COMPOSITIONS AND PROCESSES OF KERATIN FIBERS

Abstract

KERATIN FIBER COMPOSITIONS AND PROCESSES This disclosure relates to compositions and processes for treating keratin fibers, such as hair, for example, to reduce color degradation in hair treated with dye that is exposed to external influences. The compositions include (a) at least one amino acid, (b) at least one osmolyte, (c) at least one carboxylic acid, and (d) optionally at least one solvent. The processes include applying the compositions to the keratin fibers.

Description

Title of the invention: COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR PROCESSING KERATIN FIBERS technical field

[0001] This disclosure relates to methods for reducing color degradation of dye-treated keratin fibers. BACKGROUND

[0002] Several external influences can damage hair. Hair fibers are subjected to chemical influences, such as bleaching, dyeing, perming, straightening, smoothing, and excessive washing with shampoo compositions; environmental influences such as exposure to chlorine and ultraviolet (“UV”) light; and mechanical influences from heated devices such as hair dryers, curling irons, and flat irons. Due to these influences, consumers experience color degradation in their color-treated hair. Although the washing process is one of the most significant factors in hair color removal, UV exposure also has a significant effect.Furthermore, the surfactants in shampoo formulations provide a humectant function that introduces moisture into the hair shaft, facilitating the removal of hair dye molecules during the rinsing process. Consumers need solutions that minimize color degradation of their dyed hair caused by such external influences.

[0003] The formulation of environmentally friendly cosmetic products, designed and developed with environmental considerations in mind, is also becoming a major objective in an effort to address global challenges. It is therefore essential to offer more sustainable compositions, preparation processes, and ingredients, along with the use of such sustainable compositions, to address these environmental concerns. In this context, it is important to develop new cosmetic compositions with a lower carbon footprint, particularly by promoting the use of renewable raw materials and / or materials with a high naturalness index and / or materials of natural origin, and more specifically, materials of plant origin, while reducing the use of petrochemical-derived compounds.

[0004] The present inventors have now discovered a synergistic combination of components which is surprisingly effective in reducing color degradation in color-treated hair that has been exposed to chemical influences, environmental and / or mechanical factors. Hair treated with compositions as disclosed shows surprisingly reduced signs of color degradation, especially hair that has been damaged by UV exposure or aggressive chemical treatments such as bleaching, dyeing, perming, straightening, relaxing, etc. SUMMARY

[0005] This disclosure relates to processes for reducing color degradation of keratin fibers, for example, human hair, treated by dyeing, that have been exposed to chemical, environmental, and / or mechanical influences, for example, exposure to UV radiation and / or aggressive chemical compositions and processes. The compositions that may be used in the processes include a synergistic combination of one or more amino acids, one or more osmolytes, and one or more carboxylic acids, and the processes include applying a composition according to the disclosure to the dye-treated keratin fibers.

[0006] In various embodiments, the compositions that can be used in processes according to disclosure include (a) at least one amino acid, (b) at least one osmolyte, (c) at least one carboxylic acid, and (d) at least one solvent. The pH of the compositions is generally less than about 7 or less than about 6, for example, ranging from about 2 to about 5, or from about 3 to about 4.

[0007] In some embodiments, the compositions that can be used in processes according to the disclosure include at least one amino acid selected from basic amino acids, for example, arginine, histidine, lysine, their salts, or combinations thereof. In various embodiments, the total amount of basic amino acids and their salts ranges from about 0.1% to about 15%, preferably from about 1% to about 12%, more preferably from about 2% to about 10%, most preferably from about 3% to about 7%, most preferably from about 4% to about 6% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition. In other embodiments, the compositions include at least one amino acid selected from acidic or neutral amino acids and their salts, for example, serine.In various embodiments, the total amount of acidic and / or neutral amino acids and their salts ranges from approximately 0.01% to approximately 5%, preferably from approximately 0.05% to approximately 4%, more preferably from approximately 0.1% to approximately 3%, and most preferably from approximately 0.25% to approximately 2.5% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition. In still other embodiments, the compositions comprise a mixture of basic, acidic, and / or neutral amino acids; for example, the compositions may include arginine and serine. In various embodiments, the total amount of amino acids and their salts present... in the composition ranges from about 0.1% to about 15%, preferably from about 1% to about 12%, more preferably from about 2% to about 10%, most preferably from about 3% to about 7%, and most preferably from about 4% to about 6% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition.

[0008] In some preferred embodiments, the compositions that can be used in processes according to the disclosure include one or more amino acids selected from glycine, proline, methionine, serine, arginine, lysine, histidine, salts of any of the preceding elements (in particular alkali metal, alkaline earth metal or zinc salts), and combinations of two or more of these.

[0009] In various embodiments, the compositions that can be used in processes according to the disclosure include at least one osmolyte selected from carbohydrate sugars, methylsulfonium compounds, polyamines and / or amino acid derivatives such as betaines, preferably selected from compounds of formula (II). In various embodiments, the total amount of osmolytes ranges from about 0.01% to about 10%, preferably from about 1% to about 5%, more preferably from about 1.25% to about 4%, more preferably still from about 1.5% to about 3%, and most preferably from about 2% to about 2.5% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition.In various embodiments, the composition has a weight ratio between the total amount of amino acids and the total amount of osmolytes which is equal to or greater than about 0.5, for example greater than about 1, preferably between about 1.25 and about 3.5, more preferably between about 1.5 and about 3, more preferably still between about 1.75 and about 2.5, and most preferably between about 1.75 and about 2.25.

[0010] In various embodiments, the compositions that can be used in the processes of this disclosure include at least one carboxylic acid selected from oxalic acid, malonic acid, glutaric acid, succinic acid, adipic acid, glycolic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, maleic acid, lactic acid, their salts, or combinations of two or more of these, and preferably citric acid, lactic acid, their salts, or combinations of two or more of these. In various embodiments, the total amount of carboxylic acids and their salts may range from about 0.5% to about 20%, preferably from about 1% to about 15%, more preferably from about 2% to about 12%, most preferably from about 3% to about 10%, and most preferably from about 4% to about 7% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition.In various embodiments, the composition has a weight ratio between the total quantity of amino acids and their salts and the quantity. total of carboxylic acids and their salts greater than about 0.5, such as greater than about 0.7, preferably from about 0.75 to about 2, and more preferably from about 0.8 to about 1.5.

[0011] The solvent may comprise water and / or at least one non-aqueous solvent and, in some embodiments, comprises water and at least one non-aqueous solvent. Optionally, the compositions comprise water and at least one non-aqueous solvent, and have a total amount of non-aqueous solvents ranging from about 1% to about 20%, preferably from about 5% to about 20%, more preferably from about 5% to about 15%, and most preferably from about 8% to about 12% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition.

[0012] The compositions may optionally also include at least one additional component selected from fatty compounds, surfactants, thickening agents, direct dyes or combinations of two or more of these.

[0013] In some embodiments, the compositions that can be used in the processes according to the disclosure include (a) at least one amino acid and / or one of its salts, (b) at least one betaine, preferably at least one compound of formula (II), for example glycine betaine, in an amount from about 1% to about 5% by weight relative to the total weight of the composition, (c) at least one carboxylic acid and / or one of its salts, (d) at least one solvent, and (e) optionally at least one additional component selected from fatty compounds, surfactants, thickening agents, direct dyes or combinations thereof.For example, in at least some embodiments, the composition includes arginine, and the total amount of amino acids ranges from about 1% to about 10% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition, and the total amount of carboxylic acids ranges from about 0.5% to about 20% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition. The pH of the compositions is generally less than 7, for example, ranging from about 2 to about 5, or from about 3 to about 4. In various embodiments, the total amount of non-aqueous solvents ranges from about 1% to about 20%, preferably from about 2% to about 18%, more preferably from about 3% to about 15%, and most preferably from about 4% to about 12% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition.In some embodiments, the composition has a weight ratio between the total amount of amino acids and their salts, for example arginine, serine, their salts, or combinations thereof, and the total amount of betaines, preferably selected from compounds of formula (II) and their salts, for example glycine betaine, which is greater than or equal to about 0.5, such as greater than about 1, preferably from about 1.25 to about 3.5, more preferably from about 1.5 to about 3, more preferably still from about 1.75 to about 2.5, and most preferably from about 1.75 to . about 2.25. In some embodiments, the composition has a weight ratio between the total quantity of amino acids and their salts and the total quantity of carboxylic acids and their salts which is greater than about 0.5 or greater than about 0.7, preferably from about 0.75 to about 2, and more preferably from about 0.8 to about 1.5.

[0014] In preferred embodiments, the compositions used in the processes of this disclosure comprise (a) at least one amino carboxylic acid or one of its salts, preferably selected from arginine and / or one of its salts, (b) at least one betaine derivative, preferably selected from glycine betaine, (c) at least one carboxylic acid, preferably selected from citric acid, lactic acid, and / or their salts, (d) water.For example, the composition may include (a) about 2% to about 6% arginine and / or one of its salts, (b) about 0.5% to about 3.5% glycine betaine, (c) at least one carboxylic acid, preferably citric acid, lactic acid, and / or their salts, (d) water and at least one non-aqueous solvent, and (e) optionally serine, wherein the total amount of carboxylic acids and their salts ranges from about 2% to about 10%, and all amounts are expressed by weight relative to the total weight of the composition. The pH of the compositions is generally less than 7, for example, ranging from about 2 to about 5, or from about 3 to about 4.In various embodiments, the total amount of non-aqueous solvents ranges from approximately 1% to approximately 20%, preferably from approximately 2% to approximately 18%, more preferably from approximately 3% to approximately 15%, and most preferably from approximately 4% to approximately 12% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition. In some embodiments, the composition has a weight ratio between the total amount of amino acids and their salts and glycine betaine greater than approximately 0.5, such as greater than approximately 1, preferably from approximately 1.25 to approximately 3.5, more preferably from approximately 1.5 to approximately 3, more preferably still from approximately 1.75 to approximately 2.5, and most preferably from approximately 1.75 to approximately 2.25.In some embodiments, the composition has a weight ratio of the total amount of amino acids and their salts to the total amount of carboxylic acids and their salts greater than about 0.5, such as greater than about 0.7, preferably from about 0.75 to about 2, more preferably from about 0.8 to about 1.5. In some embodiments, the compositions include at least one additional component selected from fatty compounds, surfactants, thickening agents, or combinations thereof. If present, the compositions include serine in an amount ranging from about 0.01% to about 2%, preferably from about 0.05% to about 1.5%, more preferably from about 0.05% to about 1%, and more preferably from about 0.05% to about 0.5% by weight, relative to the [unspecified component]. total weight of the composition. When the compositions include serine, the compositions may optionally have a weight ratio between the total amount of amino acids and serine greater than about 2, preferably from about 2 to about 15, more preferably from about 4 to about 14, more preferably from about 6 to about 13, and most preferably from about 8 to about 12. When the compositions include serine, the compositions may optionally have a weight ratio between glycine betaine and serine greater than about 2, preferably from about 2 to about 10, more preferably from about 3 to about 8, more preferably from about 3.5 to about 7, and most preferably from about 4 to about 6.

[0015] The disclosure further relates to processes for treating keratin fibers, preferably hair, comprising applying a composition according to the disclosure to the keratin fibers. The composition may be left on the hair for an optional application time and, optionally, rinsed from the hair. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0016] [Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a photograph showing the washing of dye from color-treated hair exposed to deionized water (strands S1-S3) compared to hair exposed to the color-degradation-preventing composition of the disclosure (strands S4-S6).

[0017] [Fig.2] The [Fig.2] represents bar graphs showing the color change in hair treated with coloring (strands S10-S12) compared to hair treated with coloring that is also treated with the color-degradation-preventing composition of the strands of this disclosure (S13-S15).

[0018] [Fig.3] The [Fig.3] is a graph showing the color change of red-dyed permed hair fibers from untreated strands (strands S100-S102) compared to similar strands treated with the color-degradation-preventing composition of this disclosure (strands S103-S105).

[0019] [Fig.4] [Fig.5] Figures 4 and 5 show the structures of some exemplary osmolytes which may be included in compositions according to disclosure.

[0020] The compounds in [Fig. 5] are as follows: (1) Glycine betaine, (2) Alanine betaine, (3) Beta-Alanine betaine, (4) 4-Aminobutyric acid betaine, (5) 2-Aminoisobutyric acid betaine, (6) Valine betaine, (7) Leucine betaine, (8) Isoleucine betaine, (9) Serine betaine, (10) Threonine betaine, (11) S-Methylcysteine ​​betaine (12) Methionine betaine, (13) Phenylglycine betaine (Phenylglycine betaine), (14) Phenylalanine betaine, (15) Tyrosine betaine, (16) Tryptophan betaine, (17) Aspartic acid betaine, (18) Glutamic acid betaine, (19) Asparagine betaine, (20) Glutamine betaine, (21) Histidine betaine, (22) N-methylhistidine betaine, (23) Arginine betaine, (24) Trimethyllysine, (25) Proline betaine (26) Hydroxyproline betaine, (27) Pipecolic acid betaine, (28) Thioproline betaine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The disclosure relates to hair treatment processes, for example, to reduce color degradation in color-treated hair. As used herein, "color-treated" hair is hair that is bleached and / or dyed with a permanent or semi-permanent dye. Color-treated hair treated according to the disclosure shows surprisingly reduced signs of color degradation, particularly after exposure to external influences such as UV radiation, water, shampoo, and chemical treatments such as perming, straightening, and the like. I. COMPOSITIONS

[0022] The compositions that may be used in processes according to this disclosure include (a) at least one amino acid, (b) at least one osmolyte, (c) at least one carboxylic acid, and (d) at least one solvent. The compositions may optionally include one or more additional components, such as fatty compounds, surfactants, thickening agents, direct dyes, or combinations thereof. Amino acids

[0023] The compositions that can be used in processes according to the disclosure include at least one amino acid. Optionally, in various embodiments, the compositions according to the disclosure may include one, two, or three amino acids. The amino acids that may be chosen include those that are basic, acidic, or neutral at neutral pH. In preferred embodiments, the compositions include at least one basic amino acid.

[0024] As used herein, the term "amino acid" includes aminocarboxylic acids and their salts, as well as aminosulfonic acids and their salts. As used herein, amino acids are understood to be organic compounds containing a carboxylic acid group (-COOH) (amino carboxylic acids) and / or a sulfonic acid group (-S(=O)2-OH) (amino sulfonic acids) and a group amino (-NH2) which can be primary or secondary, or can be intracyclic, as well as a side chain (R group) specific to each amino acid.

