Masking agent

Abstract

To provide a masking agent with excellent capability to mask irritating odor caused by sulfite compounds, a masking method capable of effectively masking the irritating odor, and an external composition containing a sulfite compound in which the irritating odor derived from the sulfite compound is effectively suppressed.SOLUTION: Provided are a masking agent for masking irritating odor derived from a sulfite compound, the masking agent comprising rosemary oil; a masking method involving blending the masking agent with a composition comprising a sulfite compound; and an external composition containing a sulfite compound, in which the masking agent is also included.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a masking agent. More specifically, the present invention relates to a masking agent that can be suitably used for masking irritating odors caused by sulfite compounds, a masking method, and a composition for external use containing the masking agent. [Background technology]

[0002] In topical compositions, antioxidants are used to prevent deterioration of the components, such as yellowing (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Well-known examples of such antioxidants include sulfite compounds.

[0003] However, although sulfite compounds have excellent antioxidant properties, they have the drawback of having an irritating odor.

[0004] Therefore, a technology for suppressing the irritating odor caused by sulfite compounds is desired. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-179582 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional technology, and an object of the present invention is to provide a masking agent that is excellent in masking ability against irritating odors caused by sulfite compounds, a masking method that can effectively mask the irritating odors, and a composition for external use that contains a sulfite compound and effectively suppresses the irritating odors caused by the sulfite compounds. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to (1) A masking agent for masking an irritating odor caused by a sulfite compound, the masking agent being characterized by containing rosemary oil; (2) A method for masking an irritating odor caused by a sulfite compound in a composition containing the sulfite compound, the method comprising blending the masking agent according to (1) above into the composition containing the sulfite compound; and (3) A composition for external use containing a sulfite compound, the composition for external use containing the masking agent described in (1) above. Regarding. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a masking agent that has excellent masking properties against the irritating odor caused by sulfite compounds, a masking method that can effectively mask the irritating odor, and a composition for external use that contains a sulfite compound and effectively suppresses the irritating odor caused by the sulfite compound. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] 1. Masking agent The masking agent of the present invention is a masking agent for masking irritating odors caused by sulfite compounds. The masking agent of the present invention is characterized by containing rosemary oil. Since the masking agent of the present invention contains rosemary oil, it can effectively mask irritating odors caused by sulfite compounds.

[0010] In this specification, the "irritating odor caused by sulfurous compounds" includes, for example, a "rotten egg-like odor" such as the odor of sulfur dioxide. "Masking an irritating odor" refers to making the irritating odor substantially insensitive to humans.

[0011] In this specification, a sulfite compound is a compound used as an antioxidant, and the concept includes sulfites, hyposulfites, pyrosulfites, and hydrogensulfites. These sulfite compounds may be a single compound or a mixture of two or more types.

[0012] Examples of sulfites include alkali metal sulfites such as sodium sulfite and potassium sulfite, alkaline earth metal sulfites such as calcium sulfite, and ammonium sulfite, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. These sulfites may be a single compound or a mixture of two or more types.

[0013] Examples of hyposulfites include alkali metal hyposulfites such as sodium hyposulfite and potassium hyposulfite, alkaline earth metal hyposulfites such as calcium hyposulfite, and ammonium hyposulfite, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. These hyposulfites may be a single compound or a mixture of two or more types.

[0014] Examples of pyrosulfite include alkali metal pyrosulfite such as sodium pyrosulfite and potassium pyrosulfite, alkaline earth metal pyrosulfite such as calcium pyrosulfite, and ammonium pyrosulfite, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. These pyrosulfites may be a single compound or a mixture of two or more types.

[0015] Examples of hydrogen sulfites include alkali metal hydrogen sulfites such as sodium hydrogen sulfite and potassium hydrogen sulfite, alkaline earth metal hydrogen sulfites such as calcium hydrogen sulfite, and ammonium hydrogen sulfite, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. These hydrogen sulfites may be a single compound or a mixture of two or more types.

[0016] The masking agent of the present invention can effectively mask preferably the irritating odor caused by sulfites, the irritating odor caused by hyposulfites, the irritating odor caused by pyrosulfites, and the irritating odor caused by hydrogensulfites, more preferably the irritating odor caused by alkali metal sulfites, the irritating odor caused by alkali metal hyposulfites, the irritating odor caused by alkali metal pyrosulfites, and the irritating odor caused by alkali metal hydrogensulfites, and even more preferably the irritating odor caused by sodium sulfite, the irritating odor caused by potassium sulfite, the irritating odor caused by sodium hyposulfite, the irritating odor caused by potassium hyposulfite, the irritating odor caused by sodium pyrosulfite, the irritating odor caused by potassium pyrosulfite, the irritating odor caused by sodium hydrogensulfite, and the irritating odor caused by potassium hydrogensulfite.

