Personal care composition

Abstract

A personal care composition comprising a carboxymethyl cysteine compound and a atractylenolide source is disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a personal care composition comprising a carboxymethylcysteine compound and a source of atractylenolide. It has surprisingly been found that by combining a carboxymethylcysteine compound and a source of atractylenolide, the expression of the αI chain of type III collagen is significantly enhanced. Background Art

[0002] The skin is the main barrier of the human body. It protects the body organs from external stimuli. It undergoes intrinsic aging and extrinsic aging. Skin aging is a complex process and, compared to other organs, the changes in human skin caused by aging have different characteristics. The characteristics of intrinsic or chronological skin aging include dryness, visible fine lines and wrinkles, uneven skin pigmentation, loss of elasticity, and skin sagging. Extrinsic factors, including exposure to sunlight, pollutants, and cigarette smoke, can accelerate the skin aging process, especially on the face.

[0003] It is known that collagen, the main matrix of skin proteins, imparts tensile strength to the skin. It has been shown that collagen decreases significantly with age and UV exposure. Degradation or disruption of the collagen structure reduces the tensile strength of the skin and thus leads to wrinkles and sagging. Collagen breakdown is considered to be the basis for the characteristic changes in the appearance of aging skin.

[0004] One of the most effective ways to provide anti-aging effects is to promote the production of collagen. Upregulation of the expression of collagen synthesis genes generally leads to an increase in collagen production.

[0005] Therefore, the present inventors have recognized the need to develop a solution that enhances the expression of collagen synthesis genes, such as the αI chain of type III collagen (COL3A1). It has surprisingly been found that by combining carboxymethylcysteine and a source of atractylenolide, the expression of COL3A1 is synergistically upregulated. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a personal care composition comprising a carboxymethylcysteine compound and a source of atractylenolide.

[0007] In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a method of providing a skin benefit selected from enhancing collagen production in the skin, improving skin elasticity, reducing the appearance of wrinkles, reducing sagging, and anti-aging, the method comprising the step of topically applying the composition of the present invention to the skin.

[0008] In a third aspect, the present invention relates to the use of the composition of the present invention for providing a skin benefit selected from: enhancing collagen production in the skin, improving skin elasticity, reducing the appearance of wrinkles, reducing sagging, and anti-aging.

[0009] All other aspects of the present invention will become more readily apparent after considering the detailed description and the following examples. Detailed Description

[0010] Except where otherwise indicated in the examples or specifically noted, all numbers expressing amounts of materials or reaction conditions, physical properties of materials, and / or use in this specification are to be optionally understood as being modified by the word "about".

[0011] Unless otherwise specified, all amounts are by weight of the composition.

[0012] It should be noted that when specifying any value range, any particular upper value can be associated with any particular lower value.

[0013] For the avoidance of doubt, the word "comprising" is intended to mean "including" but not necessarily "consisting of" or "composed of". In other words, the listed steps or options need not be exhaustive.

[0014] The disclosure of the present invention as found herein is considered to cover all embodiments found to be mutually multiply dependent in the claims, regardless of the fact that the claims may be found to have no multiple dependency or redundancy.

[0015] In the case of disclosing features with respect to a particular aspect of the present invention (such as a composition of the present invention), with necessary modifications, such disclosure is also considered applicable to any other aspect of the present invention (such as a method of the present invention).

[0016] The carboxymethylcysteine compound refers to a compound selected from carboxymethylcysteine, a salt of carboxymethylcysteine, an ester of carboxymethylcysteine, an amide of carboxymethylcysteine, or a mixture thereof. Preferably, the carboxymethylcysteine compound includes carboxymethylcysteine, an ester of carboxymethylcysteine, and / or a salt of carboxymethylcysteine. More preferably, the carboxymethylcysteine compound includes carboxymethylcysteine and / or a salt of carboxymethylcysteine. Even more preferably, the carboxymethylcysteine compound includes a salt of carboxymethylcysteine. Still even more preferably, the carboxymethylcysteine compound includes lysine carboxymethylcysteine salt, and most preferably, the carboxymethylcysteine compound is lysine carboxymethylcysteine salt.