[0025] Aminocarboxylic acids that may be chosen include, for example, alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, valine, and combinations of two or more of these. Examples of aminosulfonic acids include aminomethanesulfonic acid, 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid (taurine), aminopropanesulfonic acid, aminobutanesulfonic acid, aminohexanesulfonic acid, aminoisopropylsulfonic acid, aminododecylsulfonic acid, aminobenzenesulfonic acid, aminotoluenesulfonic acid, sulfanilic acid, chlorosulfanilic acid, diaminobenzenesulfonic acid, aminophenolsulfonic acid, aminopropylbenzenesulfonic acid, aminohexylbenzenesulfonic acid, and combinations of two or more of these.

[0026] Amino acid salts are also included in the expression "amino acid," whether or not this is explicitly stated. By way of non-limiting example, salts that may be chosen include organic or mineral salts, for example, alkali metal salts, such as lithium, sodium, or potassium salts; alkaline earth metal salts, such as magnesium or calcium salts; and zinc salts.

[0027] Furthermore, amino acids can be of D, L or DL ​​configuration. In some preferred embodiments, it is advantageous to choose amino acids of L configuration, for example L-proline, L-methionine, L-serine, L-arginine, L-lysine, or combinations of two or more of these.

[0028] In certain embodiments, it is particularly advantageous to choose one or more aminocarboxylic acids. Thus, in various embodiments, the compositions according to the disclosure comprise one or more amino acids of formula (I): COOH (I) H -......C ....... N(H)P R

[0029] in which:

[0030] - p is an integer equal to 1 or 2, and

[0031] - when p = 1, R forms, with the nitrogen atom, a saturated heterocycle comprising 5 to 8 cycle members, preferably 5 cycle members, the latter being able to be substituted by one or more groups chosen from hydroxyl or alkyl (in C1-C4); or

[0032] - when p = 2, R represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group (in Cl-Cl2) saturated, linear or branched, preferably an alkyl group (in C1-C4), optionally interrupted by one or more heteroatoms or groups selected from -S-, -NH- or -C(NH)-, and / or optionally substituted by one or more groups selected from hydroxyl (-OH), amino (-NH2), -SH, -COOH, -CONH2, -NH-C(NH)-NH2, or an imidazole ring.

[0033] In certain embodiments when p = 1, R forms, with the nitrogen atom, a saturated heterocycle comprising 5 ring links, this ring not being substituted.

[0034] In some embodiments, when p = 2, R represents a hydrogen atom or a saturated alkyl group (C1-C4), linear or branched, optionally substituted with one or more groups selected from a hydroxyl (-OH), an amino (-NH2), -CONH2, -NH-C(NH)-NH2, or an imidazole ring. In some embodiments, p is preferably 2.

[0035] In some embodiments, the compositions comprise one or more amino acids selected from arginine, glycine, proline, methionine, serine, lysine, histidine, salts of any of the preceding elements (in particular alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, or zinc salts), or combinations of two or more of these. In at least some embodiments, the amino acid compounds in the composition consist essentially of, or are composed of, amino acids selected from arginine, glycine, proline, methionine, serine, lysine, histidine, salts of any of the preceding elements (in particular alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, or zinc salts), or combinations of two or more of these.

[0036] In some embodiments, the amino acid(s) useful in the compositions may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of glycine and / or its salts. In other embodiments, the amino acid(s) useful in the compositions may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of arginine and / or its salts. In other embodiments, the amino acid(s) useful in the compositions may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of proline and / or its salts. In still other embodiments, the amino acid(s) useful in the compositions may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of methionine and / or its salts. In other embodiments, the acid or amino acid(s) useful in the compositions may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of serine and / or its salts.In yet other embodiments, the acid or amino acid(s) useful in the compositions. may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of arginine and / or its salts. In other embodiments, the amino acid(s) useful in the compositions may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of histidine and / or its salts. In still other embodiments, the amino acid(s) useful in the compositions may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of lysine and / or its salts. In yet other embodiments, the amino acid(s) useful in the compositions may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of basic amino acids and / or their salts.

[0037] In various embodiments, the total amount of amino acids can range from about 0.1% to about 15%, for example, from about 0.1% to about 12%, from about 0.1% to about 10%, from about 0.1% to about 9%, from about 0.1% to about 8%, from about 0.1% to about 7%, from about 0.1% to about 6%, from about 0.1% to about 5.5%, from about 0.1% to about 5%, from about 0.1% to about 4.5%, from about 0.1% to about 4%, from about 0.1% to about 3.5%, from about 0.1% to about 3%, from about 0.1% to about 2.5%, from about 0.1% to about 2%, from about 0.1% to about 1.5%, from about 0.1% to about 1%, from about 0.5% to about 15%, from about 0.5% to about 12%, from about 0.5% to about 10%, from about 0.5% to about 9%, from about 0.5% to about 8%, from about 0.5% to about 7%, from about 0.5% to about 6%, from about 0.5% to about 5.5%, from about 0.5% to about 5%, from about 0.5% to about 4.5%, from about 0.5% to about 4%, from about 0.5% to approximately 3.5%, from approximately 0.5% to approximately 3%, from approximately 0.5% to approximately 2.5%, from approximately 0.5% to approximately 2%, from approximately 0.5% to approximately 1.5%, from approximately 0.5% to approximately 1%, from approximately 1% to approximately 15%, from approximately 1% to approximately 12%, from approximately 1% to approximately 10%, from approximately 1% to approximately 9%, from approximately 1% to approximately 8%, from approximately 1% to approximately 7%, from approximately 1% to approximately 6%, from approximately 1% to approximately 5.5%, from approximately 1% to approximately 5%, from approximately 1% to approximately 4.5%, from approximately 1% to approximately 4%, from approximately 1% to approximately 3.5%, from approximately 1% to approximately 3%, from approximately 1% to approximately 2.5% from about 1% to about 2%, from about 1% to about 1.5%, from about 1.5% to about 15%, from about 1.5% to about 12%, from about 1.5% to about 10%, from about 1.5% to about 9%, from about 1.5% to about 8%, from about 1.5% to about 7%, from about 1.5% to about 6%, from about 1.5% to about 5.5%, from about 1.5% to about 5%, from about 1.5% to about 4.5%, from about 1%5% to approximately 4%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 3.5%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 3%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 2.5%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 2%, from approximately 2% to approximately 15%, from approximately 2% to approximately 12%, from approximately 2% to approximately 10%, from approximately 2% to approximately 9%, from approximately 2% to approximately 8%, from approximately 2% to approximately 7%, from approximately 2% to approximately 6%, from approximately 2% to approximately 5.5%, from approximately 2% to approximately 5%, from approximately 2% to approximately 4.5%, from approximately 2% to approximately 4%, from approximately 2% to approximately 3.5%, from approximately 2% to approximately 3%, from approximately 2% to approximately 2.5%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 15%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 12%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 10%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 9%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 8%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 7%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 6%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 5.5%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 5%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 4.5%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 4%, from approximately 2.5% to about 3.5%, from about 2.5% to about 3%, from about 3% to about 15%, from about 3% to about 12%, from about 3% to about 10%, from about 3% to about 9%, from about 3% to about 8%, from about 3% to about 7%, from about 3% to about 6%, from about 3% to about 5.5%, from about 3% to about 5%, from about 3% to about 4.5%, from about 3% to about 4%, from about 3% to about 3.5%, from about 3%,5% to approximately 15%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 12%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 10%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 9%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 8%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 7%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 6%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 5.5%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 5%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 4.5%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 4%, from approximately 4% to approximately 15%, from approximately 4% to approximately 12%, from approximately 4% to approximately 10%, from approximately 4% to approximately 9%, from approximately 4% to approximately 8%, from approximately 4% to approximately 7%, from approximately 4% to approximately 6%, from approximately 4% to approximately 5.5%, from approximately 4% to approximately 5%, from about 4% to about 4.5%, from about 4.5% to about 15%, from about 4.5% to about 12%, from about 4.5% to about 10%, from about 4.5% to about 9%, from about 4.5% to about 8%, from about 4.5% to about 7%, from about 4.5% to about 6%, from about 4.5% to about 5.5%, or about 4.5% to about 5% by weight,relative to the total weight of the composition. In preferred embodiments, the total amount of amino acids varies from about 2.5% to about 7.5%, from about 3% to about 7%, from about 3.5% to about 6.5%, from about 3.75% to about 6.25%, from about 4% to about 6%, from about 4.25% to about 5.75%, from about 4.5% to about 5.5%, from about 4.75% to about 5.25%, or from about 4.8% to about 5.2% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition. For example, the total amount of amino acids may be approximately 4.5%, approximately 4.6%, approximately 4.7%, approximately 4.8%, approximately 4.9%, approximately 5.0%, approximately 5.1%, approximately 5.2%, approximately 5.3%, approximately 5.4%, or approximately 5.5% by weight relative to the total weight of the composition, including all ranges and subranges using any of the preceding values ​​as upper and lower limits. In some preferred embodiments,The compositions include a total amount of basic amino acids within any of the aforementioned ranges and quantities.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment, the compositions comprise arginine and / or one of its salts. In another preferred embodiment, where more than one amino acid is present, arginine is present in the composition in an amount greater than the combined amounts of the other amino acids present; for example, arginine comprises more than approximately 50%, such as more than approximately 60%, more than approximately 70%, more than approximately 80%, more than approximately 90%, more than approximately 95%, more than approximately 98%, or more than approximately 99% of all the amino acids present in the composition. In yet another preferred embodiment, arginine is the only basic amino acid in the composition.

[0039] In various preferred embodiments, the composition comprises arginine in an amount ranging from about 1% to about 10%, for example, from about 2.5% to about 7.5%, preferably from about 3% to about 7%, more preferably from about 3.5% to about 6.5%, more preferably from about 3.75% to about 6.25%, more preferably from about 4% to about 6%, more preferably from about 4.25% to about 5.75%, more preferably still from about 4.5% to about 5.5%, even more preferably from about 4.75% to about 5.25%, and most preferably from about 4.8% to about 5.2%, or may be present in an amount of about 4.5%, about 4.6%, about 4.7%, about 4.8%, about 4.9%, about 5.0%, about 5.1%, approximately 5.2%, approximately 5.3%, approximately 5.4%, or approximately 5.5% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition,including all ranges and subranges using any of the previous values ​​as upper and lower limits.

[0040] In another preferred embodiment, the compositions according to the disclosure include serine and / or one of its salts. If present, the amount of serine can range from approximately 0.01% to approximately 2%, such as approximately 0.01% to approximately 1.5%, approximately 0.01% to approximately 1%, approximately 0.01% to approximately 0.5%, approximately 0.01% to approximately 0.4%, approximately 0.01% to approximately 0.3%, approximately 0.01% to approximately 0.2%, approximately 0.01% to approximately 0.1%, approximately 0.05% to approximately 2%, approximately 0.05% to approximately 1.5%, approximately 0.05% to approximately 1%, approximately 0.05% to approximately 0.5%, approximately 0.05% to approximately 0.4%, approximately 0.05% to approximately 0.3%, and approximately 0.05% to approximately 0.2%. from about 0.05% to about 0.1%, from about 0.1% to about 2%, from about 0.1% to about 1.5%, from about 0.1% to about 1% or from about 0.1% to about 0.5% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition.For example, in some preferred embodiments, compositions may include serine in an amount ranging from about 0.05% to about 1.5%, preferably from about 0.1% to about 1%, more preferably from about 0.25% to about 0.75%, and most preferably from about 0.4% to about 0.6%, such as about 0.1%, about 0.25%, about 0.5%, about 0.75%, or about 1% by weight, relative to . to the total weight of the composition, including all ranges and sub-ranges using any of the preceding values ​​as upper and lower limits.

[0041] In some embodiments, it may be advantageous to select at least one basic amino acid and at least one additional amino acid selected from among the acidic and / or neutral amino acids. For example, in preferred embodiments, it may be advantageous to include at least one basic amino acid and serine in the compositions according to the disclosure, and to select total amounts of basic amino acids and serine such that the composition has a weight ratio between the total amount of basic amino acids and the total amount of serine that is greater than about 2, such as greater than about 3, greater than about 4, greater than about 5, or greater than about 6.For example, the composition may have a weight ratio of the total amount of basic amino acids to the total amount of serine ranging from about 2 to about 15, such as about 4 to about 14, about 6 to about 13, about 8 to about 12, or about 9 to about 11. In other examples, the weight ratio of the total amount of basic amino acids to serine may be about 8, about 9, about 10, about 11, or about 12. In some preferred embodiments, the composition includes serine and has a weight ratio of the total amount of basic amino acids to serine ranging from about 2 to about 15, preferably from about 8 to about 12, more preferably from about 9 to about 11, or is about 8, about 9, about 10, about 11, or approximately 12, including all ranges and subranges using any of the preceding values ​​as upper and lower bounds.

[0042] In still other preferred embodiments, the compositions comprise serine and arginine, and have a weight ratio of arginine to serine ranging from about 2 to about 15, preferably from about 8 to about 12, more preferably from about 9 to about 11, or is about 8, about 9, about 10, about 11, or about 12, 12, including all ranges and subranges using any of the preceding values ​​as upper and lower limits. Osmolytes

[0043] Osmolytes are molecules, typically of lower molecular weight, used by cells to maintain cell volume, regulate osmotic pressure, and maintain cellular homeostasis, for example, in response to environmental stressors. Organic osmolytes include aminocarboxylic acids, aminosulfonic acids, their salts and derivatives, carbohydrates such as sugars and sugar alcohols (polyols), polyamines, betaines, methylsulfonium compounds (e.g., dimethyl sulfonopropionate), and urea. For the purposes of this disclosure, "osmolytes" include amino carboxylic acid derivatives, amino sulfonic acid derivatives and salts of derivatives (collectively referred to herein as "amino acid derivatives"), but do not include amino carboxylic acids, amino sulfonic acids, or their salts which are described above, and do not include polyols.

[0044] Compositions that can be used in processes according to disclosure include one or more osmolytes, preferably one or more organic osmolytes. In some embodiments, the compositions include more than one osmolyte. Without wishing to make a theory of it, it is believed that the use of osmolytes according to disclosure allows treated hair to maintain a moisture balance, thereby reducing potential damage to the hair, or to restore a moisture balance to already damaged hair, allowing the treated hair to recover reduced strength and / or elasticity associated with healthy hair.

