Buffered AHA-Urea Skin Formulation for Low-Irritation Exfoliation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing skincare compositions containing alpha hydroxy acids and urea often cause skin irritation and sensitization, limiting their effectiveness in treating severe dermatological conditions like keratosis pilaris and very dry skin due to the need to keep concentrations below 10%, reducing potency.
Innovation Solution
Formulations combining at least 10% alpha hydroxy acid (e.g., glycolic acid) with 10% urea or urea derivatives, along with additional ingredients like peptides, ceramides, and antioxidants, to enhance exfoliation and penetration while minimizing irritancy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high concentrations of alpha hydroxy acids and urea are used to treat severe dermatological conditions, then treatment efficacy is improved, but skin irritation and sensitization increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses buffering agents (such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, or triethanolamine) as intermediaries to neutralize the harsh effects of high-concentration alpha hydroxy acids and urea. These buffering agents adjust the pH of the formulation, reducing skin irritation while preserving the therapeutic efficacy of the active ingredients at concentrations of 10% or higher.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the pH parameter of the formulation by incorporating buffering agents. This parameter change allows the formulation to maintain high concentrations of active ingredients (10% or more) while reducing skin irritation through pH adjustment, thereby resolving the contradiction between efficacy and tolerability.
2Reliability
If high concentrations of acidic agents are used to treat severe skin conditions, then treatment potency is improved, but adverse reactions increase
Solution Approach 1:
Buffering agents serve as mediators that counterbalance the adverse effects of high-concentration acidic agents. By introducing these intermediary substances, the formulation can achieve potent treatment effects with 10% or higher concentrations of alpha hydroxy acids and urea while minimizing sensitization reactions and other adverse effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potentially harmful high acidity into a beneficial therapeutic effect by using buffering agents to control pH. The high concentration of acidic agents provides enhanced treatment potency, while the buffering system converts the harmful acidity into a controlled, tolerable formulation that reduces adverse reactions.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If low concentrations of active ingredients are used in mass market products, then skin irritation is reduced, but treatment efficacy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the pH parameter through buffering agents, enabling mass market products to use higher concentrations (10% or more) of active ingredients without causing excessive irritation. This parameter change allows the formulation to achieve both low irritancy and high treatment efficacy, overcoming the limitation of conventional low-concentration products.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite formulation that combines alpha hydroxy acids, urea, and buffering agents in specific proportions. This composite material approach allows the product to maintain high concentrations of active ingredients for efficacy while the buffering component ensures low irritancy, making it suitable for both mass market and severe condition treatment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The combination achieves improved exfoliation, penetration, and treatment efficacy for conditions like keratosis pilaris and very dry skin with reduced irritancy and sensitization, providing enhanced results comparable to higher concentrations of urea alone.
Implementation Method 1
Alpha hydroxy acids, such as glycolic acid and lactic acid, are biologically active in skin treatment and penetrate the skin to provide exfoliation due to the acidic properties
Implementation Method 2
humectation, i.e., skin moisturizing, due to the high water binding capability and other properties of these compounds
Implementation Method 3
Treatment with urea may produce a temporary minor sting due to hypo-osmolarity, i.e., intense penetration, of the skincare cream
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are effective, non-irritating, skincare formulations containing an alpha hydroxy acid and urea or a urea derivative for topical application to the skin. The disclosed topical formulations provide enhanced penetration of the active ingredients to the skin for the treatment of amenable skin conditions, such as very dry skin and keratosis pilaris, as well as for improvement of aesthetic skin properties. Also provided are methods for therapeutic treatment of dermatological conditions by topically applying a formulation comprising (% w/w) at least 10% alpha hydroxy acid and at least 10% urea. The formulations may be cream emulsions, spray-ons, among other delivery systems.