[0017] Preferably, the carboxymethylcysteine compound is present in an amount of at least 0.00001%, more preferably at least 0.0001%, even more preferably at least 0.001%, still even more preferably at least 0.01%, and most preferably at least 0.1% by weight of the composition. Preferably, the carboxymethylcysteine compound is present in an amount of not more than 10%, more preferably not more than 5%, even more preferably not more than 3%, still even more preferably not more than 1%, and most preferably not more than 0.5% by weight of the composition.

[0018] Preferably, the lysine carboxymethylcysteine salt is present in an amount of not more than 10%, more preferably not more than 5%, even more preferably not more than 3%, still even more preferably not more than 1%, and most preferably not more than 0.5% by weight of the composition. Preferably, the lysine carboxymethylcysteine salt is present in an amount of at least 0.00001%, more preferably at least 0.0001%, even more preferably at least 0.001%, still even more preferably at least 0.01%, and most preferably at least 0.1% by weight of the composition.

[0019] As used herein, the term "atractylenolide source" refers to a substance, blend or mixture containing the active ingredient atractylenolide. In the context of the present invention, the atractylenolide source is preferably atractylenolide itself or a plant extract containing atractylenolide. As used herein, a plant extract refers to an extract derived from a plant or part of a plant such as roots, stems, leaves, fruits, bark and / or flowers. When the plant is a fungus such as a mushroom, the material is preferably derived from the sclerotium. Preferably, the atractylenolide source is an atractylenolide-I source.

[0020] Atractylenolide is a plant active substance found in the rhizomes of plants from the source of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. The term "plant active substance" preferably refers to a compound present in a plant that provides specific benefits such as pain relief, anti-inflammatory benefits, acting as an antioxidant, etc. In practice, plant active substances are extracted from plants or, in some cases, the plant extract itself is used in a composition to provide benefits.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the atractylenolide source is atractylenolide itself. Preferably, the atractylenolide source is atractylenolide-I itself. Preferably, the amount of atractylenolide is preferably from 0.00000001 to 3% by weight of the composition, more preferably from 0.0000001 to 0.1% by weight, even more preferably from 0.000001 to 0.02% by weight, and most preferably from 0.00001 to 0.005% by weight. Preferably, the amount of atractylenolide-I is preferably from 0.00000001 to 3% by weight of the composition, more preferably from 0.0000001 to 0.1% by weight, even more preferably from 0.000001 to 0.02% by weight, and most preferably from 0.00001 to 0.005% by weight.

[0022] In another preferred embodiment, the atractylenolide source is a plant extract containing atractylenolides, preferably atractylenolide-I. Preferably, the atractylenolide source is an aqueous plant extract containing atractylenolides, preferably atractylenolide-I. The term "aqueous extract" means an extract obtained by using water or water mixed with other solvents as the solvent for extraction. However, preferably, the aqueous extract is obtained by using only water as the solvent for extraction. The other solvents may be selected from ethanol, acetone, ethyl acetate, glycerol, butanediol or mixtures thereof. Preferably, the aqueous extract is a solid at 25 °C and atmospheric pressure.

[0023] More preferably, the atractylenolide source is a plant extract of Atractylodes macrocephala, preferably an aqueous plant extract of Atractylodes macrocephala. Even more preferably, the atractylenolide source is a plant extract of the roots of Atractylodes macrocephala. Still even more preferably, the atractylenolide source is a plant extract of a combination of Atractylodes macrocephala, Paeonia lactiflora, Poria cocos and Glycyrrhiza glabra, preferably an aqueous plant extract. For clarity, the plant extract of the combination of Atractylodes macrocephala, Paeonia lactiflora, Poria cocos and Glycyrrhiza glabra can be obtained by co-extracting the combination, and / or extracting Atractylodes macrocephala, Paeonia lactiflora, Poria cocos, Glycyrrhiza glabra or any mixture thereof and combining them.

