Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Live hair or scalp treating compositions
Reexamination Certificate
1996-09-17
2003-08-19
Page, Thurman K. (Department: 1615)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Live hair or scalp treating compositions
C424S070140, C424S070160, C424S070190, C514S944000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06607714
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a novel thickening system (agent), a composition in aqueous medium, comprising the novel thickening system, and the use of this novel thickening system in a composition in aqueous medium, in particular in the cosmetics field.
It is known to use, as an agent for thickening aqueous media, water-soluble or water-dispersible polymers, and in particular polymers which may be crosslinked. The thickening is then brought about by interlinking of the polymer chains, the polymers preferably having a long chain length and a high molecular weight.
It is also known to use, as a thickener for aqueous media, hydrophilic polymers containing hydrophobic groups, in the form of sequences, grafts and/or side groups distributed randomly. These polymers allow considerable thickening of the medium to be obtained even when they are used in small amounts. The thickening is generated by the formation of aggregates between the hydrophobic groups of the polymer, these aggregates constituting physical crosslinking points between the macromolecular chains.
However, it has been observed that the presence of hydrophilic polymers containing hydrophobic groups, even in small amounts, in compositions, especially cosmetic compositions, could adversely modify the cosmetic properties of the compositions, for example the feel or spreading properties.
It is also known to prepare hair compositions in gel form comprising polymers containing hydrophobic groups combined with surfactants; the gel is then formed by means of the formation of mixed micelles. However, it has been observed that the texture obtained often has a tendency to break, which makes the composition difficult to handle. Furthermore, the presence of an excess of surfactant could lead to certain drawbacks in the field of leave-in compositions.
Thus, there is a need for a thickening system which makes it possible to thicken, or even to gel, a composition comprising an aqueous medium, without having any influence on the cosmetic properties of the compositions.
The aim of the present invention is to propose such a thickening system which also allows adequate thickening to be obtained using a very small amount of thickening polymer.
One subject of the present invention is thus a composition in aqueous medium, comprising the combination of at least one amphiphilic polymer comprising at least one fatty chain and at least one hydrophilic unit, and of at least one protein including at least one hydrophobic group, wherein the protein is not the same as the amphiphilic polymer.
Another subject of the invention is the use, in particular in a composition in aqueous medium, of the combination of at least one protein including at least one hydrophobic group and of at least one amphiphilic polymer which contains at least one fatty chain and at least one hydrophilic unit, as a thickening agent, wherein, of course, the protein is different from the amphiphilic polymer.
Yet another subject of the invention is a process for thickening a composition in aqueous medium, in which at least one protein including at least one hydrophobic group and at least one amphiphilic polymer comprising at least one fatty chain and at least one hydrophilic unit are added to the composition, wherein the protein and the amphiphilic polymer are not the same.
Another subject of the invention is the use of at least one protein including at least one hydrophobic group in order to improve the thickening power of an amphiphilic polymer comprising at least one fatty chain and at least one hydrophilic unit.
It has thus been observed that such a combination makes it possible to obtain, in aqueous medium, a large increase in viscosity which can go as far as total gelation of the medium.
It is thus possible to achieve thickening, or even gelation, using smaller amounts of polymer, while at the same time retaining good cosmetic properties. It should be noted that the polymer alone, in the amounts at which it is used in the presence of protein, would not necessarily allow the medium to be thickened.
The protein/polymer interaction thus makes it very easy to control the degree of viscosity of the medium by simple mixing, in proportions which may be adjusted at will, two fluid solutions, namely an aqueous polymer solution and an aqueous protein solution.
One advantage of the invention lies in the fact that it is possible to obtain suitable thickening of the medium while at the same time providing certain skin care and/or skin treatment properties by appropriately selecting the protein.
Thus, it may be envisaged that the composition according to the present invention will:
provide moisturizing effects, when the protein possesses these effects;
provide a skin-regenerating effect, by supplying amino acids and proteins;
provide a mild bactericidal effect, by using certain proteins such as lysozyme;
provide anti-free-radical effects, by using proteins such as superoxide dismutases.
Furthermore, the polymer network may have a certain protective effect towards the protein, in particular with respect to denaturing agents such as temperature or acidity, this being particularly advantageous when the protein is an enzyme.
Moreover, the cosmetic composition obtained, and in particular one which is a hair composition, can spread easily, can have good handling properties, and can be eliminated well on rinsing.
Without being limited by this explanation, it may be considered that, within the context of the invention, the increase in viscosity of the medium may result from physical crosslinking between the polymer chains and the protein, the crosslinking being reversible and involving associations or interactions of hydrophobic type between, on the one hand, the hydrophobic groups of the polymer and, on the other hand, the hydrophobic sites of the protein.
These hydrophobic-type interactions can then lead to the gelation network.
Depending on the type of protein used, the hydrophobic sites of the protein may be found at the surface of the protein (globular or fibrous proteins, for example) or may be distributed throughout the protein chain (proteins of unordered structure, for example).
The polymers which can be used in the present invention are preferably amphiphilic polymers which contain at least one fatty chain, and thus a hydrophobic part, and at least one hydrophilic unit, and thus a hydrophilic part.
The hydrophobic part may be small in number relative to the rest of the polymer chain, and may be located laterally on the chain and distributed randomly (random copolymers) or distributed in the form of sequences or grafts (block copolymers or sequenced copolymers).
Water-soluble or water-dispersible polymers may be used.
Polymers which “swell” in water may also be used, in particular when the copolymer is partially crosslinked.
The polymers may be of any chemical nature; it is thus possible to select natural polymers, which may be modified; radical polymers, in particular vinyl or acrylic radical polymers; polycondensates; and mixtures thereof.
They can be preferably ionic or nonionic and are more preferably anionic or nonionic.
Among the polymers according to the invention of derived natural type, mention may be made in particular of:
cellulose ethers possessing hydrophobic substituents, which may be alkyl groups having more than 8 carbons.
Hydroxyethylcellulose substituted with hydrophobic groups may be mentioned. Among the commercial products used in the cosmetic field, mention may be made of Natrosol Plus Grade 330 sold by the company Aqualon.
quaternized cationic celluloses modified with groups containing at least one fatty chain, such as alkyl, arylalkyl or alkylaryl groups or mixtures thereof, in which the alkyl groups are preferably C
8
-C
22
;
quaternized alkylhydroxyethylcelluloses (cationic) such as the products Quatrisoft LM 200, Quatrisoft LM-X 529-18-A, Quatrisoft LM-X 529-18-B (C
12
alkyl) and Quatrisoft LM-X 529-8 (C
18
alkyl) sold by the company Amerchol and the products Crodacel QM, Crodacel QL (C
12
alkyl) and Crodacel QS (C
18
alkyl) sold by the company Croda;
gal
Audebert Roland
Dupuis Christine
Mondet Jean
Tribet Christophe
Channavajjala Lakshmi
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner LLP
L'Oreal
Page Thurman K.
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