Hydrophobic Coating on Dissolvable Solid for Personal Care
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current personal care products, especially liquid forms, face challenges in delivering hydrophobic active agents effectively due to their aqueous nature, leading to poor deposition efficiency on hair and skin, and require complex formulation techniques like emulsification, which can result in wasted benefits and phase instability.
Innovation Solution
A dissolvable solid personal care product with a porous structure and a hydrophobic surface-resident coating is developed, allowing for enhanced deposition of hydrophobic actives without the need for emulsification, achieved by coating the actives on the solid/air interfaces rather than dispersing them within the solid structure, enabling efficient delivery and customization at the point of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If hydrophobic benefit agents are incorporated into aqueous liquid products through emulsification, then the products can be delivered in liquid form, but the deposition efficiency on hair and skin deteriorates due to rinsing off before sufficient deposition
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter from liquid to solid by creating a dissolvable solid structure. This fundamental parameter change allows the hydrophobic active to be contained in a solid matrix that dissolves upon contact with water, transforming the delivery mechanism while maintaining ease of use. The solid structure dissolves to release the active ingredient at the point of application, ensuring deposition before rinsing occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydrophobic active is pre-associated with the solid structure through surface coating or incorporation during manufacturing. This preliminary association ensures the active is positioned for immediate deposition upon dissolution, rather than being dispersed in an aqueous medium where it would rinse off. The active is prepared in advance in a form that ensures efficient deposition when the solid dissolves.
2Ease of operation
If hydrophobic benefit agents are emulsified in aqueous products, then liquid product form is achieved, but formulation complexity increases due to required emulsification techniques
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the hydrophobic active from the aqueous continuous phase by incorporating it into a solid structure. Instead of emulsifying the hydrophobic agent within the aqueous liquid, the active is separated and embedded in or coated on a dissolvable solid matrix. This extraction eliminates the need for emulsification while maintaining liquid product form through dissolution at use.
Solution Approach 2:
The solid structure acts as a temporary carrier that dissolves completely during use. This disposable-like approach to the solid matrix eliminates the need for stable emulsification systems. The solid structure is designed to be short-lived, dissolving rapidly to release the active ingredient, thereby simplifying the overall formulation by removing the need for complex emulsifiers and stabilization systems.
3Ease of operation
If hydrophobic benefit agents are emulsified in aqueous products, then liquid delivery is enabled, but product stability deteriorates due to phase instability
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrophobic active is extracted from the aqueous phase and incorporated into a solid structure, eliminating the oil-water interface that causes phase instability in emulsions. By removing the hydrophobic agent from direct contact with the aqueous continuous phase, the formulation achieves improved shelf stability without requiring complex emulsification systems.
4Ease of manufacture
If hydrophobic actives are dispersed within the solid structure, then the active is contained, but deposition efficiency deteriorates compared to surface coating
Solution Approach 1:
The active is preliminarily positioned on the surface of the solid structure through coating, ensuring immediate availability for deposition when the solid dissolves. This surface placement is a preliminary action that optimizes the dissolution-deposition sequence, allowing the active to be released directly onto the target surface rather than requiring diffusion from within the bulk solid structure.
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 solution provides improved deposition efficiency of hydrophobic actives, minimizing waste and phase instability issues, while allowing for customizable cosmetic benefits through the use of a hydrophobic surface-resident coating on a porous dissolvable solid structure.
Implementation Method 1
coating or including the active as a coating on the article (e.g., adsorbed onto the solid/air interfaces of the structure of the article)
Implementation Method 2
dissolvable solid structure... conveniently and quickly dissolved in the palm of the consumer to reconstitute a liquid product
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present invention relates to personal care compositions, especially those personal care compositions in the form of an article that is a porous, dissolvable solid structure. The article has a hydrophobic surface-resident coating that can provide enhanced deposition efficiency of hydrophobic actives contained therein.