[0024] Preferably, the amount of the plant extract is preferably 0.00001 to 15% by weight of the composition, more preferably 0.0001 to 9% by weight, even more preferably 0.005 to 4% by weight, and most preferably 0.1 to 2% by weight. Preferably, the amount of the Atractylodes macrocephala plant extract is preferably 0.00001 to 15% by weight of the composition, more preferably 0.0001 to 9% by weight, even more preferably 0.005 to 4% by weight, and most preferably 0.1 to 2% by weight. Preferably, the amount of the Atractylodes macrocephala plant extract is preferably 0.00001 to 15% by weight of the composition, more preferably 0.0001 to 9% by weight, even more preferably 0.005 to 4% by weight, and most preferably 0.1 to 2% by weight. Preferably, the amount of the plant extract of the combination of Atractylodes macrocephala, Paeonia lactiflora, Poria cocos and Glycyrrhiza glabra is preferably 0.00001 to 15% by weight of the composition, more preferably 0.0001 to 9% by weight, even more preferably 0.005 to 4% by weight, and most preferably 0.1 to 2% by weight. For clarity, the weight of the plant extract in the present invention generally refers to the weight of the solid extracted from the plant.

[0025] When using a plant extract containing atractylenolide in the composition, the concentration of the plant extract can be adjusted to the aforementioned range according to the active substance level of atractylenolide in the plant extract.

[0026] Preferably, the weight ratio of the carboxymethylcysteine compound to atractylenolide is from 1:500 to 50:1, more preferably from 1:150 to 20:1, even more preferably from 1:60 to 8:1, still even more preferably from 1:25 to 3:1, and most preferably from 1:8 to 1:1. Preferably, the weight ratio of lysine carboxymethylcysteine salt to atractylenolide is from 1:500 to 50:1, more preferably from 1:150 to 20:1, even more preferably from 1:60 to 8:1, still even more preferably from 1:25 to 3:1, and most preferably from 1:8 to 1:1.

[0027] Preferably, the weight ratio of the carboxymethylcysteine compound to the plant extract of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz is from 1:20000 to 1:1, more preferably from 1:8000 to 1:2, even more preferably from 1:2000 to 1:10. Preferably, the weight ratio of lysine carboxymethylcysteine salt to the plant extract of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz is from 1:20000 to 1:1, more preferably from 1:8000 to 1:2, even more preferably from 1:2000 to 1:10.

[0028] Preferably, the weight ratio of the carboxymethylcysteine compound to the plant extract of the combination of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz, Paeonia lactiflora Pall., Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf, and Glycyrrhiza glabra L. is from 1:50000 to 1:2, more preferably from 1:20000 to 1:10, even more preferably from 1:5000 to 1:50, and most preferably from 1:2000 to 1:100. Preferably, the weight ratio of lysine carboxymethylcysteine salt to the plant extract of the combination of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz, Paeonia lactiflora Pall., Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf, and Glycyrrhiza glabra L. is from 1:50000 to 1:2, more preferably from 1:20000 to 1:10, even more preferably from 1:5000 to 1:50, and most preferably from 1:2000 to 1:100.

[0029] The composition may optionally contain a whitening pigment. Whitening pigments are typically particles of high refractive index materials. For example, the whitening pigment may have a refractive index greater than 1.3, more preferably greater than 1.8 and most preferably from 2.0 to 2.7. Examples of such whitening pigments are those comprising bismuth oxychloride, boron nitride, barium sulfate, mica, silica, titanium dioxide, zirconium oxide, alumina, zinc oxide or combinations thereof. More preferred whitening pigments are particles comprising titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, zirconium oxide, mica, iron oxide or combinations thereof. Even more preferred whitening pigments are particles comprising zinc oxide, zirconium oxide, titanium dioxide or combinations thereof, as these materials have particularly high refractive indices. Even more preferably, the whitening pigment is selected from titanium dioxide, zinc oxide or mixtures thereof, and the most preferred whitening pigment is titanium dioxide. The average diameter of the whitening pigment is typically from 15 nm to 1 micron, more preferably from 35 nm to 800 nm, even more preferably from 50 nm to 500 nm, and even more preferably from 100 nm to 300 nm. The amount of the whitening pigment, by weight of the composition, may be from 0.1 to 15%, preferably from 0.5 to 5%.

