Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Preparations characterized by special physical form – Wearing apparel – fabric – or cloth
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-29
2004-04-20
Page, Thurman K. (Department: 1615)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Preparations characterized by special physical form
Wearing apparel, fabric, or cloth
C424S400000, C424S401000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06723330
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a substantially dry flowable powder composition for use in a cleansing article. More specifically, the article is a water-insoluble sachet retaining the powder which upon being actuated with water provides an effervescent foam passing through the sachet walls.
2. The Related Art
Cleansing products have traditionally been marketed in the form of bar soaps, shower gels and mousses, the lather being generated by mechanical and aerosol dispensers. Mechanical implements have been used by consumers to assist in lather formation and physical removal of dirt through scrubbing. Wash cloths have been the implement of choice throughout recent history.
New formats for cleansing hold great consumer appeal. For instance, surfactant and conditioner compositions have been layered into apertured wipes such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,757 (McAtee et al.). Open-mesh sponges such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,066,607 (Gordon et al.) have assisted in generating foam from shower gets thereby improving speed and quality of lathering.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,931 (Fowler et al.) describes a substantially dry, disposable personal care article wherein a surfactant system is dried onto a water-insoluble non-woven or similar substrate. A second generation of dual layered towelette has been reported. See WO 00/42961 (Smith), WO 01/08542 (Cen et al.), WO 01/08640 (Smith et al.), WO 01/08641 (Lorenzi et al.), WO 01/08655 (Phipps et al.), WO 01/08656 (Lorenzi et al.), WO 01/08657 (Lorenzi et al.) and WO 01/08658 (Cawkwell et al.) all describing disposable personal cleansing towelettes with lathering surfactant on at least a two layer cloth with one layer being a high loft substrate. Consumers are expected to place the towelette under water to generate a surfactant lather.
Another approach is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,063,390 (Farrell et al.) which discloses wiping articles that include an effervescent, preferably powdered, cleanser composition held within a pouch of a sachet. Water contact causes the composition to effervesce. Several problems exist with the aforedescribed “pillow” system.
Not all components of the effervescent cleanser composition are powders. Some essential components may only be available as liquids or pastes. The compositions formulated with these materials would themselves exhibit tackiness becoming poorly flowable and/or agglomerating into an uncontrolled particle size distribution. Transport through manufacturing equipment and precise delivery of a powder charge into individual sachets can thereby become a significant problem.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sachet with an effervescent powdered composition that may contain liquids and/or paste components yet exhibit good powder flowability and minimum agglomeration.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a sachet filled with an effervescent powdered composition wherein any liquids and/or paste components are compounded with powdered solid components in a manner exhibiting no stickiness and avoiding liquid exudation upon storage of the powdered composition.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more fully apparent from consideration of the following summary and detailed discussion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A cosmetic article is provided for cleansing body surfaces, the article including:
an effervescent cleansing composition which is a substantially dry flowable powder the composition including:
(i) from about 1 to about 80% of an alkaline material;
(ii) from about 0.5 to about 80% of an acid material; and
(iii) from about 0.1 to about 60% of a flowable particulate powder including:
a) a powdered carrier having a surface area greater than about 10 m
2
/g; and
b) at least one skin benefit agent of softening point less than 30° C. absorbed onto the carrier;
a pouch formed of first and second water insoluble substrates, at least one being water permeable, the first and second water-insoluble substrates forming therebetween an area housing the effervescent cleansing composition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides for a substantially dry flowable powder that can be utilized with the sachets for delivering an effervescent cleansing system upon contact with water. Liquid and semi-liquid or pasty components are pre-absorbed onto a carrier solid having a surface area greater than about 10 m
2
/g. Thereafter the resultant particulate composition can be combined with other normally solid powders such as sodium bicarbonate and dry acid such as citric acid.
A first component of compositions within the pouch is that of an acidic material. Suitable for this purpose are any acids present in dry solid form. Especially appropriate are C
2
-C
20
organic mono- and poly-carboxylic acids and especially alpha- and beta-hydroxycarboxylic acids; C
2
-C
20
organophosphorus acids such as phytic acid; C
2
-C
20
organosulfur acids such as toluene sulfonic acid; and peroxides such as hydrogen peroxide. Typical hydroxycarboxylic acids include adipic, glutaric, succinic, tartaric, malic, maleic, lactic, salicylic and citric acids as well as acid forming lactones such as gluconolactone and glucarolactone. Most preferred is citric acid. Also suitable as acid material are water soluble synthetic or natural polymers such as polyacrylates (e.g. encapsulating polyacrylic acid), cellulosic gums, polyurethane and polyoxyalkalene polymers. By the term “acid” is meant any substance which when dissolved in deionized water at 1% concentration will have a pH of less than 7, preferably less than 6.5, optimally less than 5. These acids preferably at 25° C. are in solid form, i.e. having melting points no less than 25° C. Concentrations of the acid should range from about 0.5 to about 80%, preferably from about 10 to about 65%, optimally from about 20 to about 45% by weight of the total composition.
A second essential component of compositions within the pouch is that of an alkaline material. The alkaline material is a substance which can generate a gas such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen or oxygen, i.e. effervesce, when contacted with water and the acidic material. Suitable alkaline materials are anhydrous salts of carbonates and bicarbonates, alkaline peroxides (e.g. sodium perborate and sodium percarbonate) and azides (e.g. sodium azide). Preferably the alkaline material is sodium or potassium bicarbonate. Amounts of the alkaline material may range from about 1 to about 80%, preferably from about 5 to about 49%, more preferably from about 15 to about 40%, optimally from about 25 to about 35% by weight of the total composition.
By the term “anhydrous” is meant the presence of no more than 5%, preferably no more than 3.5% and optimally no more than 1% water by weight of the total composition. Water of hydration is not considered to be water for purposes of the anhydrous definition. However, it is preferred to minimize, preferably to eliminate any water of hydration.
Advantageously the combined amount of acidic and alkaline materials will be at least about 1.5%, preferably from about 40 to about 95%, optimally from about 60 to about 80% by weight of the total composition.
A third component of compositions within the pouch will be a particulate composition. This will include a carrier solid having a surface area greater than about 10 m
2
/g, preferably greater than 50 m
2
/g and optimally greater than 100 m
2
/g as measured by the BET Surface Area procedure. Generally the preferred surface area should range from about 150 to about 1,000 m
2
/g.
Carrier solids may include aluminas, silicas, calcium silicate, aluminum silicate, aluminum magnesium silicate, clays (e.g. hectorite, bentonite and laponite), Fuller's Earth, zeolite and combinations thereof. Median particle sizes may range from about 0.1 micron to about 200 micron, preferably from about 1 micron to about 100 micron, optimally from about 5 micron to about 50 micron. Most preferred is synthetic calcium silicate which is available as
Howard S.
Page Thurman K.
Unilever Home & Personal Care USA , division of Conopco, Inc.
LandOfFree
Powdered composition for cosmetic effervescent cleansing pillow does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Powdered composition for cosmetic effervescent cleansing pillow, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Powdered composition for cosmetic effervescent cleansing pillow will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3250936