[0045] In preferred embodiments, the useful osmolytes are chosen from carbohydrate sugars, polyamines, amino acid derivatives such as betaines, and more preferably are chosen from compounds of formula (II) or their salts:

[0046] (Rl)(R2)(R3)m-A+-CR4R5-(X)nY (II)

[0047] in which:

[0048] - RI, R2 and R3 are chosen independently from among the alkyl groups in C1-C4, of preferentially alkyl groups in C1-C2, more preferentially methyl;

[0049] - A is N or S;

[0050] - m and n are independently equal to 0 or 1;

[0051] - X is a divalent alkyl group (= an alkylene group), linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 4 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more groups selected from hydroxyl (-OH) or amino (-NH2); and

[0052] - Y is -COO- or -OSO3- ;

[0053] provided that:

[0054] - when A is S, then m = 0 and R4 and R5 are chosen independently from a hydrogen atom or a saturated, unsaturated, linear, branched and / or cyclic (C1-C10) hydrocarbon chain (including aromatic and polycyclic chains), preferably (C1-C6), more preferably (C1-C4); optionally interrupted by one or more heteroatoms or groups selected from -S-, -N=, -NH- or -C(NH)- and / or optionally substituted by one or more groups selected from hydroxyl (-OH), amino (-NH2), -SH, -COOH, or -CONH2;

[0055] - when A is N and m = 0, R4 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl (in C1-C8) saturated, linear or branched, preferably an alkyl group (at C1-C4); and R5 forms, with the nitrogen atom, a saturated heterocycle comprising 5 to 8 ring members, preferably 5 to 6 ring members, this ring being able to be substituted by one or more groups selected from hydroxyl or alkyl (in C1-C4); and

[0056] - when A is N and m = 1, then R4 and R5 are chosen independently from a hydrogen atom or a saturated, unsaturated, linear, branched and / or cyclic hydrocarbon chain (including aromatic and polycyclic chains) (in C1-C10), preferably (in C1-C6), more preferably (in C1-C4); optionally interrupted by one or more heteroatoms or groups selected from -S-, -N=, -NH- or -C(NH)- and / or optionally substituted by one or more groups selected from hydroxyl (-OH), amino (-NH2), -SH, -COOH, or -CONH2.

[0057] Useful, but not limited to, polyamine compounds may include primary and / or secondary and / or tertiary and / or quaternary amine functional groups. By way of example, polyamines that may be selected include diamines, triamines, tetramines, pentamines, and polymeric polyamines or polyimines, such as, for example, hexamethylenediamine, diethylenetetramine, diethylenetriamine, polyethyleneimine (PEI), polyvinylamine, polyetheramine, polylysine, ethylenediamine, 1,3-diaminopropane, cadaverine, spermidine, spermine, putrescine, tetraethylmethylenediamine, triethylenetetramine, or combinations of two or more of these. In some embodiments, the useful polyamines are selected from putrescine, spermidine, and / or spermine.

[0058] Useful, but not limiting, examples of betaines include glycine betaine, valine betaine, alanine betaine, proline betaine, hydroxyproline betaine, etc. Salts of betaines may also be used and are expressly included in the term "betaine" unless otherwise expressly stated. In particularly preferred embodiments, the betaines are selected from those corresponding to formula (II). Examples of useful compounds of formula (II) include the compounds shown in Figures 4 and 5. As shown in [Fig. 4], in some embodiments, the compounds of formula (II) are in zwitterionic form, and as shown in [Fig. 5], in some embodiments, the compounds of formula (II) have a corresponding counterion, X.The counterion is not limited and can be any suitable counterion, for example a chloride ion, a bromide ion, an iodide ion, a sulfate anion, a sulfonate anion, a methyl sulfate anion, a phosphate anion, a nitrate anion, etc. Thus, as used here, a "compound of formula (II)" expressly includes both the ionic form of the compound and the salt forms, whether or not they are mentioned.

[0059] As shown in [Fig. 4], examples of useful compounds of formula (II) include betaine and betaine derivatives (referred to herein as "betaines"), for example valine betaine, glutamic acid betaine, glutamine betaine, trimethyllysine, Glycine betaine (trimethylglycine), histidine betaine, N-methylhistidine betaine, alanine betaine, beta-alanine betaine, choline sulfate, pipecolic acid betaine, proline betaine, hydroxyproline betaine, tyrosine betaine, phenylalanine betaine, tryptophan betaine, leucine betaine, isoleucine betaine, and / or dimethyl sulfoniopropionate. In a preferred embodiment, the osmolyte is glycine betaine (trimethylglycine), alone or in combination with one or more additional osmolytes, for example, one or more additional compounds of formula (II).

[0060] In some preferred embodiments, the compositions that can be used in processes according to the disclosure include at least one compound of formula (II). In additional preferred embodiments, the compositions according to the disclosure include one or more compounds of formula (II), i.e., a zwitterionic amino acid derivative bearing a quaternary ammonium group and comprising a total of 1 to 12 carbon atoms, such as 2 to 10 carbon atoms, or 3 to 8 carbon atoms.

[0061] In some preferred embodiments, the compositions that can be used in processes according to the disclosure include at least one compound of formula (II) in which RI = R2 = methyl; A is N; and / or Y is COO-. In some other preferred embodiments, the compositions according to the disclosure include at least one compound of formula (II) in which R3 is a methyl. In other preferred embodiments, the compositions according to the disclosure include at least one compound of formula (II) in which X is a divalent alkyl group, linear or branched, preferably saturated, having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by a group selected from hydroxyl or amino.In still other preferred embodiments, the compositions according to the disclosure include at least one compound of formula (II) in which X is a divalent alkyl group, linear or branched, preferably saturated, having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, more preferably from 1 to 2 carbon atoms (unsubstituted), such as a methylene or an ethylene.In other preferred embodiments, the compositions according to the disclosure comprise at least one compound of formula (II) in which R4 and R5, which may be identical or different, are selected from a hydrogen atom, a saturated alkyl group (in Cl-CIO), linear or branched, preferably an alkyl (in C1-C6), more preferably an alkyl (in C1-C4); a phenyl group; a benzyl group; an alkyl group substituted by a cyclic group (saturated or unsaturated, mono- or bicyclic); a cyclic group (saturated or unsaturated, mono- or bicyclic) substituted by an alkyl group; all such groups being optionally interrupted by one or more selected heteroatoms or groups. among -S-, -N=, -NH- or -C(NH)- and / or optionally substituted by one or more groups selected from hydroxyl (-OH), amino (-NH2), -SH, -COOH, -CONH2; more preferably where R4 is hydrogen and / or where R5 is a hydrogen atom or a saturated alkyl (C1-C6), linear or branched, more preferably an alkyl (Cl-C4); optionally substituted by a group selected from hydroxyl (-OH), amino (-NH2), -COOH, or -C0NH2. In some preferred embodiments, when A is N and m = 0, R5 forms, together with the nitrogen atom, a saturated heterocycle comprising 5 to 8 ring members, preferably 5 to 6 ring members, optionally substituted by a hydroxyl group.In other preferred embodiments, RI = R2 = methyl, A is N, Y is COO-, and X (if any) is a divalent alkyl group which may be linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, more preferably from 1 to 2 carbon atoms.

[0062] In a preferred embodiment, the composition that can be used in the processes according to the disclosure comprises at least one compound of formula (II) in which RI = R2 = R3 = methyl; A is N; Y is COO-; X is a divalent alkyl group, linear or branched, preferably saturated, having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by a group selected from hydroxyl or amino, more preferably 1 to 2 carbon atoms (unsubstituted), such as methylene or ethylene; R4 is hydrogen; and R5 forms, together with the nitrogen atom, a saturated heterocycle comprising from 5 to 8 ring links, preferably 5 to 6 ring links, optionally substituted by a hydroxy group.

[0063] In preferred embodiments, the osmolyte in the composition comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of one or more of the compounds shown in [Fig. 4]. In more preferred embodiments, the compositions that can be used in processes according to the disclosure comprise trimethylglycine (interchangeably called glycine betaine), optionally in combination with at least one additional osmolyte, and in particularly preferred embodiments, the osmolyte in the composition comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of glycine betaine optionally with at least one additional compound of formula (II).

[0064] Useful, but not limiting, examples of carbohydrate sugars that may be used include C3-C6 monosaccharides, for example, pentoses and / or their derivatives, or hexoses and / or their derivatives. For example, sugars may optionally be chosen from xylose, arabinose, ribose, 2-deoxyribose, ribulose, deoxyribulose, arabinose, xylulose, allose, altrose, glucose (including dextrose), glucosamine, mannose, gulose, idose, galactose, talose, sorbose, psicose, fructose, tagatose, or combinations of two or more of In at least some embodiments, the sugars are selected from disaccharides, for example sucrose, maltose, lactose, cellobiose, trehalose, dextran, or from polysaccharides, for example maltotriose, starch, dextrins, cellulose, glycogen, or combinations of two or more of these. In some embodiments, the sugars are preferably selected from trehalose, glucose, sucrose, fructose, fructans, or combinations of two or more of these.

[0065] In various embodiments, the total amount of osmolytes present in the composition can range from about 0.01% to about 15%, such as, for example, from about 0.1% to about 10%, from about 0.1% to about 9%, from about 0.1% to about 8%, from about 0.1% to about 7%, from about 0.1% to about 6%, from about 0.1% to about 5%, from about 0.1% to about 4%, from about 0.1% to about 3%, from about 0.1% to about 2%, from about 0.1% to about 1%, from about 0.5% to about 10%, from about 0.5% to about 9%, from about 0.5% to about 8%, from about 0.5% to about 7%, from about 0.5% to about 6%, from approximately 0.5% to approximately 5%, from approximately 0.5% to approximately 4%, from approximately 0.5% to approximately 3%, from approximately 0.5% to approximately 2%, from approximately 0.5% to approximately 1%, from approximately 1% to approximately 10%, from approximately 1% to approximately 9%, from approximately 1% to approximately 8%, from approximately 1% to approximately 7%, from approximately 1% to approximately 6%, from approximately 1% to approximately 5%, from approximately 1% to approximately 4%from about 1% to about 3%, from about 1% to about 2%, from about 1.5% to about 10%, from about 1.5% to about 9%, from about 1.5% to about 8%, from about 1.5% to about 7%, from about 1.5% to about 6%, from about 1.5% to about 5%, from about 1.5% to about 4%, from about 1.5% to about 3%, from about 1.5% to about 2%, from about 2% to about 10%, from about 2% to about 9%, from about 2% to about 8%, from about 2% to about 7%, from about 2% to about 6%, from about 2% to about 5%, from about 2% to about 4%, from about 2% to about 3%, from about 2.25% to about 10% from about 2.25% to about 9%, from about 2.25% to about 8%, from about 2.25% to about 7%, from about 2.25% to about 6%, from about 2.25% to about 5%, from about 2.25% to about 4%, from about 2.25% to about 3%, from about 2.5% to about 10%, from about 2.5% to about 9%, from about 2.5% to about 8%, from about 2.5% to about 7%, from about 2.5% to about 6%, from about 2%5% to approximately 5%, approximately 2.5% to approximately 4%, approximately 2.5% to approximately 3% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition. For example, the total amount of osmolytes present in the composition may be approximately 2.0%, approximately 2.1%, approximately 2.2%, approximately 2.3%, approximately 2.4%, approximately 2.5%, approximately 2.6%, approximately 2.7%, approximately 2.8%, approximately 2.9%, or approximately 3.0% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition, including all the ranges and subranges using any of the previous values ​​as upper and lower bounds.

[0066] In preferred embodiments, the compositions that may be used comprise at least one betaine, and the total amount of betaines ranges from about 0.5% to about 5%, for example, from about 1% to about 5%, preferably from about 1.25% to about 4%, more preferably from about 1.5% to about 3.5%, more preferably from about 2% to about 3% or from about 2% to about 2.5%, more preferably still from about 2.25% to about 2.75%, and most preferably from about 2.3% to about 2.6%, or may be about 2.0%, about 2.1%, about 2.2%, about 2.3%, about 2.4%, about 2.5%, about 2.6%, about 2.7%, about 2.8%, about 2.9%, or about 3.0% by weight, relative to the weight total of the composition, including all ranges and subranges using any of the previous values ​​as upper and lower bounds.

[0067] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the composition comprises glycine betaine in an amount ranging from about 0.5% to about 5%, for example from about 1% to about 5%, preferably from about 1.25% to about 4%, more preferably from about 1.5% to about 3.5%, more preferably from about 2% to about 3% or from about 2% to about 2.5%, more preferably still from about 2.25% to about 2.75%, and preferably from about 2.3% to about 2.6%, or the glycine betaine may be present in an amount of about 2.0%, about 2.1%, about 2.2%, about 2.3%, about 2.4%, about 2.5%, about 2.6%, about 2.7%, about 2.8%, of about 2.9%, or about 3.0% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition, including all ranges and subranges using any of the preceding values ​​as upper and lower limits.

[0068] In some embodiments, it may be advantageous to choose the quantities of amino acids and osmolytes so as to obtain a weight ratio between the total quantity of amino acid(s) and their salts in the composition and the total quantity of osmolytes in the composition greater than about 0.1, for example, greater than about 0.2, greater than about 0.5, greater than about 1, greater than about 1.25, greater than about 1.5, greater than about 1.75, or greater than about 2. In various embodiments, the weight ratio between the total quantity of amino acid(s) and their salts and the total quantity of osmolytes may range from about 0.1 to about 10, for example, from about 0.2 to about 8, from about 0.5 to about 6, from about 1 to about 5, from about 1.2 to about 4, or from about 1.5 to about 3.5.In other embodiments, the weight ratio between the total amount of amino acid(s) and their salts and the total amount of osmolytes can range from more than 1 to about 4, for example. from about 1.25 to about 3.5, from about 1.5 to about 3, from about 1.75 to about 2.5, from about 1.75 to about 2.25, or from about 1.8 to about 2.2. For example, the weight ratio between the total amount of amino acid(s) in the composition and the total amount of osmolytes in the composition may be about 1.1, about 1.2, about 1.3, about 1.4, about 1.5, about 1.6, about 1.7, about 1.8, about 1.9, about 2, about 2.1, about 2.2, about 2.3, about 2.4, or about 2.5, including all ranges and subranges using any of the preceding values ​​as upper and lower bounds.