[0030] Preferably, the composition comprises a source of glutamic acid selected from glutamine, glutamine esters, glutamic acid, pyroglutamic acid, salts and mixtures thereof. More preferably, the composition comprises pyroglutamic acid and / or a salt of pyroglutamic acid. Even more preferably, the composition contains the sodium salt of pyroglutamic acid. Preferably, the source of glutamic acid is present in an amount of from 0.0001 to 10%, more preferably from 0.001 to 6%, and even more preferably from 0.01 to 3% by weight of the composition.

[0031] Preferably, the composition contains a polyol. The polyol may be selected from glycerol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, sorbitol, hydroxypropyl sorbitol, hexanediol, 1,3 - butanediol, isopentylene glycol, ethoxylated glycerol, propoxylated glycerol or mixtures thereof. The most preferred polyol is glycerol, also known as glycerin. The amount of the polyol, by weight of the composition, may be from 0.1 to 20%, preferably from 0.5 to 15%, and more preferably from 2 to 10%.

[0032] Preferably, the composition comprises an emollient material. Suitable emollient materials include silicones, hydrocarbons, triglycerides, or mixtures thereof. These silicones can be organic, silicone-containing or fluorine-containing, volatile or non-volatile, polar or non-polar. Hydrocarbons can include mineral oil, petrolatum, and polyalpha-olefins. Examples of preferred volatile hydrocarbons include polydecane such as isododecane and isodecane (e.g., Permethyl-99A, which is purchased from Presperse Inc.) and C7-C8 to C12-C15 isoparaffins (e.g., Isopar series, purchased from Exxon Chemicals). Exemplary but non-limiting triglycerides are sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, castor oil, borage oil, olive oil, shea butter, jojoba oil, and mixtures thereof. Monoglycerides and diglycerides can also be useful. Particularly preferred are glyceryl monostearate and glyceryl distearate.

[0033] Preferably, the composition comprises a humectant. Particularly preferred humectants include: petrolatum, aquaporin modulating agents, oat kernel flour, substituted ureas such as hydroxyethyl urea, hyaluronic acid and / or its precursor N-acetylglucosamine, hyaluronic acid and / or its precursor N-acetylglucosamine or mixtures thereof.

[0034] Some compositions may contain a thickening agent. These can be selected from cellulose, natural gums, and acrylic polymers, but are not limited to this type of thickening agent. Among cellulose are sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, and combinations thereof. Suitable gums include xanthan gum, pectin, karaya gum, agar, alginic acid gum, and combinations thereof. Among acrylic thickening agents are homopolymers and copolymers of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, including carbomers, such as Carbopol 1382, Carbopol 982, Ultrez, Aqua SF-1, and Aqua SF-2 available from Lubrizol Corporation. The amount of the thickening agent can be 0.01 to 3% by weight of the active polymer (except for solvent or water) in the composition.

[0035] In addition, the composition of the present invention can further comprise 0.5 to 10% by weight of a chelating agent, such as tetrasodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA), EHDP, or a mixture; opacifiers and pearlescent agents, such as ethylene glycol distearate, titanium dioxide, or Lytron 621 (styrene / acrylate copolymer); all of which can be used to enhance the appearance or performance of the product.

[0036] The composition may contain water in an amount of 10 to 96%, more preferably 25 to 92%, even more preferably 42 to 88%, and most preferably 55 to 82% by weight of the composition.

