It has been unexpectedly discovered that a very desirable, soft, silky product can be obtained by the combination of the microspheres with a bulking agent or powder component. Examples of useful bulking agents are particulate carbohydrates e.g., starches, such as tapioca starch, corn starch, rice starch, potato starch, or wheat starch. Other useful bulking agents, particularly for non-aqueous products are amylopectin, agar, cellulose or a cellulose ether, glycogen, algin or carrageenan. Silica, nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, mica, or talc could also be used. Starches are particularly preferred for aqueous gel powders. Particularly surprising is that even a relatively small proportion of microspheres can substantially improve the feel of the final product. Preferably, the starch and microspheres are present in a ratio of 5:1 to 1:5(starch to microspheres), more preferably 3:1 to 1.5:1. In fact, although a product containing all microspheres as powder component exhibits a silky powdery feel superior to that of an identical product containing all starch, a product containing a mixture of microspheres and starch exhibits an even better after-feel, and initially goes on more smoothly, with less tackiness, than either of the other products. In addition, the combination of starch and microspheres permits the formulation of an enhanced product with relatively little increase in expense over the product containing only starch.
The carrier can be any cosmetically acceptable liquid carrier, but is preferably one which has a volatile component that evaporates off the skin fairly rapidly. Particularly preferred is a gel base, which permits the suspension the powder and microparticle components. Preferably, the base is aqueous, and in a particularly preferred embodiment, the aqueous base is an aqueous gel. The gelling agent can be any which is appropriate for gelling an aqueous base, and includes, but is not limited to, carbomer, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxy propyl guar, hydroxypropyl cellulose, or potato starch modified. Particularly preferred is an acrylates/C10-C30 alkyl acrylates crosspolymer, commercially available under the tradename Pemulen TR-2 from (B. F. Goodrich Specialty Chemicals, Cleveland, Ohio).
Although less preferred, the base may also be oily, or contain an oil component. A preferred oil base comprises a volatile oil, such as volatile cyclic and linear silicones, for example, cyclomethicone; or straight or branched chain hydrocarbons having from 8-20 carbon atoms, such as decane, dodecane, tridecane, tetradecane, and C8-20 isoparaffins. A preferred volatile oil is cyclomethicone. Useful oil gellants include, but are not limited to, organopolysiloxane elastomers, ethylene/methacrylic acid copolymer, ethylene/acrylic acid copolymer, or polyethylene.
Generally speak
Hackford Timothy W.
Scordamaglia-Crockett Barbara A.
Color Access Inc.
Dees Jose′ G.
George Konata M
Lowney, Esq. Karen A.
LandOfFree
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