[0069] In some embodiments, the compositions comprise a total amount of amino acids selected from compounds of formula (I) and a total amount of osmolytes selected from compounds of formula (II) such that a weight ratio of compounds of formula (I):components of formula (II) is greater than about 0.5, greater than about 0.75, or greater than about 1, for example, greater than about 1.25, greater than about 1.5, greater than about 1.75, or greater than about 2. In some embodiments, the weight ratio between compounds of formula (I) and compounds of formula (II) in the composition may range from about 0.5 to about 6, for example, from about 1 to about 4, from about 1.25 to about 3.5, from about 1.5 to about 3, from about 1.75 to about 2.5, from about 1.75 to about 2.25, or from about 1.8 to about 2.2.For example, the weight ratio of compounds of formula (I):compounds of formula (II) in the composition may be about 0.5, about 0.6, about 0.7, about 0.8, about 0.9, about 1, about 1.1, about 1.2, about 1.3, about 1.4, about 1.5, about 1.6, about 1.7, about 1.8, about 1.9, about 2, about 2.1, about 2.2, about 2.3, about 2.4, or about 2.5, including all ranges and subranges using any of the preceding values ​​as upper and lower bounds.

[0070] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the composition comprises arginine and glycine betaine and has a weight ratio of arginine to glycine betaine greater than 1, for example greater than about 1.25, greater than about 1.5, greater than about 1.75, or greater than about 2, for example ranging from more than 1 to about 4, preferably from about 1.5 to about 3, more preferably from about 1.75 to about 2.5, and most preferably from about 1.75 to about 2.25.In another particularly preferred embodiment, the composition comprises arginine, serine and glycine betaine and has a weight ratio of the total amount of [arginine + serine] to glycine betaine greater than 1, for example greater than about 1.25, greater than about 1.5, greater than about 1.75, or greater than about 2, for example from more than 1 to about 4, preferably from about 1.5 to about 3, more preferably from about 1.75 to about 2.5, and most preferably from about 1.75 to about 2.25. Carboxylic acids

[0071] The compositions that can be used in processes according to the disclosure include at least one carboxylic acid. Optionally, the compositions may include at least two carboxylic acids, at least three carboxylic acids, etc. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the useful carboxylic acids include organic compounds that include, for example, one (mono-), two (di-), three (tri-) or more acid functional groups and at least one carbon atom.

[0072] The carboxylic acids that may be used may optionally have a molecular weight less than approximately 500 g / mol, less than approximately 400 g / mol, less than approximately 300 g / mol, or less than approximately 200 g / mol. In preferred embodiments, the carboxylic acids have a molecular weight less than approximately 300 g / mol, or less than approximately 200 g / mol.

[0073] Salts of carboxylic acids may also be used and are expressly included in the term "carboxylic acid" unless otherwise specified. Salts include organic or mineral-based salts, for example, alkali metal salts, such as lithium, sodium, or potassium salts; alkaline earth metal salts, such as magnesium or calcium salts; and zinc salts. Alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salts are preferred in some embodiments, and in particular sodium salts.

[0074] In preferred embodiments, the carboxylic acids comprise from 2 to 20 carbon atoms, such as from 2 to 18 carbon atoms, from 3 to 16 carbon atoms, or from 3 to 14 carbon atoms. In some preferred embodiments, the compositions comprise one or more hydroxylated (poly)carboxylic acids comprising from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, such as from 2 to 8 carbon atoms, or from 3 to 6 carbon atoms, and may be saturated or unsaturated, and linear or branched, and / or one of their salts. These (poly)acids are different from the amino acid-type compounds described above. The useful (poly)acids comprise at least one -COOH group (in acidic or salt form); They can thus include a single -COOH group (monoacid) or can include more than one, for example two -COOH groups (in acid or salified form), or two or three -COOH groups (in acid or salified form) (polyacids).The useful (poly)acids also include at least one -OH group, such as one to three or two to three -OH groups, for example, one, two, or three -OH groups. Preferably, the (poly)acids comprise a total of 2 to 8 or 3 to 6 carbon atoms, and two to three -OH groups, and their hydrocarbon chain is saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, and preferably saturated and linear. In some preferred embodiments, the hydroxylated (poly)carboxylic acids and / or their salts comprise a total of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, one to three -OH groups, and two to three -COOH groups (in acid or salt form). Unless otherwise indicated, as used herein, the term "(poly)acid" includes both monoacids and polyacids.

[0075] Non-limiting examples of monocarboxylic acids that may be chosen include formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, caproic acid, enanthic acid, caprylic acid, lactic acid, their salts, or combinations of two or more of these. In some embodiments, the carboxylic acid may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of lactic acid and / or one of its salts.

[0076] Non-limiting examples of dicarboxylic acids that may be selected include oxalic acid, malonic acid, malic acid, glutaric acid, citraconic acid, succinic acid, adipic acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, their salts, or combinations of two or more of these. In some embodiments, the compositions may include oxalic acid, malonic acid, malic acid, maleic acid, salts thereof, or combinations of two or more of these.

[0077] Non-limiting examples of tricarboxylic acids include citric acid, isocitric acid, aconitic acid, propane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid, their salts, or combinations of two or more of these. In some embodiments, the carboxylic acid may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of citric acid and / or one of its salts.

[0078] In some embodiments, the carboxylic acid(s) may be selected from oxalic acid, malonic acid, glutaric acid, succinic acid, adipic acid, glycolic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, maleic acid, lactic acid, their salts, or combinations of two or more of these. In particularly preferred embodiments, the carboxylic acids are selected from α-hydroxy acids and their salts, and in particular from lactic acid, glycolic acid, tartaric acid or citric acid, and their salts, in particular alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salts.In certain embodiments, it may be particularly advantageous to choose citric acid, lactic acid and / or tartaric acid and / or their salts, in particular alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salts, such as sodium citrate and / or sodium tartrate; and preferably citric acid and / or its salts, in particular alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salts, such as sodium citrate.

[0079] The total amount of carboxylic acid(s) can vary from approximately 0.5% to approximately 20% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition. For example, in some embodiments, the total amount of carboxylic acids ranges from approximately 1% to approximately 15%, in particular from approximately 1% to approximately 12%, and from approximately 1% to approximately 10%, from approximately 1% to approximately 9%, from approximately 1% to approximately 8%, from approximately 1% to approximately 7%, from approximately 1% to approximately 6%, from approximately 1% to approximately 5.5%, from approximately 1% to approximately 5%, from approximately 1% to approximately 4.5%, from approximately 1% to approximately 4%, from approximately 1% to approximately 3.5%, from approximately 1% to approximately 3%, from approximately 1% to approximately 2.5%, from approximately 1% to approximately 2%, from approximately 1% to approximately 1.5%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 15%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 12%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 10%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 9%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 8%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 7%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 6%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 5.5%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 5%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 4.5%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 4%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 3.5%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 3%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 2.5%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 2%, from approximately 2% to approximately 15%, from approximately 2% to approximately 12%, from approximately 2% to approximately 10%, from approximately 2% to approximately 9%from approximately 2% to approximately 8%, from approximately 2% to approximately 7%, from approximately 2% to approximately 6%, from approximately 2% to approximately 5.5%, from approximately 2% to approximately 5%, from approximately 2% to approximately 4.5%, from approximately 2% to approximately 4%, from approximately 2% to approximately 3.5%, from approximately 2% to approximately 3%, from approximately 2% to approximately 2.5%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 15%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 12%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 10%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 9%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 8%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 7%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 6%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 5.5%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 5%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 4.5%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 4%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 3.5%, from approximately 2.5% to approximately 3%, from approximately 3% to approximately 15%, from approximately 3% to approximately 12%, from approximately 3% to approximately 10%, from approximately 3% to approximately 9%, from approximately 3% to approximately 8%, from approximately 3% to approximately 7%, from approximately 3% to approximately 6%, from approximately 3% to approximately 5.5%, from approximately 3% to approximately 5%from approximately 3% to approximately 4.5%, from approximately 3% to approximately 4%, from approximately 3% to approximately 3.5%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 15%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 12%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 10%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 9%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 8%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 7%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 6%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 5.5%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 5%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 4.5%, from approximately 3.5% to approximately 4%, from approximately 4% to approximately 15%, from approximately 4% to approximately 12%, from approximately 4% to approximately 10%, from approximately 4% to approximately 9%, from approximately 4% to approximately 8% from approximately 4% to approximately 7%, from approximately 4% to approximately 6%, from approximately 4% to approximately 5.5%, from approximately 4% to approximately 5%, from approximately 4% to approximately 4.5%, from approximately 4.5% to approximately 15%, from approximately 4.5% to approximately 12%, from approximately 4.5% to approximately 10%, from approximately 4.5% to approximately 9%, from approximately 4.5% to approximately 8%, from approximately 4.5% to approximately 7%, from approximately 4.5% to approximately 6%, from approximately 4.5% to approximately 5.5%from approximately 4.5% to approximately 5%, from approximately 5% to approximately 15%, from approximately 5% to approximately 12%, from approximately 5% to approximately , 10%, from approximately 5% to approximately 9%, from approximately 5% to approximately 8%, from approximately 5% to approximately 7%, from approximately 5% to approximately 6.5%, from approximately 5% to approximately 6%, from approximately 5% to approximately 5.5%, from approximately 5.5% to approximately 15%, from approximately 5.5% to approximately 12%, from approximately 5.5% to approximately 10%, from approximately 5.5% to approximately 9%, from approximately 5.5% to approximately 8%, from approximately 5.5% to approximately 7%, from approximately 5.5% to approximately 6.5%, from approximately 5.5% to approximately 6%, from approximately 6% to approximately 15%, from approximately 6% to approximately 12%, from approximately 6% to approximately 10%, from approximately 6% to approximately 9%, from approximately 6% to approximately 8%, from approximately 6% % to about 7%, or about 6% to about 6.5% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition.

[0080] In preferred embodiments, the total amount of carboxylic acid(s) ranges from about 0.5% to about 20%, for example from about 2% to about 15%, from about 4% to about 10%, from about 4.5% to about 8%, from about 5% to about 7%, from about 5.5% to about 6.5%, from about 5.7% to about 6.3%, or from about 5.8% to about 6.2% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition.For example, in some preferred embodiments, the composition comprises at least one carboxylic acid selected from citric acid, lactic acid, tartaric acid, their salts, or combinations thereof, and has a total amount of carboxylic acids and salts ranging from about 0.5% to about 20%, such as from about 2% to about 15%, from about 4% to about 10%, preferably from about 4.5% to about 8%, more preferably from about 5% to about 7%, more preferably from about 5.5% to about 6.5%, more preferably still from about 5.7% to about 6.3%, and most preferably from about 5.8% to about 6.2% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition.

[0081] In some embodiments, it may be advantageous to choose quantities of amino acids and carboxylic acids such that the composition has a weight ratio between the total quantity of amino acids and the total quantity of carboxylic acids greater than about 0.75. For example, in various embodiments, the composition has a weight ratio between the total quantity of amino acids and the total quantity of carboxylic acids greater than about 0.8, for example greater than about 0.9, greater than about 1, greater than about 1.1, greater than about 1.2, greater than about 1.3, greater than about 1.4, or greater than about 1.5. In some embodiments, the composition has a weight ratio between the total amount of amino acids and the total amount of carboxylic acids ranging from about 0.75 to about 2, for example from about 0.8 to about 1.5, from about 0.8 to about 1.35, or from about 0.8 to about 1.2.In some preferred embodiments, the composition includes arginine and at least one carboxylic acid selected from citric acid, lactic acid, tartaric acid, their salts, or combinations thereof, and has a weight ratio between the total amount of acids. amino acids and their salts and the total amount of carboxylic acids and their salts ranging from about 0.75 to about 2, preferably from about 0.8 to about 1.5, more preferably from about 0.8 to about 1.35, and most preferably from about 0.8 to about 1.2. Solvents

[0082] The compositions that can be used in processes according to the disclosure include at least one solvent. In various embodiments, the solvents can be chosen from water, non-aqueous solvents, or a combination thereof.

[0083] In some embodiments, the solvent includes water. In some embodiments, the composition comprises from about 50% to about 98% water, by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition. In some embodiments, the composition comprises water in an amount ranging from about 50% to about 95% by weight, such as from about 50% to about 90%, from about 55% to about 90%, from about 60% to about 90%, or from about 60% to about 80% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition.

[0084] In other embodiments, the solvent may include at least one non-aqueous solvent. Non-limiting examples of non-aqueous solvents that may be used include, for example, glycerin, C1.4 alcohols, organic solvents, fatty alcohols, fatty ethers, fatty esters, polyols, glycols, vegetable oils, mineral oils, liposomes, lamellar lipid materials, or combinations thereof.The non-aqueous solvent may be chosen from among organic solvents, for example monoalcohols and polyols such as ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, propyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol and phenylethyl alcohol, or glycols or glycol ethers such as, for example, monomethyl, monoethyl and monobutyl ethers of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol or its ethers such as, for example, monomethyl ether of propylene glycol, butylene glycol, hexylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, as well as alkyl ethers of diethylene glycol, for example monoethyl ether or monobutyl ether of diethylene glycol.

[0085] Preferably, the compositions comprise at least one polyol. The polyols may be selected from diols and triols. In other embodiments, the polyols may be selected from C2-C16 polyols, such as C2-C12, C2-C8, or C3-C8 polyols. In various embodiments, the polyols that may be used are linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, and substituted or unsubstituted. Thus, in various embodiments, one or more polyols may be selected from C2-C16, C2-C12, C2-C8, or C3-C8, or triols in C2-C16, C2-C12, C2-C8 or C3-C8, either of which can be linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, and substituted or unsubstituted.