[0017] In the present invention, rosemary oil refers to an essential oil produced from the plant organs of rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus Schleid). Examples of plant organs include flowers, leaves, and stems, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. Among plant organs, leaves and stems are preferred, and leaves are more preferred, from the viewpoint of obtaining a masking agent having excellent masking properties against irritating odors caused by sulfurous compounds.

[0018] Rosemary oil can be easily produced by, for example, steam distillation, squeezing, solvent extraction, etc. Among these methods, steam distillation is preferred from the viewpoint of obtaining a masking agent having excellent masking properties against irritating odors caused by sulfurous compounds.

[0019] Among rosemary oils, oil extracted from rosemary leaves and stems by steam distillation (also called "rosemary leaf oil") is preferred from the viewpoint of improving the masking ability against irritating odors caused by sulfurous compounds. Rosemary oil is readily available commercially.

[0020] In the present invention, rosemary oil can be used as a masking agent as it is, but it may be appropriately diluted with other oil components within a range that does not impair the object of the present invention. From the viewpoint of ensuring excellent handling, it is preferable to use rosemary oil as it is as a masking agent.

[0021] The amount of the masking agent of the present invention used (amount of rosemary oil used) per 100 parts by mass of sulfite compounds is preferably 50 parts by mass or more, more preferably 60 parts by mass or more, and even more preferably 70 parts by mass or more, from the viewpoint of sufficiently masking the irritating odor caused by the sulfite compounds, and is preferably 400 parts by mass or less, more preferably 380 parts by mass or less, and even more preferably 360 parts by mass or less, from the viewpoint of ensuring masking properties commensurate with the amount of rosemary oil used.

[0022] As described above, the masking agent of the present invention can effectively mask the irritating odor caused by sulfite compounds, and can therefore be suitably used for masking the irritating odor caused by sulfite compounds in various compositions in which sulfite compounds are used and it is desired to reduce or suppress the irritating odor.

[0023] 2. Masking method The masking method of the present invention is characterized in that the masking agent of the present invention is blended with a composition containing a sulfite compound. Since the masking method of the present invention employs the operation of blending the above-mentioned masking agent with a composition containing a sulfite compound, it is possible to effectively mask the irritating odor caused by the sulfite compound in the composition containing the sulfite compound.

[0024] Examples of compositions to which the masking method of the present invention can be applied include compositions for external use such as cosmetic compositions, quasi-drug compositions, and pharmaceutical compositions; food compositions such as foods and beverages; however, the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0025] The sulfite compound contained in the composition is the same as the sulfite compound described above.

[0026] The amount of the masking agent of the present invention (amount of rosemary oil) per 100 parts by mass of sulfite compounds contained in the composition is preferably 50 parts by mass or more, more preferably 60 parts by mass or more, and even more preferably 70 parts by mass or more, from the viewpoint of sufficiently masking the irritating odor caused by the sulfite compounds, and is preferably 400 parts by mass or less, more preferably 380 parts by mass or less, and even more preferably 360 parts by mass or less, from the viewpoint of ensuring masking properties commensurate with the amount of rosemary oil used.

[0027] As described above, the masking method of the present invention can effectively mask the irritating odor caused by sulfite compounds, and can therefore be suitably applied to masking the irritating odor caused by sulfite compounds in various compositions in which sulfite compounds are used and it is desired to reduce or suppress the irritating odor.

[0028] 3. External composition The topical composition of the present invention is a topical composition containing a sulfite compound, and is characterized by containing the above-mentioned masking agent. In the topical composition of the present invention, the sulfite compound and the above-mentioned masking agent are used in combination, so that the irritating odor caused by the sulfite compound is effectively suppressed.

[0029] Examples of compositions for external use include cosmetic compositions, quasi-drug compositions, and pharmaceutical compositions, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0030] The content of the sulfite compound in the topical composition varies depending on the type of components used in the topical composition, and is therefore preferably determined appropriately according to the type of components used in the topical composition. The content of the sulfite compound in the topical composition is preferably 0.01% by mass or more, more preferably 0.02% by mass or more, and even more preferably 0.03% by mass or more, from the viewpoint of sufficiently suppressing the oxidation of each component contained in the topical composition, and is preferably 0.2% by mass or less, more preferably 0.1% by mass or less, from the viewpoint of ensuring an antioxidant effect commensurate with the amount of the sulfite compound used.

[0031] The amount of the masking agent of the present invention (amount of rosemary oil) per 100 parts by mass of sulfite compounds contained in the topical composition is preferably 50 parts by mass or more, more preferably 60 parts by mass or more, and even more preferably 70 parts by mass or more, from the viewpoint of sufficiently masking the irritating odor caused by the sulfite compounds, and is preferably 400 parts by mass or less, more preferably 380 parts by mass or less, and even more preferably 360 parts by mass or less, from the viewpoint of ensuring masking properties commensurate with the amount of rosemary oil used.

