Cationic Polyglyceryl Compounds for Personal Care Formulations

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing humectants in personal care products lack enhanced functionalities such as improved substantivity, moisture retention, foaming, viscosity building, and mildness, and often require ethoxylation processes that pose health and safety risks.

Innovation Solution

Development of cationic polyglyceryl compounds with a node structure comprising at least three contiguous glyceryl units, cationic groups, and hydrophobic moieties, which exhibit improved substantivity, moisture retention, foaming, and viscosity building without the need for ethoxylation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional humectants are used in personal care products, then basic moisturizing function is provided, but improved substantivity, moisture retention, foaming, and viscosity building are not achieved

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesubstantivityVSAvoidfunctional versatility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates composite molecular structures by combining polyglyceryl nodes with cationic groups and hydrophobic moieties. This composite approach allows a single compound to deliver multiple functions (substantivity, moisture retention, foaming, viscosity building) that conventional single-function humectants cannot achieve, directly resolving the contradiction between basic moisturizing and enhanced functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The invention introduces specific functional domains within the molecular structure: cationic groups for substantivity and moisture retention, hydrophobic moieties for foaming and viscosity building. Each local region of the molecule performs a specific function, allowing the overall compound to deliver multiple enhanced properties while maintaining the basic humectant function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If ethoxylation processes are used to enhance humectant functionality, then improved performance is achieved, but health and safety risks increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehumectant performanceVSAvoidhealth and safety risks

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and eliminates the ethoxylation process from the synthesis pathway while retaining the desired functional outcomes. By using alternative chemistry (polyglyceryl node construction with cationic groups and hydrophobic moieties), the invention achieves enhanced humectant performance without exposing workers to ethylene oxide hazards or producing ethoxylated byproducts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention converts the limitation of avoiding ethoxylation (which traditionally limits functional enhancement) into a benefit by developing a new synthetic approach that achieves enhanced performance through safer chemistry. The polyglyceryl node structure with attached functional groups provides a safer pathway to多功能 humectants.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Adaptability or versatility

If single-function humectants are used, then simple composition is maintained, but multiple enhanced functionalities are not provided

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefunctional versatilityVSAvoidmolecular structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent designs polyglyceryl compounds where a single molecular architecture performs multiple functions: the polyglyceryl node provides humectant base function, cationic groups provide substantivity and moisture retention, and hydrophobic moieties provide foaming and viscosity building. This multi-functionality in a single compound structure allows enhanced versatility without requiring multiple separate ingredients.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Reliability

If polyglyceryl compounds with cationic groups and hydrophobic moieties are synthesized, then improved substantivity, moisture retention, foaming, and viscosity building are achieved, but synthesis process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesubstantivityVSAvoidsynthesis process simplicity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The synthesis is divided into manageable segments: first constructing the polyglyceryl node structure, then sequentially attaching cationic groups and hydrophobic moieties. This segmented approach to synthesis makes the complex multi-functional compound production more manageable and scalable, reducing the practical complexity despite the advanced molecular architecture required.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS10285923B2Cationic polyglyceryl compositions and compounds

Publication Date: 2019.05.14 KENVUE BRANDS LLC

AI summary

Provided are polyglyceryl compositions comprising one or more polyglyceryl compounds having: (a) a node structure comprising at least three contiguous glyceryl remnant units; (b) one or more cationic groups each linked to the node structure by an independently selected linking group; and (c) one or more hydrophobic moieties each independently (i) linked to the node structure by a linking group, or (ii) constituting a portion of one of the one or more cationic groups, wherein the composition has an average degree of polymerization determined by hydroxyl value testing (DPOH) of from about 3 to about 20. Also provided are polyglyceryl compounds which may compose such compositions, and uses of the polyglyceryl compositions and compounds.