Patent Picks— Emolliency, Antioxidant, Colorstay and Styling Benefits in Hair

Patent Picks are taken from publicly available sources. This edition features patents related to hair care, including cleansing, conditioning and hair color-retaining technologies.

Device and method for styling, improving hair
US Patent 8,356,608
Publication date: Jan. 22, 2013
Assignee: Kikuboshi Corp.

Disclosed in this patent is a hair styling device for use on softened or conditioned hair that comprises: a device main body; an arm body extending from the device main body to which two arms, oppositely positioned, are attached; and an oscillation means. When the arms are brought together to retain the hair, the hair is reciprocally rotated. Uses of the device and method are described for such benefits such as reducing damage to hair, maintaining the elasticity and texture of hair, and keeping the hair style for a long period of time.

Use of alkanolamines for thickening oxidative coloring emulsion
US Patent 8,357,209
Publication date: Jan. 22, 2013
Assignee: KPSS-KAO Professional Salon Services GmbH

The present invention relates to the use of alkanolamines for thickening oxidative coloring compositions, in particular for a ready-to-use oxidative coloring composition based on a mixture of two compositions wherein one comprises at least one oxidative dyeing precursor and the other comprises as least one oxidizing agent. Specifically, the invention claimed is: a hydrogen peroxide based developer composition for oxidative dyeing, permanent waving or bleaching hair comprising 0.001-70% hydrogen peroxide, 0.01-10% citric acid or a salt thereof, and 0.01-10% tocopherol, tocopherol acetate or tocopheryl linoleate present in an amount sufficient to cause 90% or more of the hydrogen peroxide present in the developer composition to be stable for at least 12 months under normal room temperature storage conditions.

Stabilized hydrogen peroxide compositions and methods
US Patent 8,357,356
Publication date: Jan. 22, 2013
Assignee: Aveda Corp.

This patent describes a hydrogen peroxide-containing composition comprising at least one antioxidant and at least one free radical scavenger operable to neutralize reactive oxygen species generated by hydrogen peroxide, and a method for stabilizing hydrogen peroxide-containing compositions.

Silicone polyurethane blends for improved emolliency in hair, skin
US Patent 8,354,478
Publication date: Jan. 15, 2013
Assignee: Alzo International, Inc.

The  present invention describes the unexpected characteristics of blends, including cross-linked reaction products of elastomeric silicone polymers, with various polyurethanes and their applications in personal care products. The constituents are combined in a manner that produces superior characteristics related to the mixture, including enhanced emolliency with greater skin compatibility and wetting. These compositions are particularly useful for hair and skin care products where emolliency, wetting, storage stability and/or film-forming properties are important.

Two-part hair dye
US Patent 8,349,022
Publication date: Jan. 8, 2013
Assignee: Kao Corp.

Described by these inventors is a two-part hair dye composed of a first part containing an alkali agent, a second part containing hydrogen peroxide, and a non-aerosol foamer container for discharging a liquid mixture of the first and second parts in the form of a foam. The liquid mixture comprises: a) a polymer or copolymer containing 70% or more mole fraction of diallyldimethyl quaternary ammonium salt monomer, and b) an N-acylamino acid salt, an N-acyl-N-alkylamino acid salt, or an ether carboxylic acid salt, wherein, an equivalent ratio of the anion site of the component b) to the cation site of the component a) (anion/cation) is more than 1, and a viscosity of the liquid mixture at 25C is 1 to 300 mPas.

After treatment for color fixation
US Patent 8,349,023
Publication date: Jan. 8, 2013
Assignee: Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

Described herein is a cosmetic hair post-treatment agent for improving washing fastness of coloring processes produced on hair and for color-fixing.

Aerosol foam composition
US Patent 8,349,296
Publication date: Jan. 8, 2013
Assignee: KPSS-KAO Professional Salon Services GmbH

The present invention relates to aerosol foam composition for styling and conditioning keratin fibers, especially human hair. The composition is said to improve hair styling with excellent hold, and especially condition hair with excellent shine, combability, volume and body as well as excellent elasticity. The inventors have found that, surprisingly, an aqueous composition based on at least one hair styling polymer selected from: anionic, non-ionic, cationic and/or amphoteric or zwitterionic, which additionally comprises at least one oil or oily compound, at least one fatty acid soap, at least one emulsifier and at least one propellant, shows excellent styling and conditioning benefits and has an appearance like a whipped cream, which has not been known in the cosmetic market prior to the present invention.

Conditioning agent and method to give hair a shape memory
US Patent 8,349,299
Publication date: Jan. 8, 2013
Assignee: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Described by this invention is a method of imparting shape memory to hair, which may include administrating an effective amount of a hair conditioning agent to hair. The hair conditioning agent may include a polymer selected from the group consisting of: a polyurethane, an acrylic acid copolymer, a pyridine-based copolymer and a pyrrolidone copolymer. 

Porous, dissolvable solid substrate and coating for conditioning
US Patent 8,349,341
Publication date: Jan. 8, 2013
Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company (Cincinnati, OH)

The present patent relates to hair care compositions, especially those in the form of a porous, dissolvable solid substrate. This substrate has a surface resident coating comprising a cationic surfactant conditioner active that can provide a conditioning benefit.

Shampoo containing a gel network and a non-guar galactomannan polymer derivative
US Patent 8,349,302
Publication date: Jan. 8, 2013
Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company

The present invention describes compositions comprising: a) from about 5% to 50% of one or more detersive surfactants; b) a dispersed gel network phase comprising: i) at least 0.05% of one or more fatty amphiphiles; ii) at least 0.01% of one or more secondary surfactants; and iii) water; c) at least 0.05% of a galactomannan polymer derivative with a net positive charge and having a mannose to galactose ratio of greater than 2:1 on a monomer to monomer basis, wherein the galactomannan polymer derivative has: i) a molecular weight from about 1,000 to about 10,000,000, and ii) a cationic charge density from about 0.7 meq/g to about 7 meq/g; and d) at least 20% of an aqueous carrier; all by weight of the shampoo composition.

More in Literature/Data