[0086] By way of non-limiting example, glycols or glycol ethers such as, for example, monomethyl, monoethyl and monobutyl ethers of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol or its ethers such as, for example, monomethyl ether of propylene glycol, butylene glycol, hexylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, as well as alkyl ethers of diethylene glycol, for example monoethyl ether or monobutyl ether of diethylene glycol, may be chosen.In some embodiments, the polyols may be selected from propanediol, butanediol, pentanediol, hexanediol, heptanediol, octanediol, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, 1,2,4-butanetriol, trimethylolpropane, 2-butene-1,4-diol, 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol, 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol, caprylyl glycol, 1,2-hexanediol, 1,2-pentanediol, 2-ethyl-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, 3,3-dimethyl-1,2-butanediol, 2,2-diethyl-1,3-propanediol, 2-methyl-2-propyl-1,3-propanediol, 2,4-Dimethyl-2,4-pentanediol, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-hexanediol, 5-hexene-l,2-diol, 2-ethyl-l,3-hexanediol, 4-methyl-1,2-pentanediol, or combinations of two or more of these.In some preferred embodiments, the polyols are selected from glycols such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butylene glycol, hexylene glycol, pentylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, pentaethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, caprylyl glycol, glycerin, diglycerin, and combinations of two or more of these. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the solvent comprises at least one polyol selected from propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, propanediol, propylene carbonate, PPG-3 methyl ether, dimethyl isosorbide, hexylene glycol, ethanol, glycerin, or combinations of two or more of these.In at least some preferred embodiments, the solvent comprises water and at least one polyol, the polyol(s) comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of one or more C2-C16 diols and / or C2-C16 triols, for example C2-C8 diols and / or C2-C8 triols. In other preferred embodiments, the solvent comprises water and at least one polyol, in which the polyol(s) comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of one or more glycols, for example propylene glycol and / or dipropylene glycol, and in particularly preferred embodiments, the solvent comprises water and at least one polyol, in which the polyol(s) comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of dipropylene glycol.

[0087] If present, the total quantity of non-aqueous solvents in the composition can range from approximately 0.1% to approximately 20%, for example, from approximately 1% to approximately 20%, from approximately 1.5% to approximately 15%, or from approximately 2% to approximately 12% by weight, per ratio to the total weight of the composition. In some preferred embodiments, the solvent comprises water and at least one non-aqueous solvent, preferably chosen from polyols.In some embodiments, the composition comprises water and at least one non-aqueous solvent, wherein the total amount of non-aqueous solvents ranges from about 0.5% to about 18%, preferably from about 1% to about 15%, more preferably from about 1.5% to about 12%, more preferably from about 2% to about 11%, and most preferably from about 3% to about 10% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition, and optionally further wherein the non-aqueous solvent comprises at least one solvent selected from propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, propanediol, propylene carbonate, PPG-3 methyl ether, dimethyl isosorbide, hexylene glycol, ethanol, or mixtures of two or more of these, preferably selected from propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, or a mixture of two or more of these. more of these. Surfactants

[0088] The compositions that can be used in processes according to the disclosure may optionally include at least one surfactant. For example, the compositions may include one or more cationic and / or amphoteric / zwitterionic surfactants, and in some embodiments, the compositions may include mixtures of surfactants having the same or different ionicities.

[0089] Although the compositions may optionally include one or more anionic and / or nonionic surfactants, in at least some embodiments the compositions are free or substantially free of anionic and / or nonionic surfactants. For example, in some embodiments, the compositions comprise less than about 3%, for example less than about 2.5%, less than about 2%, less than about 1.75%, less than about 1.5%, less than about 1.25%, less than about 1%, less than 0.75%, less than 0.5%, less than 0.25%, less than 0.2%, less than 0.1%, less than 0.05%, less than 0.01% or less than 0.001% of anionic and / or nonionic surfactants.

[0090] In at least some embodiments, the compositions comprise at least one cationic surfactant. The term "cationic surfactant" refers to a surfactant that is positively charged when contained in the composition(s) as disclosed. This surfactant may carry one or more permanent positive charges or may contain one or more functional groups that are cationizable in the composition as disclosed. Other, non-limiting examples of useful cationic surfactants include brassicamidopropyldimethylamine, behentrimonium chloride, cetrimonium chloride, behenalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, cetylpyridinium chloride, lauralkonium chloride, cetalkonium chloride, cetrimonium bromide, cetylamine hydrofluoride, chlorallylmethenamine chloride (Quaternium-15), distearyldimonium chloride (Quaternium-5), dodecyldimethylethylbenzylammonium chloride (Quatemium-14), Quatemium-22, Quaternium-26, Quatemium-18 hectorite, dimethylaminoethyl chloride hydrochloride, cysteine ​​hydrochloride, diethanolammonium phosphate POE(10) oleyl ether, diethanolammonium phosphate POE(3) oleyl ether, alkonium tallow chloride, the dimethyldioctadecylammonium bentonite, stearalkonium chloride, domiphene bromide, denatonium benzoate, myristalkonium chloride, laurtrimonium chloride, ethylenediamine dihydrochloride, guanidine hydrochloride, pyridoxine HCl,Iofetamine hydrochloride, meglumine hydrochloride, methylbenzethonium chloride, myrtrimonium bromide, oleyltrimonium chloride, polyquatemium-1, procaine hydrochloride, cocobetaine, stearalkonium bentonite, stearalkonium hectonite, stearyltrihydroxyethylpropylenediamine dihydrofluoride, suiftrimonium chloride, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, stearamidopropyldimethylamine, or combinations thereof. In preferred embodiments, the compositions comprise at least one cationic surfactant selected from brassicamidopropyldimethylamine, behentrimonium chloride, cetrimonium chloride, stearamidopropyldimethylamine, or combinations of two or more of these.

[0091] If present, the total amount of cationic surfactants may be up to about 10%, such as up to about 9%, up to about 8%, up to about 7%, up to about 6%, up to about 5%, up to about 4%, up to about 3.5%, up to about 3%, up to about 2.5%, up to about 2%, up to about 1.5%, up to about 1%, or up to about 0.5% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition. For example, the total amount of cationic surfactants may be from about 0.001% to about 10%, from about 0.01% to about 8%, from about 0.1% to about 6%, or from about 0.5% to about 4% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition.In some preferred embodiments, the compositions comprise at least one cationic surfactant, and have a total amount of cationic surfactants ranging from about 0.25% to about 8%, preferably from about 0.5% to about 7%, more preferably from about 0.75% to about 6%, and most preferably from about 1% to about 5% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition.

[0092] In at least some embodiments, the composition comprises at least one amphoteric surfactant. Non-limiting examples of useful amphoteric surfactants include secondary and tertiary aliphatic amine derivatives where the aliphatic radical may be a linear or branched chain and one of the aliphatic substituents contains from about 8 to about 18 carbon atoms and one contains an anionic group such as a carboxy, sulfonate, sulfate, phosphate or phosphonate. Examples of amphoteric surfactants include sodium cocaminopropionate, sodium cocaminodipropionate, sodium cocoamphoacetate, sodium cocoamphohydroxypropylsulfonate, sodium cocoamphopropionate, sodium maize amphopropionate, sodium lauraminopropionate, sodium lauroamphoacetate, sodium lauroamphohydroxypropylsulfonate, sodium lauroamphopropionate, sodium maize amphopropionate, and sodium lauriminodipropionate.ammonium cocaminopropionate, ammonium cocaminodipropionate, ammonium cocoamphoacetate, ammonium cocoamphohydroxypropylsulfonate, ammonium cocoamphopropionate, ammonium maizemphopropionate, ammonium lauraminopropionate, ammonium lauroamphoacetate, ammonium lauroamphohydroxypropylsulfonate, ammonium lauroamphopropionate, ammonium maizemphopropionate, ammonium lauriminodipropionate, triethanolamine cocaminopropionate, triethanolamine cocaminodipropionate, triethanolamine cocoamphoacetate, triethanolamine cocoamphohydroxypropylsulfonate, triethanolamine cocoamphopropionate, triethanolamine maizemphopropionate, triethanolamine lauraminopropionate, triethanolamine lauroamphoacetate, triethanolamine lauroamphohydroxypropylsulfonate, the triethanolamine lauroamphopropionate, triethanolamine maizeamphopropionate, triethanolamine lauriminodipropionate,cocoamphodipropionic acid, disodium caproamphoadipropionate, disodium capryloamphodiacetate, disodium capryloamphodipriopionate, disodium cocoamphocarboxyethyl-hydroxypropylsulfonate, disodium cocoamphodiacetate, disodium cocoamphodipropionate, disodium dicarboxyethylcocopropylenediamine, disodium laureth-5 carboxyamphodiacetate, disodium lauriminodipropionate, disodium lauroamphodiacetate, disodium lauroamphodipropionate, disodium oleoamphodipropionate, disodium PPG-2-isodecethyl-7 carboxyamphodiacetate, lauraminopropionic acid, lauroamphodipropionic acid, laurylaminopropylglycine, and lauryldiethylenediaminoglycine.

[0093] Betaine surfactants may also be used. For example, coco dimethyl carboxymethyl betaine, lauryl dimethyl carboxymethyl betaine, lauryl dimethyl alphacarboxyethyl betaine, cetyl dimethyl carboxymethyl betaine, cetyl dimethyl betaine, lauryl bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) carboxymethyl betaine, stearyl bis-(2-hydroxypropyl) carboxymethyl betaine, oleyl dimethyl gamma-carboxypropyl betaine, lauryl bis-(2-hydroxypropyl) alpha-carboxyethyl betaine, coco dimethyl sulfopropyl betaine, stearyl dimethyl sulfopropyl betaine, lauryl dimethyl sulfoethyl betaine, lauryl bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) sulfopropyl betaine, oleyl betaine or cocamidopropyl betaine may be chosen.

[0094] If present, the total amount of amphoteric surfactants may be up to about 10%, such as up to about 9%, up to about 8%, up to about 7%, up to about 6%, up to about 5%, up to about 4%, up to about 3.5%, up to about 3%, up to about 2.5%, up to about 2%, up to about 1.5%, up to about 1%, or up to about 0.5% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition. For example, the total amount of amphoteric surfactants may be from about 0.001% to about 6%, from about 0.01% to about 4%, from about 0.1% to about 3%, or from about 0.5% to about 2% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition. In at least some embodiments, the compositions are free or substantially free of amphoteric surfactants.

[0095] In some embodiments, the surfactant does not include behentrimonium chloride. In some embodiments, the surfactant comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of one or more alkylamidoamines, for example, brassicamidopropyldimethylamine. Fatty compounds

[0096] Optionally, the compositions that can be used in processes according to the disclosure may include at least one fatty compound. In some embodiments, the at least one fatty compound may be selected from lower alkanes, fatty alcohols, fatty acids, fatty acid esters, fatty alcohol esters, oils such as mineral, vegetable, animal, silicone and non-silicone oils, silicone and non-silicone waxes, or combinations of two or more of these.

[0097] In certain embodiments, the compositions according to the disclosure include at least one fatty compound selected from volatile and non-volatile silicone oils, which may optionally be amino-functionalized. Non-limiting examples of silicone oils that may be used include dimethicone, amodimethicone, cyclomethicone, polysilicone-11, phenyl trimethicone, trimethylsilylamodimethicone, and stearoxytrimethylsilane. For example, the composition may include at least one silicone selected from amodimethicone, PEG-7 dimethicone, PEG-8 dimethicone, PEG-9 dimethicone, PEG-10 dimethicone, PEG-12 dimethicone, PEG-14 dimethicone, PEG-17 dimethicone, PEG / PPG-3 / 10 dimethicone, PEG / PPG-4 / 12 dimethicone, PEG / PPG-17 / 18 dimethicone, cetyl PEG / PPG-10 / 1 dimethicone, PEG-8 dimethicone benzoate, PEG-7 dimethicone phosphate, PEG-8 dimethicone phosphate, PEG-10 dimethicone phosphate, or a mixture of two or more of these. In some preferred embodiments, the compositions include a silicone oil that comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of dimethicone, amodimethicone, or a mixture thereof.

[0098] As further examples, silicone oil may be selected from polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS), polydimethylsiloxanes comprising alkyl or alkoxy groups which are pendant and / or at the end of the silicone chain, which groups each contain from 2 to 24 carbon atoms, or phenyl silicones, such as phenyl trimethicones, phenyl dimethicones, phenyl(trimethylsiloxy)diphenylsiloxanes, diphenyl dimethicones, diphenyl(methyldiphenyl)trisiloxanes or (2-phenylethyl)trimethylsiloxysilicates.

[0099] In some embodiments, the compositions that can be used in processes according to the disclosure include at least one fatty compound selected from fatty alcohols. In some embodiments, "fatty alcohol" means any alcohol with a carbon chain of C5 or more, such as, for example, C8 or more, C10 or more, or C12 or more, such as from 6 to 30 carbon atoms or from 8 to 30 carbon atoms. Fatty alcohols may be alkoxylated or non-alkoxylated, saturated or unsaturated, and linear or branched.

[0100] By way of example, fatty alcohols may be selected from arachidyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, caprylic alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, coconut alcohol, decyl alcohol, hydrogenated tallow alcohol, jojoba alcohol, lauryl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, oleyl alcohol, palm alcohol, palm kernel alcohol, stearyl alcohol, tallow alcohol, tridecyl alcohol, or combinations of two or more of these. In some preferred embodiments, the compositions include a fatty alcohol component that comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, or mixtures thereof.

[0101] The useful, but not limiting, fatty acids may be linear- or branched-chain fatty acids and / or may be saturated or unsaturated. Non-limiting examples of fatty acids include diacids, triacids, and other multiple acids, as well as salts of these fatty acids. For example, the fatty acid may optionally include, or be selected from, lauric acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, behenic acid, arachidonic acid, oleic acid, isostearic acid, sebacic acid, or combinations thereof.

[0102] In some embodiments, fatty acid esters or fatty alcohol esters may be chosen. For example, C1-C26 linear or branched C1-C26 saturated or unsaturated aliphatic mono- or polyacids and C1-C26 linear or branched C1-C26 saturated or unsaturated aliphatic mono- or polyalcohols, the total carbon number of the esters being more particularly greater than or equal to 10, may be used. In other embodiments, C4-C22 dicarboxylic or tricarboxylic acid esters and C1-C22 alcohol esters and C2-C26 mono-, di-, or tricarboxylic acid esters and di-, tri-, tetra-, or pentahydroxyalcohol esters may also be used. By way of non-limiting examples, isostearyl lactate, lauryl lactate, linoleyl lactate, oleyl lactate, (iso)stearyl octanoate, isocetyl octanoate, octyl octanoate, cetyl octanoate, decyl oleate, isocetyl isostearate,isocetyl laurate, isocetyl stearate, isodecyl octanoate, isodecyl oleate, isononyl isononanoate, isostearyl palmitate, methylacetyl ricinoleate, myristyle stearate, octyl isononanoate, 2-ethylhexyl isononanoate, octyl palmitate, octyl pelargonate, octyl stearate, octyldodecyl erucate, oleyl erucate, ethyl and isopropyl palmitates, 2-ethylhexyl palmitate, 2-octyldecyl palmitate, alkyl myristates such as isopropyl myristate, butyl myristate, cetyl, 2-octyldodecyl, myristyle or stearyl, hexyl stearate, butyl stearate, isobutyl stearate, dioctyl malate, hexyl laurate, 2-hexyldecyl laurate, diethyl sebacate, diisopropyl sebacate, diisopropyl adipate, di-n-propyl adipate, dioctyl adipate, diisostearyl adipate, dioctyl maleate, glyceryl undecylenate,Octyldodecyl stearoyl stearate, pentaerythrityl monoricinoleate, pentaerythrityl tetraisononanoate, pentaerythrityl tetrapelargonate, pentaerythrityl tetraisostearate, pentaerythrityl tetraoctanoate, propylene glycol dicaprylate, propylene glycol dicaprate, tridecyl erucate, triisopropyl citrate, triisostearyl citrate, glyceryl trilactate, glyceryl trioctanoate, trioctyldodecyl citrate, trioleyl citrate, propylene glycol dioctanoate, neopentyl glycol diheptanoate, diethylene glycol diisononanoate, and / or polyethylene glycol distearates may be chosen. In a preferred embodiment, the composition comprises at least one fatty acid ester and / or one fatty alcohol ester, for example pentaerythrityl tetraisostearate.

