Applicator, in particular mascara applicator, pigment compound stick therefor, and cosmetic product

Abstract

The invention relates to a mascara applicator (1) for applying a pigment compound to eyelashes, having a grip (2) and a housing section (3) extending from the grip (2) for accommodating a stock of pigment compound, with the stock of pigment compound embodied in the form of a pigment compound stick (4) that is able to move in relation to the housing section (3) and is composed of a pigment compound that is solid at least in the stored state; the applicator (1) is embodied so that it is possible to bring the eyelashes to which the pigment compound is to be applied intentionally into direct contact with the pigment compound stick (4) so that pigment compound is loaded onto them.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention relates to an applicator, in particular a mascara applicator, a pigment compound stick therefor, and a mascara product having the mascara applicator and / or at least one pigment compound stick.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]DE 10 2008 016 213 A1 has disclosed an applicator device for applying a cosmetic, which is in particular intended to be a mascara.[0003]This mascara is stored in the form of a stick of solid mascara compound and is pushed by a spring out of the applicator handle into the heating device in the applicator head. This heating device melts the tip of the stick completely, which is at first glance perfectly acceptable in and of itself.[0004]The molten material thus obtained is conveyed through fine ducts downstream of the melting zone (the patent application refers to them as “passageways 17”) into the base region of a row of teeth. Since the prestressing spring force of the as yet unmelted mascara stick exerts pressure on the...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0018]The term “solid pigment compound” means at least that the pigment compound stick is inherently dimensionally stable, at least up to a temperature of 30° C. and even better up to a temperature of 37° C., i.e. gravity does not cause it to independently spread by anything more than an insignificant amount, and—at least thanks to the support element associated with and / or attached to it—the stick is an essentially self-supporting stick, which, after removal from its sales / protective / transport packaging can be inserted without additional aid into the applicator and in the latter, can be slid as a unit in the direction toward the application zone. A pigment compound adjusted in this way can, in specific instances, be already in a position to coat eyelashes that are drawn across its surface, without an additional supply of heat.

[0023]In addition, the applicator according to the invention, in the region of its actual application zone, is embodied in an extremely simple fashion and thus has a corresponding degree of operational reliability and most notably, does not have a significant tendency to clog.

[0024]The fact that the eyelashes are coated in direct contact with the pigment compound stick allows for the possibility of embodying the applicator so that—as compared to the above-mentioned prior art—it can be applied to the eyelashes by the user in a wide variety of ways, giving the user a large amount of flexibility during use.

[0028]As a result of the contouring in at least some areas of the pigment compound stick, the pigment compound stick as such produces a combing and / or separating effect. Ideally, the pigment compound stick is constructed in a fashion similar to a disc applicator, i.e. essentially corresponds to one of the known applicators whose brush zone is replaced by a number of complete or suggested disc profiles arranged one after another in the longitudinal direction.

[0036]Preferably, the pigment compound stick is embodied as replaceable so that an applicator with a high-quality feed mechanism and / or a heating device for the pigment compound stick can be implemented without a priori negatively affecting the market success of the product.

[0037]Preferably, the applicator has a built-in shaping device—in the best instance, one that is a component of the housing (3)—by means of which the outer contour of the pigment compound stick can be initially shaped or an existing outer contour can be reshaped. In this way, even with continuous use, the pigment compound stick does not lose its combing and / or separating ability.

Problems solved by technology

This applicator device has the disadvantage that due to uneven heating / warming of the solid mascara compound, the outside of the applicator is only unevenly wetted along its longitudinal span.

This therefore yields a likewise unsatisfactory application result.

In addition, the narrow passageways, whose small diameters clearly contribute to controlling the flow of molten mascara, cause problems, namely by becoming easily clogged.

Furthermore, after the application procedure, the molten mascara is not always wiped completely away from the interstices between the teeth and thus from the outlet openings.

This, too, can lead to a clogging of the individual openings when a reheating occurs and the molten mascara is pressed out again so that here, too, an uneven wetting of the teeth and of the interstices between the teeth may result.

Because mascara compound that has been melted remains in the outer region of the applicator head and is not completely wiped away, there is thus always a residue of mascara compound in the region of the applicator head, which may possibly lead to unwanted soiling of other objects, e.g. in the event that a cap inadvertently slips off.

When unused for long periods, inevitable encrustations can also occur that are difficult to remove.

It is incidentally worth noting the disadvantage that in the event of a failure of the heating device, e.g. due to a dead or defective battery, the above-described applicator is by design no longer usable since it is no longer possible for molten mascara to emerge from its narrow passageways once the molten mass has fallen below a certain temperature.

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