[0037] Preferably, when measured at a relatively high shear rate of about 20 s -1 at 20 °C, the composition has a viscosity of at least 10 mPa·s, more preferably from 30 to 10,000 mPa·s, even more preferably from 50 to 5,000 mPa·s and most preferably from 100 to 2,000 mPa·s.

[0038] Preferably, the composition is an emulsion, more preferably an oil-in-water emulsion. Preferably, the composition is a fluid liquid at 25 °C and atmospheric pressure.

[0039] Preferably, the personal care composition is a skin care composition. A skin care composition refers to a composition suitable for topical application to human skin, including leave-on and rinse-off products, but preferably leave-on compositions. As used herein, the term "leave-on" in relation to a composition means a composition that is applied or rubbed onto the skin and remains thereon. The term "rinse-off" in relation to the compositions herein means a skin cleanser that is applied or rubbed onto the skin and is substantially rinsed off immediately after application. As used herein, the term "skin" includes the skin on the face, neck, chest, abdomen, back, arms, underarms, hands and legs. Preferably, "skin" means the skin including the face and underarms, and more preferably, skin means the skin on the face excluding the lips and eyelids. The composition is particularly preferably a moisturizer rather than a cosmetic product.

[0040] Preferably, the composition is a topical composition. Preferably, the composition can be in the form of a cream, lotion, ointment, solution, suspension, emulsion, paste, gel, powder, foundation, emulsion foundation, wax foundation or spray. More preferably, the composition can be formulated in the form of a cream, lotion, ointment, emulsion, gel or spray.

[0041] Preferably, the use is non-therapeutic. Preferably, the method is non-therapeutic. The term non-therapeutic generally means for cosmetic purposes rather than for curative or therapeutic purposes.

[0042] Preferably, the composition is capable of upregulating the expression of the αI chain of type III collagen (COL3A1) gene by at least 1.3-fold change, more preferably from 1.3 to 5 and most preferably from 1.4 to 3.5 and most preferably from 1.6 to 2.5-fold change, typically compared to a personal care composition that contains neither a carboxymethylcysteine compound nor a source of atractylenolide.

[0043] The following examples are provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention. These examples are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0044] Examples

[0045] Materials

[0046] Supplier Commodity Name Active Substance Abbreviation Weight Percentage of Active Substance Sinerga HAIR APP Lysine Carboxymethyl Cysteinate LCC >98％

[0047] Example 1

[0048] This example demonstrates a synergistic upregulation of gene expression by combining lysine carboxymethylcysteine salt and a plant extract containing atractylenolide.

[0049] 1. Preparation of the San-bai-tang (SBT) extract

[0050] An aqueous co-extract of Atractylodes macrocephala, Paeonia lactiflora, Poria cocos, and Glycyrrhiza glabra in a weight ratio of 2:2:2:1 was prepared by a conventional water reflux method, where the duration of each reflux cycle was 30 minutes. There were two such cycles. A rotary evaporator maintained at 60 °C was used for vacuum distillation. The aqueous extract was freeze-dried into a powder. The extraction yield was 20:1 by weight. The freeze-dried extract contained 505 ppm of total atractylenolide.

[0051] 2. Gene expression test

[0052] Normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF, Biocell, Xi'an, China, lot number: Fb20081902) were incubated in a medium with or without the active substance for 48 hours. After incubation, total RNA of each NHEK was extracted using RNAex Pro reagent (Accurate Biotechnology, product number: AG21102) according to the manufacturer's protocol.