[0103] In some embodiments, the compositions that can be used in processes according to the disclosure include at least one wax. Non-limiting examples of waxes that can be used include beeswax, hydrogenated olive alkyl esters, carnauba wax, candelilla wax, ouricoury wax, Japanese wax, cork fiber wax or sugar cane wax, rice wax, the rice bran wax, montan wax, paraffin wax, lignite wax or microcrystalline wax, ceresin or ozokerite, palm kernel glycerides / hydrogenated palm glycerides, palm butter, sumac wax, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel wax, theobroma grandiflorum seed butter, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed wax, siliconyl candelilla wax, China wax, cetyl palmitate, lanolin, shellac, spermaceti, cetyl esters, hydrogenated castor wax; triglyceride esters such as tribehenin (glyceryl tribehenate); synthetic waxes such as hydrocarbon waxes and polyethylene waxes obtained by polymerization or copolymerization of ethylene, polypropylene waxes, or mixtures of two or more of these.In some preferred embodiments, the compositions include a wax component which comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of cetyl esters.

[0104] In some embodiments, the composition comprises fatty compounds selected from oils of animal, vegetable or mineral origin (for example, lanolin, squalene, fish oil, perhydrosqualene, mink oil, tortoiseshell oil, soybean oil, grapeseed oil, sesame oil, corn oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, avocado oil, olive oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, peanut oil, sweet almond oil, palm oil, cucumber oil, hazelnut oil, apricot kernel oil, wheat germ oil, tamanu oil, macadamia oil, coconut oil, cereal germ oil, candlenut oil, thistle oil, candelilla oil, safflower oil, or shea butter), linear or branched hydrocarbons (for example, polybutene, polyisobutene) hydrogenated, polyisoprene, polydecenes such as hydrogenated polydecene, and / or linear alkanes,branched and / or cyclic fatty acids that are optionally volatile, such as, for example, isohexadecane, isododecane, isodecane or isohexadecane), optionally branched and / or unsaturated fatty acids (for example, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, behenic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid or isostearic acid), fatty alcohols other than those described above (for example, alkoxylated fatty alcohols), mono- and / or polyesters of fatty acids and / or fatty alcohols (for example, mono- and polyesters of hydroxy acids and fatty alcohols, esters of benzoic acid and fatty alcohols, polyesters of polyols, C5-C9 dipentaerythrityl esters, trimethylolpropane polyesters, propylene glycol polyesters or castor oil polyesters) hydrogenated oils), perfluorinated and / or organofluorinated oils, fluorosilicone oils,or mixtures of two or more of these. Non-limiting examples of fatty acids that may be used include facultatively branched and / or unsaturated fatty acids such as myristic acid, hydroxycitric acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, behenic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, isostearic acid, or mixtures of two or more of these.

[0105] If present, the total amount of fatty compounds in the composition may range from about 0.1% to about 20%, for example, from about 1% to about 20%, from about 2% to about 15%, from about 3% to about 12%, or from about 5% to about 10% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition. In some preferred embodiments, the compositions comprise at least one fatty compound selected from silicone oils, fatty alcohols, waxes or combinations thereof, wherein the total amount of fatty compounds in the composition ranges from about 1% to about 20%, preferably from about 2% to about 15%, more preferably from about 3% to about 12%, and most preferably from about 5% to about 10% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition. Thickening agents

[0106] The compositions that may be used according to the disclosure optionally include at least one thickening agent. Useful thickening agents include, but are not limited to, semi-synthetic polymers, such as semi-synthetic cellulosic derivatives; synthetic polymers, such as carbomers, poloxamers and beheneth-25 acrylate / methacrylate copolymers; acrylate copolymers; polyethyleneimines (e.g., PEL10); natural polymers, such as acacia, tragacanth, alginates (e.g., sodium alginate), carrageenan; vegetable gums, such as xanthan gum, guar gum, petroleum jelly; waxes; associated particulate colloids, such as bentonite, colloidal silicon dioxide and microcrystalline cellulose; celluloses, such as hydroxyethylcellulose and hydroxypropylcellulose; and guars, such as hydroxypropyl guar.

[0107] In some embodiments, the thickening agent may be selected from associative thickening polymers such as anionic associative polymers, amphoteric associative polymers, cationic associative polymers, or nonionic associative polymers. A non-limiting example of an amphoteric associative polymer is beheneth-25 acrylate / methacrylate copolymer, and non-limiting examples of anionic associative polymers include acrylate copolymer and acrylates-4 crosslinked polymer.

[0108] If present, the total amount of thickening agents can range from about 0.01% to about 8%, for example from about 0.05% to about 5%, from about 0.1% to about 4%, from about 0.2% to about 3%, or from about 0.3% to about 2% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition. Direct dyes

[0109] Optionally, the compositions that can be used in processes according to the disclosure include one or more direct dyes. Direct dyes, which are different from oxidation dyes, diffuse superficially onto the hair fibers.

[0110] The direct dyes that may be selected include natural and synthetic direct dyes, which may be cationic, anionic, or nonionic. Useful examples of direct dyes include azo direct dyes, (poly)methine dyes such as cyanines, hemicyanines, and styryl dyes, carbonyl dyes, azine dyes, nitro(hetero)aryl dyes, tri(hetero)arylmethane dyes, porphyrin dyes, phthalocyanine dyes, xanthene direct dyes, triarylmethane dyes, natural direct dyes, and combinations of two or more of these. In some embodiments, the direct dyes are selected from those that comprise at least one halogenated aromatic ring.

[0111] In some embodiments, the direct dyes are selected from anionic direct dyes. Anionic direct dyes are also called "acid" direct dyes because of their affinity for alkaline substances. Anionic direct dyes may be selected from acidic nitrate direct dyes, acidic azo dyes, acidic azinic dyes, acidic triarylmethanic dyes, acidic indoamine dyes, acidic anthraquinone dyes, indigoids, and natural acid dyes, or combinations of two or more of these.

[0112] Des exemples non limitatifs de teintures anioniques incluent Acid Red 1, Acid Red 4, Acid Red 13, Acid Red 14, Acid Red 18, Acid Red 27, Acid Red 28, Acid Red 32, Acid Red 33, Acid Red 35, Acid Red 37, Acid Red 40, Acid Red 41, Acid Red 42, Acid Red 44, Pigment red 57, Acid Red 68, Acid Red 73, Acid Red 135, Acid Red 138, Acid Red 184, Food Red 1, Food Red 13, Acid Orange 6, Acid Orange 7, Acid Orange 10, Acid Orange 19, Acid Orange 20, Acid Orange 24, Yellow 6, Acid Yellow 9, Acid Yellow 36, Acid Yellow 199, Food Yellow 3, Acid Violet 7, Acid Violet 14, Acid Blue 113, Acid Blue 117, Acid Black 1, Acid Brown 4, Acid Brown 20, Acid Black 26, Acid Black 52, Food Black 1, Food Black 2, Food yellow 3 ou sunset yellow, Acid Red 111, Acid Red 134, Acid yellow 38, ou des combinaisons de deux ou plus de celles-ci.As further examples, azo anionic tinctures such as Acid Red 195, Acid Yellow 23, Acid Yellow 27, Acid Yellow 76, and Acid Yellow 17; anthraquinone tinctures such as Acid Blue 25, Acid Blue 43, Acid Blue 62, Acid Blue 78, Acid Blue 129, Acid Blue 138, Acid Blue 140, Acid Blue 251, Acid Green 25, Acid Green 41, Acid Violet 42, Acid Violet 43, Mordant Red 3, Purple EXT No. 2, and Acid Black 48; anthraquinone tinctures such as . Acid Blue 25, Acid Blue 43, Acid Blue 62, Acid Blue 78, Acid Blue 129, Acid Blue 138, Acid Blue 140, Acid Blue 251, Acid Green 25, Acid Green 41, Acid Violet 42, Acid Violet 43, Mordant Red 3, Purple EXT No. 2, and Acid Black 48; triarylmethane tinctures such as Acid Blue 1, Acid Blue 3, Acid Blue 7, Acid Blue 9, Acid Violet 49, Acid Green 3, Acid Green 5, and Acid Green 50; xanthene-derived tinctures such as Acid Yellow 73, Acid Red 51, Acid Red 52, Acid Red 87, Acid Red 92, Acid Red 95, and Acid Violet 9; indole-derived tinctures such as Acid Blue 74; and quinoline-derived tinctures such as Acid Yellow 2, Acid Yellow 3, and Acid Yellow 5, or combinations of two or more of these, may be chosen.

[0113] Non-limiting examples of cationic direct dyes, also called "basic" direct dyes, include Basic Red 51, Basic Yellow 87, Basic Orange 31, Basic Blue 6, Basic Blue 7, Basic Blue 9, Basic Blue 26, Basic Blue 41, Basic Blue 99, Basic Violet 1, Basic Violet 2, Basic Violet 3, Basic Violet 10, Basic Violet 14, or combinations of two or more of these.

[0114] Natural direct tinctures include, but are not limited to, lawsone, juglone, alizarin, purpurin, carminic acid, kermesic acid, purpurogallin, protocatechaldehyde, indigo, isatin, curcumin, spinulosin, apigenidine, orceins, or combinations of two or more of these. Extracts or decoctions containing these natural tinctures, and in particular henna-based poultices or extracts, may also be used.

[0115] According to certain embodiments, the direct ionic dye(s) is / are selected from blue or violet dyes such as Acid Violet 7, Acid Violet 14, Acid Blue 113, Acid Blue 117, Acid Blue 25, Acid Blue 43, Acid Blue 62, Acid Blue 78, Acid Blue 129, Acid Blue 138, Acid Blue 140, Acid Blue 251, Acid Violet 42, Acid Violet 43 (also called EXT violet No. 2), Acid Blue 1, Acid Blue 3, Acid Blue 7, Acid Blue 9, Acid Violet 49, Acid Violet 9, Acid Blue 74, Basic Blue 6, Basic Blue 7, Basic Blue 9, Basic Blue 26, Basic Blue 41, Basic Blue 99, Basic Violet 1, Basic Violet 2, Basic Violet 3, Basic Violet 10, Basic Violet 14, or combinations of two or more of these, preferably Ext. Violet 2, Acid Blue 62, Acid Blue 9 and Basic Violet 2, more preferably Ext. Violet 2, Acid Blue 62, Acid Blue 9, or combinations of two or more of these.

[0116] If present, the total amount of direct dyes may range from about 0.001% to about 10%, such as from about 0.001% to about 5%, from about 0.001% to about 3%, from about 0.001% to about 2%, from about 0.001% to about 1%, from about 0.005% to about 5%, from about 0.005% to about 3%, from about 0.005% to about 2%, from about 0.005% to about 1%, from about 0.01% to about 5%, from about 0.01% to about 3%, from about 0.01% to about 2%, or from about 0.01% to about 1% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition. Auxiliary components

[0117] Compositions that may be used in processes according to the disclosure may optionally include one or more auxiliary components. Non-limiting examples include preservatives, perfumes, pH adjusters, salts, antioxidants, vitamins, vitamin derivatives, ceramides, botanical extracts, proteins, protein hydrolysates, protein isolates, hydrotropes, pearlescent agents, buffers, sequestering agents, and the like.

[0118] The total quantity of auxiliary components, if present, is generally between approximately 0.01% and 10% of the total weight of the composition. For example, in some embodiments, the individual quantities of each component or the total quantity of components may range from approximately 0.1% to approximately 10%, from approximately 0.1% to approximately 8%, from approximately 0.1% to approximately 5%, from approximately 0.1% to approximately 4%, from approximately 0.1% to approximately 3%, from approximately 0.1% to approximately 2%, from approximately 1% to approximately 10%, from approximately 1% to approximately 8%, from approximately 1% to approximately 5%, from approximately 1% to approximately 4%, from approximately 1% to approximately 3%, or from approximately 1% to approximately 2% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition.

[0119] Compositions that can be used in processes according to the disclosure typically have a pH less than or equal to 7, such as less than or equal to about 6, less than or equal to about 5, less than or equal to about 4.5, or less than or equal to about 4. For example, compositions may have a pH ranging from about 1 to about 7, such as from about 2 to about 6, from about 2.5 to about 5.5, from about 2.5 to about 5, from about 2.5 to about 4.5, or from about 3 to about 4. In some embodiments, the pH of the composition may be, for example, about 3, about 3.25, about 3.5, about 3.75, or about 4, including all intermediate ranges and sub-ranges.

[0120] The compositions may be in any suitable form. For example, the compositions may be a liquid, a gel, a gel-cream, a high, medium or low density cream, a serum, a lotion, etc. II. PROCESSES

[0121] The disclosure also relates to processes for treating keratin fibers, such as hair. Surprisingly, hair treated by coloring according to the disclosure exhibits reduced color degradation after exposure to external influences. Without wishing to develop a theory, it is thought that the enhanced color degradation effect is due to the unexpected synergistic effects of the combination of amino acids, osmolytes and carboxylic acids, which was not known before.

[0122] The methods include applying a composition as disclosed (also referred to as "color-degradation-preventing composition") to the hair, optionally leaving the color-degradation-preventing composition on the hair for a period ("treatment time", "application period" or "resting period"), and optionally rinsing the composition from the hair.

