Cationic Polymer Oil Deposition in Personal Care Cleansers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional personal care cleansers often remove both desirable and undesirable skin oils during cleansing, leading to dry skin, and existing deposition aids like cationic modified celluloses provide low oil deposition efficiency, necessitating high oil incorporation which compromises foam/lather consumer feel.
Innovation Solution
A personal care composition comprising a vehicle, cosmetically acceptable oil, and a cationic polymer with specific monomer units, including acrylamide, N,N-dimethyl acrylamide, and monoethylenically unsaturated monocationic monomers, which enhances oil deposition efficiency while maintaining desirable consumer feel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cationic modified celluloses or guar hydroxypropyl triammonium chloride are used as deposition aids, then oil deposition on skin is achieved, but oil deposition efficiency is low requiring high oil incorporation which compromises foam and lather consumer feel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the polymer by selecting specific monomer compositions (acrylamide, N,N-dimethyl acrylamide, and monoethylenically unsaturated monocationic monomers in defined ratios) and molecular weight ranges (10,000 to 500,000 g/mol). This optimization of polymer parameters achieves superior oil deposition efficiency compared to conventional deposition aids, allowing effective moisturization at lower oil concentrations that preserve desirable foam and lather properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite polymer structure combining three different monomer types: acrylamide units for hydrophilicity, N,N-dimethyl acrylamide units for steric stabilization, and monoethylenically unsaturated monocationic monomers for electrostatic attraction to skin. This composite material approach creates a synergistic effect that enhances oil deposition efficiency beyond what single-polymer systems or conventional deposition aids can achieve.
2Productivity
If cleansing formulations use strong surfactants to remove dirt and germs, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but desirable skin oils are removed leading to dry skin
Solution Approach 1:
The cationic polymer acts as an intermediary substance that bridges the gap between cleansing and moisturizing functions. During the rinse-off step, the polymer deposits on the skin surface and serves as a mediator that attracts and retains cosmetically acceptable oils, thereby compensating for the oils removed by surfactants during cleansing. This intermediary mechanism allows strong surfactants to be used for effective cleaning while the polymer-oil complex prevents skin dryness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a recover approach where oils that would otherwise be permanently removed during cleansing are instead recovered and redeposited on the skin. The cationic polymer binds to skin surfaces and attracts cosmetically acceptable oils during the rinse-off phase, effectively recovering the lubricating and protective oil layer that was stripped away by surfactants, thereby preventing skin dryness while maintaining cleaning effectiveness.
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 composition achieves excellent oil deposition efficiency for moisturization while preserving the desirable consumer feel of personal care products like body wash and shampoo.
Implementation Method 1
Deposition of moisturizers is of particular interest for various personal care compositions
Implementation Method 2
a cationic polymer comprising structural units of acrylamide monomer; structural units of N,N-dimethyl acrylamide monomer; and structural units of a monoethylenically unsaturated monocationic monomer
Data Source
AI summary
A personal care composition is provided, comprising: a vehicle; a cosmetically acceptable oil; and a cationic polymer comprising structural units of acrylamide monomer; structural units of N,N-dimethyl acrylamide monomer; and structural units of monoethylenically unsaturated monocationic monomer; wherein the cationic polymer comprises <10 mol % structural units of multiethylenically unsaturated cationic monomer; wherein the cationic polymer comprises <30 wt % structural units of ester containing monomers; wherein the cationic polymer comprises <1 mol % structural units of ethylenically unsaturated monomers containing a moiety selected from the group consisting of epoxy, anhydride, imide, lactone, carboxylic acid, sulfonic acid and isocyanate; wherein the cationic polymer comprises <0.1 mol % structural units of a reactive siloxane; and wherein the personal care composition comprises <0.05 wt % water soluble, organic, ampholytic polymer conditioning agent. Also provided is a method of using a personal care composition.