Patent Picks—Precursor Fragrance, Lasting Repair, Stabilizing Ammonium and More in Hair and Skin

Patent Picks are compiled by Cosmetics & Toiletries editors. Taken from publicly available sources, they cover recent patents issued, or applied for, in the cosmetic and personal care industries and relevant peripheral markets. This edition features inventions related to hair care.

Hair coloring management system
U.S. Patent 8577750
Publication date: Nov. 5, 2013
Assignee: eSalon.com, LLC

Disclosed in this patent is a method to manage consumers' hair coloring preferences based on a login and associated with previously entered user characteristics; for instance, natural hair color, current hair color, hair treatments, the time of the last hair coloration, the current length and style of hair, etc. Based on this method, recommendations can be made for available hair coloring options, and acceptance of users can be tracked. An order is then generated for the hair colorant.

Precursor fragrance compounds for lasting effects in hair, skin
U.S. Patent 8575386
Publication date: Nov. 5, 2013
Assignee: Givaudan S.A.

According to this patent, the provision of fragrance by the addition of inherently fragrant substances to products is well-known and widely used. However, an alternative method of providing fragrance is by the use of a precursor that, under particular circumstances such as exposure to light, pH change and enzymatic activity, will break down to give at least one fragrant substance. It has been discovered that a particular class of substances can act as precursors by providing a source of at least one fragrant aldehyde. The use of these compounds in laundry, household and personal care products confers a long-lasting freshness and they may be incorporated directly into such compositions or added in conjunction with a carrier, such as microcapsules, adsorbed on to suitable particulate matter or spray-dried.

Cooling compounds in hair, skin
U.S. Patent 8575349
Publication date: Nov. 5, 2013
Assignee: International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.

Described by this invention are novel derivatives of 1-alkyl-6-oxo-piperidine-3-carboxylic acids and 1-alkyl-5-oxo-pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acids and their uses as cooling compounds. Specifically named herein are methods of augmenting or imparting cooling effects to foodstuff such as dairy products, ice confections, chewing gums, and beverages; medicinal products such as mouth and throat lozenges and dental and oral hygiene products; cosmetics such as hair care products, shower gels, bath oils, skin care products, lipstick products, perfumes and colognes, among others.

Lasting cosmetic benefits for hair repair
U.S. Patent 8575341
Publication date: Nov. 5, 2013
Assignee: L'Oréal

According to this patent, the industry continuously aims to improve the properties of hair and to combat damage caused to it by pollution, UV, dyes, permanent waves, etc. Such damage results in the loss of sheen, an increased hydrophilic nature, a loss or detachment of some of the scales, and difficulties in detangling. In order to improve the properties of the hair, compositions containing cosmetic active agents are used; however, the persistence and therefore the effectiveness of these active agents are not sufficient since they can be easily removed with shampoo or, alternatively, they do not form a homogeneous deposit. The object of the present invention was therefore to develop long-lasting compositions for cosmetic benefits in hair. These compounds are characterized by the presence of at least one entity capable of giving at least three hydrogen bonds, in particular four hydrogen bonds, and also by their low mass.

Chelator-stabilized cationic ammonium compounds
U.S. Patent 8575202
Publication date: Nov. 5, 2013
Assignee: Conopco, Inc.

Disclosed in this patent are cationic ammonium compounds stabilized with pyridine-based chelators and/or heteroketo-based chelators to impede the generation of nitrogen-containing groups. End uses of these compositions include cleansing, odor control and/or general aesthetics in leave-on skin lotions and creams, shampoos, hair conditioners, shower gels, deodorants, depilatories, lipsticks, sunscreen lotions and more.

Modified stressed yeast extracts to lighten hair, improve skin, etc.
U.S. Patent 8575106
Publication date: Nov. 5, 2013
Assignee: Avon Products Inc.

Described herein are cosmetic compositions comprising a metal-complexed peptide fraction of stressed yeast extracts and/or a calcium influx inhibitor, as well as methods of using such compositions to impart exfoliating, anti-aging, anti-lipid, anti-inflammatory, and/or lightening benefits to the skin; and/or lightening benefits to the hair. These compositions are believed to have modulatory activity against at least one biochemical pathway implicated in skin aging, inflammation, lipid synthesis and melanin production.

Fatty alcohol-forming acyl reductases in shampoos, cleansers
U.S. Patent 8574878
Publication date: Nov. 5, 2013
Inventors: B Behrouzian, L Clark, Y Zhu, M Clay and K Karlshoej

The present technology provides methods for producing fatty alcohol compositions from recombinant host cells. This disclosure further provides variant fatty acyl-CoA reductase (FAR) enzymes, polynucleotides encoding the variant FAR enzymes, and vectors and host cells comprising the same. Detergent compositions that can be generated using these fatty alcohol compositions include hair shampoos and conditioners, carpet shampoos, light-duty household cleaners and detergents and others.

Porous particles in hair care, cosmetics
U.S. Patent 8574600
Publication date: Nov. 5, 2013
Assignee: Kao Corp.

According to this patent, porous particles in cosmetics are not new; however, existing inventions are often of a swelling type and thus change their particle shape upon absorption of oil, and therefore their skin feel is not satisfactory. Further, their production process is not easy, thus increasing the cost. In response, this invention therefore describes optimized porous particles, a process for producing them and cosmetics containing them. These particles have an average particle diameter of 75 μm or less, improving skin feel; are based on polyethylene resin having a crystallization degree of 70% or more; and further comprise an active ingredient. Cosmetics employing these materials may be water-in-oil or oil-in-water based, spray, stick or sheet-shaped and/or gelled cosmetics in applications such as foundations, lipstick, lotion, astringents, cleansing, antiperspirants and more; and hair cosmetics such as shampoos, rinses and more.

More in Literature/Data