[0123] The exposure period may last for a time deemed appropriate to allow the active agents to provide benefits to the keratin fibers, such as about 30 seconds, about 1 minute, about 2 minutes, about 5 minutes, about 10 minutes, about 15 minutes, about 20 minutes, about 30 minutes, about 45 minutes, about 1 hour, about 2 hours, about 4 hours, about 6 hours, about 8 hours, about 10 hours, about 12 hours, about 16 hours, about 20 hours, about 24 hours, etc., or may vary by a period of time using any of the preceding values ​​as upper and lower limits.As a non-limiting example, the application time can range from approximately 2 minutes to approximately 4 hours, from approximately 5 minutes to approximately 2 hours, from approximately 10 minutes to approximately 1.5 hours, from approximately 20 minutes to approximately 1 hour, from approximately 1 hour to approximately 12 hours, from approximately 2 hours to approximately 10 hours, from approximately 4 hours to approximately 8 hours, from approximately 8 hours to approximately 24 hours, from approximately 8 hours to approximately 12 hours, and so on. For example, the application time can be overnight or until the next rinse or shampoo of the hair, according to the user's usual hygiene practices.By way of non-limiting example, the exposure period can, alternatively, range from about 30 seconds to about 60 minutes, from about 30 seconds to about 45 minutes, from about 30 seconds to about 30 minutes, from about 30 seconds to about 20 minutes, from about 30 seconds to about 15 minutes, from about 30 seconds to about 10 minutes, from about 30 seconds to about 5 minutes, from about 1 minute to about 60 minutes, from about 1 minute to about 45 minutes, from about 1 minute to about 30 minutes, from about 1 minute to about 20 minutes, from about 1 minute to about 15 minutes, from about 1 minute to about 10 minutes, from about 1 minute to about 5 minutes, from about 2 minutes to . approximately 60 minutes, from approximately 2 minutes to approximately 45 minutes, from approximately 2 minutes to approximately 30 minutes, from approximately 2 minutes to approximately 20 minutes, from approximately 2 minutes to approximately 15 minutes, from approximately 2 minutes to approximately 10 minutes, from approximately 2 minutes to approximately 5 minutes, etc.

[0124] The processes according to the disclosure include the use of the compositions described as a standalone treatment, or as part of a routine that includes one or more additional composition(s) or treatment(s). Although not required, various treatments using compositions according to the disclosure may also include a step of heating the hair to which the composition has been applied, for example during the resting period while the composition is on the hair. A hairdryer, a hood dryer, etc., can be used, for example.

[0125] By way of example, a composition as disclosed may be applied to hair to reduce color degradation by applying an effective amount of the composition to wet, damp, or dry hair, leaving the composition on the hair for an appropriate treatment time, optionally rinsing the hair, and then optionally drying and / or styling the hair according to the individual's normal routine. This type of treatment may, for example, be carried out in a salon or at home on a weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc., basis to improve the overall health and appearance of the hair.

[0126] In other embodiments, a composition as disclosed may be applied to the hair before, during, and / or after a treatment process that includes one or more other hair compositions. For example, such a routine may include applying a composition as disclosed to wet, damp, or dry hair, leaving the composition on the hair for an appropriate treatment time, and then substantially immediately afterward (i.e., as part of the same hair cleansing process), with or without intermediate rinsing of the hair, washing the hair with shampoo according to the person's usual hair cleansing routine.Another routine of this type may include washing the hair with shampoo according to the person's usual hair cleansing routine, and substantially immediately afterwards (i.e., as part of the same hair cleansing process), with or without intermediate rinsing of the hair, the application of a composition as disclosed on the hair, optionally before and / or after the application of a conditioning composition on the hair.Yet another routine of this type may include hair conditioning, for example, a deep conditioning treatment, and substantially immediately before and / or after (i.e., as part of the same hair conditioning process), with or without intermediate rinsing of the hair, the application of a composition as disclosed to the hair, optionally with or without rinsing the hair between the application steps of a conditioning composition and a composition as disclosed. Thus, it is envisaged that compositions as disclosed may be incorporated into a hair cleansing and / or conditioning process.

[0127] In yet other exemplary embodiments, a composition according to the disclosure may be applied to the hair before, during and / or after a chemical hair treatment process. For example, such a routine may include the application of a composition as disclosed to wet, damp or dry hair, leaving the composition on the hair for an appropriate treatment time, optionally rinsing the hair, and then substantially immediately afterwards (i.e., as part of the same chemical hair treatment process), with or without intermediate rinsing of the hair, the application to the hair of a chemical treatment such as a bleaching, dyeing, smoothing, straightening or perming composition.Another routine of this type might include the application of a chemical treatment, such as a bleaching, dyeing, smoothing, relaxing, or perming product, to the hair and, substantially immediately thereafter (i.e., as part of the same chemical hair treatment process), with or without an intermediate rinsing of the hair, the application to the hair of a product as disclosed and, optionally, the application to the hair of a product as disclosed before or after one or more subsequent shampoos. Thus, it is envisaged that products as disclosed can be incorporated into a chemical hair treatment process, either before or after the process, thereby reducing or minimizing the hair color degradation that might otherwise result from subsequent external influences.

[0128] Surprisingly, hair treated with the compositions and processes disclosed showed less color degradation than hair treated with the compositions and processes disclosed. The reduction in color degradation was particularly noticeable in hair that had been exposed to external influences such as harsh chemical treatments, like perming, straightening, relaxing, etc., as well as repeated styling, for example with heat or styling tools.

[0129] After describing in detail the numerous embodiments of the present invention, it will become apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the disclosure defined in the appended claims. Furthermore, it should be noted that all the examples in this disclosure, while illustrating numerous embodiments of the disclosure, are provided by way of non-limiting examples and should therefore not be considered as limiting the various aspects thus illustrated. It should be understood that all definitions are provided herein only for the purposes of this disclosure.

[0130] The expression "one or more" means "at least one" and therefore includes individual components as well as mixtures / combinations. Similarly, the expression "one of their / its salts" also refers to "their / its salts." Thus, when the disclosure refers to "one element selected from the group consisting of A, B, C, D, E, F, one of their salts or mixtures," it indicates that one or more elements from A, B, C, D and F may be included, that one or more salts from a salt of A, a salt of B, a salt of C, a salt of D, a salt of E and a salt of F may be included, or that a mixture of any two elements from A, B, C, D, E, F, a salt of A, a salt of B, a salt of C, a salt of D, a salt of E and a salt of F may be included.

[0131] The expression "and / or" should be understood as including both the conjunctive and the disjunctive. For example, "amino acids and / or their salts" means "amino acids and their salts" as well as "amino acids or their salts", and expressly covers either one or the other.

[0132] As used herein, the term “salts” throughout the disclosure may include salts having a counterion such as an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, or ammonium counterion. This list of counterions, however, is not exhaustive. Salts also include a dissociated form of a compound, for example, in an aqueous solution.

[0133] As used herein, the expressions "and mixtures thereof," "and mixtures of two or more of these," "and one of their mixtures," "and their combinations," "and one of their combinations," "and combinations of two or more of these," "or their mixtures," "or one of their mixtures," "or their combinations," "or combinations of two or more of these," "or one of their combinations," and similar expressions are used interchangeably to indicate that the list of components immediately preceding the expression, such as "A, B, C, D, or mixtures thereof," means that the component(s) may be chosen from A, B, C, D, from A + B, from A + B + C, from A + D, from A + C + D, etc., without limitation on their variations. Thus, the components may be used individually or in any of their combinations.

[0134] All ranges and quantities indicated herein are intended to include subranges and quantities using any disclosed point as a boundary, and all boundaries are intended to be included unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, a range of "1% to 10%, as well as 2% to 8%, as well as 3% to 5%" is intended to encompass ranges of "1% to 8%", "1% to 5%", "2% to 10%", and so on. Similarly, a given range of "approximately 1% to 10%" is intended to have its boundaries of both 1% and 10% modified by the term "approximately". The term "approximately" is used here to indicate a difference of up to + / - 10% from the stated number, such as + / - 9%, + / - 8%, + / - 7%, + / - 6%, + / - 5%, + / - 4%, + / - 3%, + / - 2%, or + / - 1%. Unless expressly stated otherwise, "approximately" means + / - 5%.Similarly, all range boundaries are understood as being disclosed individually, such that, for example, a range of 1:2 to 2:1 is understood as disclosing a ratio of both 1:2 and 2:1.

[0135] As the expression is used here, if a component is described as being present "in an amount less than or equal to" a certain amount, it is expected that this component is in fact present in the composition, namely, present in an amount greater than 0%.

[0136] All quantities indicated here are relative to the quantity of active material, unless otherwise stated.

[0137] All percentages, parts and ratios herein are based on the total weight of the compositions in this disclosure, unless otherwise stated.

[0138] As used herein, all the ranges provided are intended to include each specific range within the given ranges, as well as a combination of intermediate sub-ranges. Thus, a range from 1 to 5 specifically includes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, as well as sub-ranges such as 2 to 5, 3 to 5, 2 to 3, 2 to 4, 1 to 4, etc.

[0139] In this application, the terms "keratin fibres" and "hair" are used interchangeably without being intended to be restrictive. A person skilled in the art will understand that keratin fibres include hair, such as the hair growing on the scalp.

[0140] As used herein, the expression "apply a composition to the hair," and its variations, is intended to refer to bringing the hair into contact with at least one of the compositions in the disclosure, in any manner whatsoever. It may also refer to bringing the hair into contact with an effective quantity. In one embodiment, an effective amount is the amount of color-degradation-preventing composition effective in reducing color degradation in hair treated by coloring, where such an amount may include from about 0.01 g to about 1 g, or from about 0.01 g to about 0.9 g, or from about 0.01 g to about 0.8 g, or from about 0.01 g to about 0.7 g, or from about 0.01 g to about 0.6 g, or from about 0.01 g to about 0.5 g, or from about 0.01 g to about 0.4 g, or from about 0.01 g to about 0.3 g, or from about 0.01 g to about 0.2 g, or from about 0.01 g to about 0.1 g, or from about 0.1 g to about 1 g, or from about 0.1 g to about 0.9 g. g,or from about 0.1 g to about 0.8 g, or from about 0.1 g to about 0.7 g, or from about 0.1 g to about 0.6 g, or from about 0.1 g to about 0.5 g, or from about 0.1 g to about 0.4 g, or from about 0.1 g to about 0.2 g, or from about 0.01 g to about 0.1 g, or from about 0.2 g to about 1 g, or from about 0.2 g to about 0.9 g, or from about 0.2 g to about 0.8 g, or from about 0.2 g to about 0.7 g, or from about 0.2 g to about 0.6 g, or from about 0.2 g to about 0.5 g, or from about 0.2 g to about 0.4 g, or from about 0.2 g to approximately 0.3 g, or from approximately 0.3 g to approximately 1 g, or from approximately 0.3 g to approximately 0.9 g, or from approximately 0.3 g to approximately 0.8 g, or from approximately 0.3 g to approximately 0.7 g, or from approximately 0.3 g to approximately 0.6 g, or from approximately 0.3 g to approximately 0.5 g, or from approximately 0.3 g to approximately 0.4 g, or from approximately 0.4 g to approximately 1 g, or from approximately 0.4 g to approximately 0.9 g, or from approximately 0.4 g to approximately 0.8 g, or about 0.4 g to about 0.7 g, or about 0.4 g to about 0.6 g, or about 0.4 g to about 0.5 g, or about 0.5 g to about 1 g, or about 0.5 g to about 0.9 g, or about 0.5 g to about 0.8 g, or about 0.5 g to about 0.7 g, or about 0.5 g to about 0.6 g of color-degradation-preventing composition per 1 g of hair.

[0141] The expression "hair treatment" (and its grammatical variations) as used herein refers to the application of the compositions of this disclosure to the surface of the hair. The expression "hair treatment" (and its grammatical variations) as used herein also refers to bringing the hair into contact with the compositions of this disclosure.

[0142] Unless otherwise defined for any specific embodiment, the expression "substantially free" or "essentially free" as used herein means that there is less than about 10% by weight of a specific material added to a composition, relative to the total weight of the composition. For example, compositions may include less than about 4%, less than about 3%, less than about 2%, less than about 1.5%, less than about 1%, less than about 0.5%, less than about 0.1%, less than about 0.01%, less than about 0.001%, or less than about 0.0001% of the specified material.As such, it is envisaged that any component described herein for use in hair treatment compositions may be present in the compositions in amounts less than approximately 5%, less than approximately 4%, less than approximately 3%, less than approximately 2%, less than approximately 1%, less than approximately 0.5%, less than approximately 0.1%, less than approximately 0.01%, less than approximately 0.001%, or less than approximately 0.0001%, and the composition will be considered "substantially free" of such material. A composition "free" of a component is understood to contain no amount of the specified component. However, it is understood that the terms "free" and "substantially free" refer to the amount of a component added to the composition, without including an amount of the component present in the composition as a minor component in a raw material.For example, a "wax-free" composition may not have wax included as an intended component, but may nevertheless contain a pigment that is coated with a wax, since such a wax would be considered a minor component of the pigment material and should not provide benefits to the composition that would be expected from including a wax itself as an intended component.

[0143] Unless expressly stated otherwise, no process described herein is intended to be interpreted as requiring its steps to be performed in a specific order. Accordingly, where a process claim does not expressly specify an order for its steps to be followed, or is not specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that the steps must be limited to a specific order, it is not intended to infer any particular order.

[0144] The following examples are intended to illustrate embodiments of this disclosure but are not intended to be exhaustive. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the compositions and processes of the invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, this disclosure is intended to cover modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. EXAMPLES

[0145] The following examples are intended to be non-limiting and explanatory only. In the Examples, unless otherwise indicated, quantities are expressed as a percentage by weight (% by weight) of active substances, relative to the total weight of the composition. Example 1 - Compositions

[0146] Compositions 1A-1C according to the disclosure were prepared as shown in Table 1.

[0147] [Tables] IA IB IC Basic amino acid(s) 5.0 0.5 — Osmolytes 2.5 2.5 — Citric acid and / or lactic acid 6.1 — — Neutral amino acid(s) — Cetearyl alcohol — 5 5 Steareth-20 — 1.5 1.5 Preservative(s) 0.5 — — Solvents (water and / or non-aqueous solvents) QS QS QS Other ingredients (fragrance, extracts, pigments, pH adjuster) — <1 <1 pH 3.8 3.8 3.8

[0148] The compositions in Table 1 contained a synergistic combination of components: carboxylic acids (citric acid and / or lactic acid), osmolytes (glycine betaine) and amino acids (arginine and / or serine).

