Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Preparations characterized by special physical form – Wearing apparel – fabric – or cloth
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-20
2001-08-28
Dodson, Shelley A. (Department: 1616)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Preparations characterized by special physical form
Wearing apparel, fabric, or cloth
C424S078020, C424S078030, C424S400000, C424S401000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06280758
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to low pH, acid-containing personal care compositions which do not sting the skin upon application to the skin. Methods of minimizing or alleviating sting to the skin caused by application of acid-containing personal care compositions are also covered.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Low pH, acid-containing personal care compositions have a variety of possible uses. Such compositions can potentially be useful for treatment of acne, treatment of dry skin, providing an essentially immediate (i.e., acute) visual improvement in skin appearance, regulating skin condition, and regulating visible and/or tactile discontinuities in skin. Perhaps most importantly, certain low pH, acid-containing compositions, especially those which also contain an antimicrobial agent, have been shown to have excellent antimicrobial efficacy.
Unfortunately, many useful acid-containing personal care compositions can cause an undesirable stinging sensation when they are applied to the skin. The problem can be especially exaggerated when the personal care composition contains high levels of acid (e.g., from about 4% to about 12% of the composition). The stinging sensation caused by these products can be a significant consumer negative; as a result of the stinging, some consumers may choose not to use a product they might otherwise have used and benefited from.
It is widely recognized that high levels of organic acids cause stinging. The patent literature has addressed the problem to a certain extent. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,217; issued Dec. 4, 1990 teaches the use of citric and lactic acid in virucidal formulas and teaches that citric acid stings less than lactic. European Patent Application 0,666,072 A2, published on Aug. 7, 1995 teaches that rosmarrinic acid can be employed in acid-containing compositions to reduce sting.
It has now been found, however, that sting is vastly reduced and, in some cases, completely eliminated when certain polymeric acids are employed in place of other organic acids in low pH, acid-containing personal care compositions. WO 95/32705, published Dec. 7, 1995, teaches generally the use of these polymeric acids, as well as other organic acids, in low pH, acid-containing personal care compositions. However, low pH, acid-containing personal care compositions which contain polymeric acids are not specifically taught and polymeric acids are not taught as reducing sting.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide low pH, acid-containing personal care compositions which cause significantly less stinging when they are applied to the skin compared to other low pH, acid-containing personal care composition taught in the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to personal care compositions comprising from about 0.05% to about 80% of a surfactant; from about 0.1% to about 12% of a polymeric acid; and from about 3% to about 98.899% of water; wherein the composition is adjusted to a pH of from about 3.0 to about 6.0. The present invention also relates to a method for minimizing or alleviating sting to the skin caused by acid-containing personal care compositions, which method comprises applying the low pH acid-containing personal care composition of the present invention to the skin.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to personal care compositions comprising from about 0.05% to about 80% of a surfactant; from about 0.1% to about 12% of a polymeric acid; and from about 3% to about 98.899% of water; wherein the composition is adjusted to a pH of from about 3.0 to about 6.0. The present invention also relates to methods for minimizing or alleviating sting, burn or itching to the skin caused by acid-containing personal care compositions, which method comprises applying the low pH acid-containing personal care composition of the present invention to the skin.
The low pH, acid-containing personal care compositions of the present invention cause minimal or no stinging when applied to the skin. As used herein, “personal care compositions” refers to rinse-off personal cleansing compositions, wipes compositions, and topical, leave-on personal care compositions. The term “rinse-off” is used herein to mean that the composition is used in a context whereby the composition is ultimately rinsed or washed from the treated surface (e.g., skin or hair) either after or during the application of the product. Rinse-off personal cleansing compositions include, for example, liquid handsoaps, liquid shower gels, bar soaps, and shampoos. As used herein, “leave-on” personal care compositions are compositions (e.g., lotions, creams and gels) which are applied to skin, directly or indirectly, and not rinsed away. As used herein, “wipes compositions” refer to products in which a sheet of porous or absorbent material has been impregnated with a cleansing composition. Typically, wipes compositions are rubbed over a surface (e.g., skin) to clean the surface. Alternately, the wipe composition can be in the form of a feminine pad and the personal care composition can be applied to the pad to provide antimicrobial or deodorancy benefits.
In one embodiment of the wipes compositions of the present invention, the porous or absorbent material can comprise woven or nonwoven fabrics derived from “oriented” or carded fibrous webs composed of textile-length fibers, the major proportion of which are oriented predominantly in one direction are suitable for use herein. These fabrics can be in the form of, for example, wipes or towelettes, including baby wipes, feminine wipes and the like.
The nonwoven cloth substrates are generally adhesively bonded fibers or filamentous products having a web or carded fiber structure (when the fiber strength is suitable to allow carding) or comprising fibrous mats in which the fibers or filaments are distributed haphazardly or in random array (i.e., an array of fibers in a carded web where partial orientation of the fibers is frequently present, as well as a completely haphazard distributional orientation), or substantially aligned. The fibers or filaments can be natural (e.g., wool, silk, jute, hemp, cotton, linen, sisal, or ramie) or synthetic (e.g., rayon, cellulose ester, polyvinyl derivatives, polyolethins, polyamides, or polyesters) as have been described hereinabove. These nonwoven materials are generally described in Riedel “Nonwoven Bonding Methods and Materials”,
Nonwoven World
, (1987).
All percentages and ratios used herein, unless otherwise indicated, are by weight and all measurements made are at 25° C., unless otherwise designated. The invention hereof can comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, the essential as well as optional ingredients and components described therein.
I. INGREDIENTS
The low-pH, acid-containing personal care compositions of the present invention comprise a surfactant, a polymeric acid and water. The personal care compositions of the present invention cause significantly less stinging when applied to the skin than other low-pH, acid-containing compositions. Each of the ingredients comprising the low-sting personal care compositions of the present invention are described in detail as follows:
A. POLYMERIC ACID
The personal care compositions of the present invention comprise from about 0.1% to about 12%, preferably from about 1% to about 12%, more preferably from about 2.5% to about 12%, and most preferably from about 4% to about 12%, based on the weight of the personal care composition, of a polymeric acid. As used herein, the term “polymeric acid” refers to an acid with repeating units of carboxylic acid groups joined together into one chain. Suitable polymeric acids can include homopolymers, copolymers and terpolymers, but must include at least 30 mole % carboxylic acid groups. Specific examples of suitable polymeric acids useful herein include straight poly(acrylic) acid and its copolymers, both ionic and nonionic, (e.g., maleic-acrylic, sulfonic-acrylic, and styrene-acrylic copolymers), cross-linked poly(acrylic) acids having
Clapp Mannie Lee
Warren Raphael
Dodson Shelley A.
Murphy Stephen T.
Rosnell Tara M.
The Procter & Gamble & Company
Winter William J.
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