Keratin Treatment Composition for Disulfide Bond Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hair and skin treatments fail to effectively repair and strengthen disulfide bonds, leading to damaged hair and skin conditions such as frizz, dullness, and flakiness, and do not adequately bind free thiols, resulting in temporary and unsatisfactory conditioning benefits.
Innovation Solution
Compositions containing binding agents that form covalent, ionic, or hydrogen bonds with keratin to repair and strengthen disulfide bonds, providing long-lasting moisturized and smooth feels to hair and skin by interacting with thiols, and are stable under normal washing conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If reducing agents are used to cleave disulfide bonds for hair styling, then the hair can be shaped, but the newly formed disulfide bonds break easily causing style reversion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a preliminary protecting action by introducing agents that stabilize disulfide bonds before they can break. The composition includes oxidizing agents and protecting agents that work together to prevent bond rupture during and after styling, ensuring long-lasting results without requiring excessive mechanical restraint.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the hair treatment system by using specific oxidizing agents (hydrogen peroxide, sodium bromate) at controlled concentrations and pH levels. This creates optimal conditions for disulfide bond formation and stabilization, transforming the chemical environment to prevent bond breakage and style reversion.
2Stability of the object's composition
If peroxides are used as oxidizing agents to restore disulfide bonds, then oxidation is achieved, but hair damage, color removal, and frizz occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces intermediary protecting agents that mediate between the oxidizing agents and the hair structure. These intermediaries include amino acids, peptides, and proteins that protect keratin from oxidative damage while allowing controlled disulfide bond formation. The intermediaries act as buffers, reducing the harshness of peroxide treatment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite treatment system combining multiple active ingredients: oxidizing agents (for bond restoration), protecting agents (for damage prevention), and conditioning agents (for hair quality). This composite approach allows simultaneous achievement of bond restoration and damage protection, eliminating the need to choose between effectiveness and safety.
3Ease of manufacture
If repeated washing with slightly alkaline shampoo is performed, then cleaning is achieved, but disulfide bonds are broken causing hair damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by using acidifying agents in the shampoo formulation that counteract the alkaline damage mechanism. The composition includes weak acids that lower the pH during washing, preventing the alkaline conditions that would otherwise cause disulfide bond cleavage. This preliminary protective measure stops bond breaking before it can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent fundamentally changes the pH parameter of the washing system from alkaline to slightly acidic. This parameter change transforms the chemical environment during washing, making it incompatible with disulfide bond cleavage while still effective for cleaning. The acidic conditions stabilize bonds during the washing process.
4Ease of operation
If current hair conditioning compositions are used, then temporary conditioning benefit is provided, but free thiols are not bound resulting in unsatisfactory long-term results
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary binding action by including agents that specifically bind free thiols before they can cause damage or prevent proper bonding. The composition includes agents that react with and stabilize free thiol groups, preventing them from interfering with disulfide bond formation or causing future damage. This preliminary binding ensures long-term stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces temporary physical conditioning mechanisms with permanent chemical bonding mechanisms. Instead of relying on surface-level conditioning agents that wash away, the composition uses agents that form covalent bonds with hair proteins, providing lasting conditioning benefits that persist through multiple washes.
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 compositions provide improved conditioning, increased tensile strength, reduced hair breakage, and extended bond stability, enhancing manageability and appearance of hair, while also moisturizing and smoothing the skin.
Implementation Method 1
compositions containing binding agents that form covalent, ionic, or hydrogen bonds with keratin to repair and strengthen disulfide bonds
Implementation Method 2
compositions containing binding agents that form covalent, ionic, or hydrogen bonds with keratin to repair and strengthen disulfide bonds
Implementation Method 3
compositions containing binding agents that form covalent, ionic, or hydrogen bonds with keratin to repair and strengthen disulfide bonds
Implementation Method 4
Water reversibly cleaves the hydrogen bonds. This makes wet hair easy to shape and set.
Implementation Method 5
When the water evaporates, hydrogen bonds form at new positions, holding the hair in this set.
Implementation Method 6
Oxidation to restore the reduced bonds can be achieved by simply exposing the hair to atmospheric oxygen, but this oxidation step is very slow and is of very little practical use. Generally, hydrogen peroxide or sodium bromate is used as the oxidizing agent.
Implementation Method 7
Current compositions and methods for waving and straightening mammalian hair use reducing agents such as thioglycolic acid, particularly as the ammonium salt, to cleave the hair's cystine disulfide bonds.
Data Source
AI summary
A keratin treatment composition is disclosed.