[0149] Example 2 - Evaluation of color degradation

[0150] In order to evaluate the ability of the compositions according to the disclosure to minimize or prevent color degradation of chemically treated hair, the following studies were conducted. Example 2A - Bleached Hair

[0151] Six strands (S1-S6) of virgin Caucasian hair were bleached with a composition prepared by mixing a commercial bleach powder with a commercial oxidizing composition (40V hydrogen peroxide) at a mixing ratio of 1:1.5 (bleach powder:oxidizing composition) and treated at a temperature of approximately 55 °C for approximately 45 minutes. The strands were rinsed.

[0152] The six strands (S1-S6) were cleaned with a purifying shampoo by wetting the strands, applying the shampoo to the strands (approximately 0.4 g of shampoo per 1 g of hair), lathering the shampoo, leaving it on the strands for a period of approximately one minute, and then rinsing the strands until all the shampoo was removed. All the strands were dried at room temperature.

[0153] Wicks S1-S3 (untreated) were then fully immersed in a beaker containing deionized water, while wicks S4-S6 (treated) were fully immersed in a separate beaker containing 13.6 wt% of the osmolyte-acid mixture of composition IA in deionized water. The wicks remained in their respective beakers for approximately five minutes. The wicks were then removed, and as shown in [Fig. 1], the color of the water in which wicks S1-S3 (untreated) were immersed changed significantly, but the color of the water in which wicks S4-S6 (treated) were immersed did not change significantly. The water in the beaker containing the untreated wicks (S1-S3) was yellow and cloudy. In contrast, the water in the beaker containing the treated wicks (S4-S6) was transparent, translucent and not yellow.This has shown that the inventive composition of the present invention reduces the color degradation of bleached hair.

[0154] Example 2B - Color-treated hair

[0155] Six strands (S10-S15) of Caucasian grey hair (90:10 grey:brown) were dyed using Cor & Ton red hair dye (Shade 7.44) commercially available from L'Oréal, in accordance with the product instructions. The strands were then rinsed and subjected to the following treatment routines.

[0156] The S10-S15 strands were each cleaned with a purifying shampoo by wetting each strand, applying the shampoo to each strand (approximately 0.4 g of shampoo per 1 g of hair), lathering the shampoo, leaving it on each strand for a period of approximately one minute, and then Rinsing each strand until all the shampoo was removed. The strands were then dried at room temperature.

[0157] An image of each strand was captured using a Colorshot spectrophotometer. The color of each strand was then measured by the spectrophotometer in pixels along the following axes: L (white / black); b (yellow / blue); a (red / green); the spectrophotometer generated a numerical value for each strand.

[0158] Immediately, composition IC (Table 1) was applied to the untreated S10-S12 strands (approximately 0.4 g of composition IC per 1 g of hair) and distributed to ensure that the hair was completely coated. It was left to remain on for approximately five minutes, after which the strands were thoroughly rinsed with water. Composition IB (Table 1) was applied similarly to the treated S13-S15 strands (approximately 0.4 g of composition IB per 1 g of hair). After five minutes, the strands (S13-S15) were rinsed with water.

[0159] All the wicks (S10-S15) were then exposed to UV light in a UV light chamber set at 765 watts / m2 for 150 minutes.

[0160] Another image of each strand (S10-S15) was then captured, and data were obtained for each using the above procedure. Next, the average percentage of color degradation of the strands was calculated based on the differences between the numerical values ​​generated by the spectrophotometer before and after exposure to UV light.

[0161] As shown in [Fig. 2], the S10-S12 (untreated) strands underwent an average color degradation of 8%, while the S13-S15 (treated) strands underwent only an average color degradation of approximately 1%. This demonstrated that the inventive composition of the present invention reduced the color degradation of dyed hair by 84% when exposed to UV light, which is equivalent to approximately one week of daily UV exposure.

[0162] Example 2C - Shampoo on colour-treated hair

[0163] After exposure to UV light as shown in Example 2B, all the strands (S10–S15) were each cleaned with a cleansing shampoo by wetting each strand, applying the shampoo to each strand (approximately 0.4 g of shampoo per 1 g of hair), lathering the shampoo, leaving it on each strand for approximately one minute, and then rinsing each strand until all the shampoo had been removed. This step was repeated 15 times, and then an image of each strand was obtained using the procedure in Example 2B.

[0164] As shown in [Fig. 2], the S10-S12 (untreated) strands underwent an average color degradation of 12%, while the S13-S15 (treated) strands underwent an average color degradation of less than approximately 1%. This showed that The inventive composition of the present invention reduced the color degradation of hair treated with dye by 91% when exposed to UV light, which is equivalent to approximately one week of daily UV exposure followed by 15 shampoos, which is equivalent to approximately one to two weeks of shampooing. It was also shown that the inventive composition can be applied once a week or once every two weeks to minimize hair color degradation.

[0165] Example 3 - Prevention of color degradation of permed hair

[0166] In order to evaluate the ability of the compositions according to the disclosure to minimize or prevent the degradation of color of permed hair, the following studies were carried out.

[0167] Six strands (S106-S111) of white Chinese hair (1 g, 20 cm) were permed with a composition prepared by applying and distributing a first agent (Premia Wave Reducing Lotion available from L'Oréal Professionnel) onto the strands so that all the hair was coated, then after 15 minutes, the hair was rinsed with water. Next, a second agent (Premia Wave Neutralizer available from L'Oréal Professionnel) was applied in a similar manner and then rinsed from the strands. The strands were air-dried at room temperature.

[0168] Six of the strands (S106-S111) were dyed using Majifashion red hair dye (shade 6.66) available from L'Oréal Professionnel, in accordance with the product instructions; the dye was mixed with a 20-volume developer at a color:developer mixing ratio of 1:1.5. After rinsing the strands, each strand was cleaned with a cleansing shampoo by wetting each strand, applying the shampoo to each strand (approximately 0.4 g of shampoo per 1 g of hair), lathering the shampoo, leaving it on each strand for approximately one minute, and then rinsing each strand until all the shampoo was removed. The strands were then dried at room temperature.

[0169] The colour of the strands was then measured in accordance with the imaging procedure of Example 2B, and then subjected to the following processing routines.

[0170] Three of the red-dyed strands (S106-S108) were treated with water and three of the red-dyed strands (S109-S111) were treated with water and then treated with Composition IA (Table 1), which was applied to these strands (about 0.4 g of Composition IA per 1 g of hair), spread out to ensure that the hair was completely covered, and left for a period of about five minutes.

[0171] The strands (S106-S111) were then washed with a cleansing shampoo (approximately 0.4 g of shampoo per 1 g of hair), rinsed thoroughly with water, then blow-dried. The strands (S106-S111) were washed again with this shampoo (approximately 0.4 g of shampoo per 1 g of hair), rinsed thoroughly with water, blow-dried, and then the color was measured according to the imaging procedure of Example 2B. The strands (S106-S111) were washed a third time with this shampoo (approximately 0.4 g of shampoo per 1 g of hair), rinsed thoroughly with water, then blow-dried, and then the color was measured according to the imaging procedure of Example 2B. The strands (S 106-S111) were washed a fourth time with this shampoo (approximately 0.4 g of shampoo per 1 g of hair), rinsed thoroughly with water, then dried with a hairdryer, and then the color of the strands was measured in accordance with the imaging procedure of Example 2B.

[0172] As shown in [Fig.3], permed hair dyed with red dye that was treated with the inventive composition showed less color degradation than untreated permed hair dyed with red dye from the first wash and at least until the seventh wash. Example 4 - Compositions

[0173] Compositions 4A-4E according to the disclosure were prepared as shown in Table 2.

[0174] [Tables2] 4A 4B 4C 4D 4e Basic amino acid(s) 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 Glycine betaine 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 Citric acid 6.1 6.1 6.1 6.1 6.1 Silicone oil(s) (dimethicone and / or amodimethicone) 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 1.0 Fatty alcohol(s) (stearyl alcohol and / or cetearyl alcohol) 4.5 4.5 6.0 5.0 6.0 Cetyl esters 1.0 Cationic surfactant(s) (cetrimonium chloride, behentrimonium chloride and / or dimethyl stearamidopropyl mine) 1.6 1.6 1.6 2.5 1.6 Cocamidopropyl betaine 1.1 1.1 1.1 0.2 Hydroxyethylcellulose 0.8 1.0 1.5 1.5 0.4 Auxiliary component(s) <2 <2 <2 <2 <2 (pH adjusters, preservatives, vitamins, extracts) Solvents (water and non-aqueous solvents) QS QS QS QS QS Measured pH 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.7 4.0

[0175] The compositions contained a synergistic combination of components: carboxylic acids (citric acid), osmolytes (glycine betaine) and amino acids (arginine). Example 5 - Compositions

[0176] Compositions 5A-5D according to the disclosure were prepared as indicated in Table 3.

[0177] [Tables3] 5A 5B 5C 5D Basic amino acid(s) 5.50 5.50 3.80 3.80 Thickening agent(s) 0.30 0.90 0.90 Non-ionic surfactant(s) 0.30 1.50 0.50 0.50 Amphoteric surfactant(s) 0.30 Revitalizing agent(s) 0.80 Cationic surfactant(s) 2.10 3.84 3.00 3.00 Glycine betaine 2.50 2.50 1.80 1.80 Citric acid 6.00 6.00 5.50 5.50 Wax(s) 0.50 0.50 Fatty alcohol(s) 6.30 6.30 Vegetable oil(s) 0.50 Fatty acid ester(s) 2.50 1.50 Additives (preservatives, fragrance) <2 <2 <2 <2 Solvents (water and non-aqueous solvents) QS QS QS QS

[0178] Compositions 5A to 5D, which contained a synergistic combination of components (carboxylic acids (citric acid), osmolytes (glycine betaine) and amino acids (arginine)), should minimize and / or prevent color degradation of hair treated by coloring. Example 6# - Additional Compositions

[0179] The following compositions according to the disclosure may be prepared, and should similarly minimize hair colour degradation.

[0180] [Tables4] 6A 6B 6C 6D 6e Arginine 2.0 9.8 2.5 Lysine 2.5 2.0 10 Valine betaine 2.0 4.5 2.0 1.0 4.0 Citric acid 3.0 2.0 9.8 Lactic acid 2.0 10 2.0 Serine 0.05 0.5 0.05 0.5 Fatty compound(s) 10 8.0 9.0 15 Cationic and / or amphoteric surfactant(s) 3.0 0.5 2.5 5.0 Additional component(s) (e.g., pH adjusters, vitamins, preservatives, extracts, thickeners) <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 Solvent(s) (water and / or non-aqueous solvents) QS QS QS QS QS

[0181] The above examples demonstrate that the compositions and processes according to the disclosure surprisingly and unexpectedly prevent the degradation of hair color after exposure to external influences, including UV, water and / or other energetic stresses, such as heat, humidity, and the like.

Claims

Demands

1. A method for reducing color degradation in color-treated hair, comprising: a) applying a color-degradation-preventing composition to the hair, comprising: i) at least one compound selected from amino acids or their salts; ii) at least one osmolyte; and iii) at least one compound selected from carboxylic acids or their salts; and b) optional rinsing of the hair.

2. A process according to claim 1, wherein the color-degradation-preventing composition optionally comprises a solvent, and wherein the total amount of amino acids and their salts is at least about 2% by weight, the total amount of osmolytes is at least about 0.5% by weight, and the total amount of carboxylic acids and their salts is at least about 3% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition, and wherein the pH of the composition is less than 7.

3. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the color-degradation-preventing composition comprises i) at least one amino acid selected from arginine, glycine, proline, methionine, serine, lysine, histidine, their salts, or combinations of two or more of these.

4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the color-degradation-preventing composition comprises ii) at least one compound of formula (II) selected from valine betaine, glutamic acid betaine, glutamine betaine, trimethyl lysine, glycine betaine, histidine betaine, N-methyl histidine betaine, alanine betaine, beta-alanine betaine, choline sulfate, pipecolic acid betaine, proline betaine, hydroxyproline betaine, tyrosine betaine, phenylalanine betaine, tryptophan betaine, leucine betaine, isoleucine betaine, their salts or combinations of two or more of these, preferably comprising glycine betaine.

5. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the color-degradation-preventing composition comprises iii) at least one compound selected from formic acid, acetic acid, acid propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, caproic acid, enanthic acid, caprylic acid, lactic acid, oxalic acid, malonic acid, malic acid, glutaric acid, citraconic acid, succinic acid, adipic acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, citric acid, isocitric acid, aconitic acid, propane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid, their salts, or combinations of two or more of these.

6. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the total amount of amino acids and their salts ranges from about 2% to about 15%, preferably from about 2.5% to about 12%, more preferably from about 3% to about 10%, and most preferably from about 3.5% to about 8% by weight; the total amount of osmolytes ranges from about 0.5% to about 10%, preferably from about 1% to about 8%, more preferably from about 1% to about 5%, and most preferably from about 1.5% to about 3.5% by weight; and the total amount of carboxylic acids and their salts ranges from about 3% to about 15%, preferably from about 3% to about 12%, more preferably from about 3.5% to about 10%, and most preferably from about 4% to about 8% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition.

7. A method according to claims 1 to 6, wherein the color-degradation-preventing composition is left on the keratin fibers for a setting period of approximately 30 seconds to approximately 60 minutes, preferably from approximately 30 seconds to approximately 30 minutes, more preferably from approximately 30 seconds to approximately 15 minutes, and most preferably from approximately 2 minutes to approximately 10 minutes, and the keratin fibers are rinsed after the setting period.

8. A method according to claims 1 to 7, further comprising: (iii) shampooing and / or revitalizing keratin fibers before and / or after steps (a) and / or (b).

9. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the color-degradation-preventing composition comprises: a) at least one compound selected from arginine or its salts; b) glycine betaine or one of its salts; c) at least one compound selected from citric acid, lactic acid, or their salts; d) water; and e) optionally at least one compound selected from serine or its salts.

10. A composition adapted for carrying out the process according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising (a) at least one amino acid and / or one of its salts, (b) at least one betaine, (c) at least one carboxylic acid and / or one of its salts, (d) at least one solvent, and (e) at least one additional component selected from fatty compounds, surfactants, thickening agents, direct dyes or combinations of two or more of these.

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