Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Anti-perspirants or perspiration deodorants
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-06
2001-01-09
Dodson, Shelley A. (Department: 1616)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Anti-perspirants or perspiration deodorants
C424S400000, C424S401000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06171582
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to a cosmetic method for reducing or preventing body malodour.
In particular, it relates to a cosmetic method for reducing or preventing body malodour by topically applying to human skin an active agent capable of inactivating body malodour causing micro-organisms comprising corynebacteria, characterised in that the agent is capable of selectively inactivating, of the corynebacteria, only those corynebacteria capable of catabolising fatty acids.
It is well known that freshly secreted sweat is sterile and that body malodour is the result of biotransformation of the sweat by micro-organisms living on the surface of the skin to produce volatile odoriferous compounds.
There are three types of composition routinely used to combat body malodour: perfumes, antiperspirants and deodorants.
Perfumes are designed simply to mask body malodour.
Antiperspirant actives work by blocking the sweat glands thereby reducing perspiration. However, even the best cosmetically acceptable antiperspirant actives rarely reduce sweat production by more than 50%.
Deodorant actives, on the other hand, are designed to reduce the population of micro-organisms living on the surface of the skin. Typical deodorants include ethanol and triclosan (2,4,4′-trichloro,2′-hydroxy-diphenyl ether) which is a well known antimicrobial agent. The skin is host to a number of microorganisms some of which are beneficial and others which are not. The use of common deodorant actives results in the indiscriminate killing of most of the skin's natural microflora including the beneficial species. This is considered an undesirable side effect of such deodorant formulations.
Many disclosures describe compositions comprising anti-microbials which are designed to eliminate malodour by reducing the microfloral population.
WO 95/16429 (Henkel) describes deodorant compositions comprising fat soluble partial esters of hydroxy carboxylic acids.
WO 95/07069, WO 91/11988 and WO 91/05541 (all Gillette) describe deodorant compositions comprising inhibitors of pyridoxal phosphate dependent amino acid lyase.
WO 94/14934 (Unilever) describes a method for reducing the perceptibility of an odoriferous substance using an antibody or antibody fragment. Such antibodies could be used in deodorant compositions.
WO 93/07853 (Monell) describes the use of mimics of the odoriferous 3-methyl-2-hexenoic acid to reduce body malodour. DD 29 39 58 (Medezinische Fakultaet (Charit{acute over (e)}) der Humboldt Universitaet zu Berlin) describes the use of lipoxygenase inhibitors to act biochemically to reduce sweat production or to inhibit, to various degrees, the action of skin bacteria or their enzymes on the decomposition of sweat to form unpleasant-smelling substances.
DE 43 43 265 (Henkel) describes deodorant compositions comprising saturated dioic acid (C3-C10) esters. The active inhibits a sweat decomposing esterase and the compositions are said to not disturb the skin's natural microflora.
DE 43 43 264 (Henkel) describes the use of lipid-soluble partial esters of hydroxy carboxylic acids in deodorant compositions.
Coryneform bacteria are a group of bacteria including Actinomyces, Arachnia, Arcanobacterium, Arthobacter, Bacterionema, Bifidobacterium, Brevibacterium, Cellulomonas, Corynebacterium, Eyrsipelothrix, Eubacterium, Kurthia, Listeria, Mycobacterium, Nocardia, Oerskovia, Propionibacterium, Rhodococcus and Rothia. (The Skin Microflora and Microbial Skin Disease, W C Noble. Cambridge University Press 1992). Coryneform bacteria are believed to contribute to the formation of body malodour.
We have now found that the Corynebacterium genus can be subdivided into 2 subgroups according to ability to catabolise fatty acids and that one of these subgroups, hereinafter referred to as “corynebacteria A”, which is capable of catabolising fatty acids, contributes strongly to the formation of body malodour, in particular axillary malodour, while the other subgroup, hereinafter referred to as “corynebacteria B”, which catabolises fatty acids much less so or not at all, contributes much less or even not substantially to malodour formation. We also found that it is possible to selectively inactivate corynebacteria A as compared to corynebacteria B.
We further found that on average there is a difference between the axillary microflora of males and females and in the typical strength and nature of male and female malodour, in particular axillary malodour. Whereas for females corynebacteria A tend to comprise a smaller proportion of the axillary microflora, we found that for many males malodour formation is largely caused by corynebacteria A.
By corynebacteria is meant all strains of the Corynebacterium genus.
The deodorants available on the market tend to be insufficiently effective or substantially reduce the numbers of all bacteria in the microflora indiscriminately. The present invention offers the opportunity to provide deodorant products which for many females will substantially reduce malodour formation while inactivating only a minor portion of the microflora. For many males malodour formation can be substantially reduced or even largely eliminated while inactivating only one subgroup of the microflora, the corynebacteria A.
Furthermore, we found a range of preferred specific active ingredients for selectively inactivating corynebacteria A, while leaving other bacteria, notably corynebacteria B much less affected or even not notably affected at all.
Accordingly, the invention provides a cosmetic method for reducing or preventing body malodour by topically applying to human skin an active agent capable of inactivating body malodour causing micro-organisms comprising corynebacteria, characterised in that the agent is capable of selectively inactivating, of the corynebacteria, only those corynebacteria capable of catabolising fatty acids.
The invention also provides the use of an active agent capable of inactivating body malodour causing micro-organisms comprising corynebacteria in the manufacture of a cosmetic composition for reducing or preventing body malodour, characterised in that the agent is capable of selectively inactivating, of the corynebacteria, only those corynebacteria capable of catabolising fatty acids.
According to the invention, inactivating micro-organisms is any sub-lethal effect resulting in a reduction or elimination of the production of odoriferous metabolites, e.g. by modification of bacterial metabolism, in particular, fatty acid metabolism.
Sub-lethal means a significant inhibition of metabolism, e.g. pentadecanoic acid utilisation (≧60% inhibition), without concomitant reductions in cell viability (≦1 log
10
CFU/ml reduction) and glucose utilisation (≦10% reduction).
By selectively inactivating of the corynebacteria only those corynebacteria capable of metabolising fatty acids is meant inactivating corynebacteria A to a significantly higher degree than corynebacteria B. Preferably it means inactivating corynebacteria A to a significantly higher degree than the majority, preferably at least 75%, more preferably at least 90% of bacteria other than corynebacteria A constituting the skin microflora.
The active employed in the present invention can suitably be an agent which is more active against corynebacteria A than against corynebacteria B. Preferably the agent is more active against corynebacteria A than against the majority of other bacteria constituting the skin microflora including corynebacteria B.
The following is an inexhaustive list of active agents according to the invention:
1. inactivating agents targeted to corynebacteria A by antibodies, antibody fragments and hydrophobic proteins; and
2. agents capable of modifying the metabolism, in particular, fatty acid metabolism, of malodour producing microorganisms comprising corynebacteria, but, of corynebacteria, only those corynebacteria capable of catabolising fatty acids resulting in a reduction or elimination of the production of odoriferous compounds.
It should be noted that active agents according to the invention do not inc
Casey John
Ellis Jayne Elizabeth
James Alexander Gordon
Mycock Gary
Taylor David
Boxer Matthew
Dodson Shelley A.
Unilever Home & Personal Care USA , division of Conopco, Inc.
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