[0053] The extracted RNA was quantified using a Nanodrop 2000 spectrophotometer (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, US), and reverse transcribed using Evo M-MLV RT Premix for qPCR (AccurateBiotechnology, product number: AG11706) according to the manufacturer's protocol to generate template cDNA. On an ABI Vii 7 real-time PCR system (Applied Biosystems, Thermo fisher scientific, Carlsbad, CA, USA) with RT-PCR reagents ( The Green Premix Pro Taq HS qPCR Kit (Accurate Biotechnology, product number: AG11701) was used for gene amplification of the alpha-I chain of type III collagen (COL3A1) gene. The beta-actin (ACTB) gene was selected as the housekeeping gene, and all data on the relative expression of the target gene were normalized to the ACTB gene. The fold change in expression was calculated relative to the blank control (medium without active substances). All tests were performed at least three times, and Table 1 shows the fold change in COL3A1 gene expression.

[0054] Table 1

[0055] Active Substance * Fold Change in COL3A1 Expression Control - 1.0 A 0.000325 wt% of LCC 1.1 B 0.5 wt% of SBT 1.0 1 0.000325 wt% of LCC + 0.5 wt% of SBT <![CDATA[1.8 a >

[0056] The level of the active substance is the weight percentage based on the amount of the medium

[0057] a: Significantly better than (p < 0.05) any of the single active substances at the same level.

[0058] As shown in Table 1, it was surprisingly found that the fold change when lysine carboxymethyl cysteine salt and SBT were combined was significantly higher than the product of the fold changes of lysine carboxymethyl cysteine salt alone and SBT alone. By combining lysine carboxymethyl cysteine salt with SBT, the expression of the COL3A1 gene was synergistically upregulated.

Claims

1. A personal care composition comprising a carboxymethylcysteine compound and an atractylenolide source.

2. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the carboxymethylcysteine compound comprises carboxymethylcysteine, an ester of carboxymethylcysteine, and / or a salt of carboxymethylcysteine.

3. The composition according to claim 2, wherein the carboxymethylcysteine compound comprises a salt of carboxymethylcysteine, and preferably the carboxymethylcysteine compound comprises lysine carboxymethylcysteine salt.

4. The composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the carboxymethylcysteine compound is present in an amount of at least 0.00001% and not more than 10% by weight of the composition, preferably the carboxymethylcysteine compound is present in an amount of at least 0.01% and not more than 3% by weight of the composition.

5. The composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the atractylenolide source is atractylenolide itself.

6. The composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the amount of atractylenolide is preferably from 0.00000001 to 3% by weight of the composition, more preferably from 0.00001 to 0.005% by weight.

7. The composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the weight ratio of the carboxymethylcysteine compound to the atractylenolide is from 1:500 to 50:1, preferably from 1:25 to 3:

1.

8. The composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the atractylenolide source is a plant extract of Atractylodes macrocephala, preferably a plant extract of a combination of Atractylodes macrocephala, Paeonia lactiflora, Poria cocos, and Glycyrrhiza glabra.

9. The composition according to claim 8, wherein the amount of the plant extract of Atractylodes macrocephala is preferably from 0.00001 to 15% by weight of the composition, more preferably from 0.005 to 4% by weight.

10. The composition according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the weight ratio of the carboxymethylcysteine compound to the plant extract of Atractylodes macrocephala is from 1:20000 to 1:1, more preferably from 1:2000 to 1:

10.

11. The composition according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the weight ratio of the lysine carboxymethylcysteine salt to the plant extract of Atractylodes macrocephala is from 1:20000 to 1:1, more preferably from 1:2000 to 1:

10.

12. The composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the composition is an emulsion, preferably an oil-in-water emulsion.

13. The composition according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the composition comprises water in an amount of 10 to 96% by weight of the composition, preferably 42 to 88% by weight of the composition.

14. A method of providing a skin benefit selected from enhancing collagen production in the skin, improving skin elasticity, reducing the appearance of wrinkles, reducing sagging, and anti-aging, the method comprising the step of topically applying the composition according to one of the preceding claims to the skin.

15. Use of the composition according to one of claims 1 to 13 for providing a skin benefit selected from enhancing collagen production in the skin, improving skin elasticity, reducing the appearance of wrinkles, reducing sagging, and anti-aging.