Patent Picks—Pawpaw Anti-irritant, Degradation Sensor, Fenugreek Saponins and More
By: Rachel L. Grabenhofer
Posted: July 10, 2012
Chosen biweekly for their relevance to personal care, Patent Picks are taken from publicly available sources. This edition features patents related to preservation; ranging from the preservation of product stability, to antimicrobial technologies and a natural preparation to address preservative-induced irritation.
Electrical sensor for monitoring degradation of products from environmental stressors
US Patent 8217669
Publication date: July 10, 2012
Inventors: KS Watkins, Jr.
Disclosed in this patent is an environmental degradation sensor for environmentally sensitive products such as cosmetics that provides an estimated degraded state and remaining life of the product. The sensor is made of a polymeric matrix and conductive filler. A control agent, selected to adjust a reaction rate of the sensor to environmental conditions, allows the correlation of an electrical property of the sensor to a degraded state of the product. The sensor may be integrated with a passive RFID to provide product identification and degradation status wirelessly via reader. The sensor improves product safety, reduces cost of premature product disposal and, combined with RFIDs, improves the security of products through combined product degradation monitoring and tracking.
Stable, transfer-resistant, self-tanning gel containing a water-soluble or water-dispersible gelling agent
US Patent 8216554
Publication date: July 10, 2012
Assignee: L'Oréal (Paris, FR)
According to this patent, aqueous gels give a feeling of freshness to the skin due to their nongreasy feel. However, those utilized for self-tanning applications, especially those based on polycarbonyl compounds such as dihydroxyacetone (DHA), lack storage stability. For example, the stability of an aqueous self-tanning composition containing DHA typically drops approximately 30% to 40% over a period of eight weeks. There is thus a need for a novel self-tanning composition based on a monocarbonyl or polycarbonyl compound in the form of an aqueous gel that does not present this drawback. The inventor has found that it is possible to achieve this objective by using a gelling agent comprised of at least one water-soluble or water-dispersible, crosslinked or non-crosslinked polymer or copolymer.