[0032] The topical composition of the present invention may contain ingredients such as water (purified water, ion-exchanged water, pure water, etc.); monohydric aliphatic alcohols having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; polyhydric alcohols; gelling agents; oil components (wax, hydrocarbon oil, fatty acids, fats and oils, ester oil, silicone oil, etc.); surfactants (anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, etc.); moisturizers (sugar, hyaluronic acid, hyaluronic acid derivatives, etc.); thickeners; antioxidants (excluding sulfite compounds); chelating agents; fragrances; pigments; ultraviolet absorbing agents; ultraviolet scattering agents; vitamins; amino acids; preservatives, etc., depending on the use of the topical composition, so long as the object of the present invention is not impaired.

[0033] Examples of dosage forms of the topical composition of the present invention include liquids, gels, ointments, creams, lotions, poultices, and aerosols, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0034] As described above, according to the topical composition of the present invention, the irritating odor caused by the sulfite compound used as an antioxidant in the topical composition is effectively suppressed, so that the user is less likely to notice an unpleasant odor, and it is expected that the topical composition will be easily accepted by users who have been put off by the unpleasant odors of the past. EXAMPLES

[0035] Next, the present invention will be described in more detail based on examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0036] Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 6 A composition for external use (cream) was prepared by mixing the components in a conventional manner to obtain the composition shown in Table 1. In the table, the unit of each numerical value of the composition is "mass %" unless otherwise specified.

[0037] [Table 1]

[0038] Test Example 1 The topical composition obtained in Example 1 was applied to the outer side of one forearm of each of seven expert panelists with the same evaluation skill proficiency. The expert panelists were asked to evaluate the irritating odor caused by sodium pyrosulfite in the topical composition and score the degree of the irritating odor caused by sodium pyrosulfite based on the following evaluation criteria. In addition, the expert panelists were asked to evaluate the irritating odor caused by sodium pyrosulfite in the topical composition in the same manner as above, except that the topical composition obtained in any of Comparative Examples 1 to 6 was used instead of the topical composition obtained in Example 1, and score the degree of the irritating odor caused by sodium pyrosulfite based on the following evaluation criteria. Next, the average value of the scores given by the expert panelists was calculated. The results are shown in Table 2. In addition, in the topical composition obtained in Comparative Example 6, the irritating odor caused by sodium pyrosulfite was not masked. <Evaluation criteria> 40 points: No irritating odor caused by sodium pyrosulfite is detected. 20 points: A slight pungent odor caused by sodium pyrosulfite is detected. 0 points: A pungent odor caused by sodium pyrosulfite is detected.

[0039] [Table 2]

[0040] From the results shown in Table 2, it can be seen that the irritating odor caused by sodium pyrosulfite is effectively masked in the topical composition obtained in Example 1, which contains rosemary leaf oil. In contrast, it can be seen that the irritating odor is not sufficiently masked in the topical compositions obtained in Comparative Examples 1 to 5, which use tea tree oil (Comparative Example 1), Damask rose flower oil (Comparative Example 2), grapefruit peel oil (Comparative Example 3), bergamot oil (Comparative Example 4), or Italian cypress leaf oil (Comparative Example 5).

[0041] Therefore, these results show that rosemary oil, such as rosemary leaf oil, can effectively mask the irritating odor caused by sodium pyrosulfite, and therefore the rosemary oil is suitable as a masking agent for the irritating odor caused by sodium pyrosulfite.

[0042] Test Example 2 In Example 1, the content of rosemary leaf oil in the topical composition was changed from 0.1% by mass (200 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of sodium pyrosulfite) to 0.025% by mass (50 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of sodium pyrosulfite) or 0.05% by mass (100 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of sodium pyrosulfite), and when the irritating odor was evaluated by expert panelists as in Test Example 1, the irritating odor caused by sodium pyrosulfite tended to be effectively masked.

[0043] Test Example 3 In Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 6, except that sodium sulfite (sulfite salt), sodium hyposulfite (hyposulfite salt) or sodium hydrogensulfite (hydrogensulfite salt) was used instead of sodium pyrosulfite, operations were carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 6 to prepare external compositions, and when the irritating odor was evaluated by expert panelists in the same manner as in Test Example 1, rosemary oil tends to effectively mask the irritating odor caused by sodium sulfite, sodium hyposulfite or sodium hydrogensulfite.

[0044] As described above, rosemary oil effectively masks the irritating odor caused by sulfites, pyrosulfites, hyposulfites, or hydrogensulfites, and is therefore expected to be suitably used as a masking agent for the irritating odor caused by sulfite compounds, for example, in compositions containing sulfite compounds.

Claims

1. A masking agent for masking irritating odors caused by sulfite compounds, the masking agent comprising rosemary oil.

2. A method for masking an irritating odor caused by a sulfite compound in a composition containing the sulfite compound, the method comprising blending the masking agent according to claim 1 into the composition containing the sulfite compound.

3. A topical composition containing a sulfite compound, the topical composition comprising the masking agent according to claim 1.

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