Low-pH Clear Cleansing Compositions Using Amphoteric Surfactants
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing skin cleansing compositions face challenges in achieving low irritation, high clarity, and desirable foam properties while maintaining a pH compatible with the skin, as synthetic surfactants tend to be irritating and polymeric thickeners often cause cloudiness or opacity, making it difficult to formulate clear and mild cleansing products.
Innovation Solution
The composition includes a low molecular weight, non-crosslinked acrylic copolymer and a surfactant blend of amphoteric surfactants, such as ampholytic and zwitterionic surfactants, which are combined to create a clear and mild skin cleansing formulation with a pH of 6 or less, ensuring low irritation and high clarity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If synthetic surfactant detergents are used to achieve high foaming and cleansing properties, then foam volume and cleansing performance are improved, but skin and eye irritation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the surfactant system by using amphoteric surfactants instead of traditional anionic surfactants, and by adjusting the pH to 6 or less. This parameter change maintains cleansing effectiveness while reducing irritation to skin and eyes, as amphoteric surfactants are inherently milder and the low pH formulation further mitigates irritation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite surfactant system comprising amphoteric surfactants in combination with specific polymers. This composite approach creates a synergistic effect where the amphoteric surfactants provide mild cleansing and the polymer enhances foam stability and conditioning, achieving high productivity with reduced harmful effects.
2Stability of the object's composition
If polymeric thickeners are added to improve viscosity and stability, then composition stability is improved, but clarity and transparency are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by selecting specific polymers with particular molecular weight ranges and structural characteristics that provide thickening and stabilizing functions in specific regions of the composition without causing overall cloudiness. The polymer is chosen to have properties that allow it to thicken the formulation while remaining transparent, thus achieving local optimization of both stability and clarity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the polymer by controlling its molecular weight, degree of crosslinking, and chemical composition. By optimizing these parameters, the polymer provides sufficient viscosity and stability enhancement while maintaining composition transparency, resolving the contradiction between stability improvement and clarity maintenance.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If pH is reduced to achieve low irritation and skin compatibility, then irritation is reduced and skin compatibility is improved, but clarity and stability of polymeric thickeners are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the pH parameter to 6 or less, which is below the typical isoelectric point of many proteins and close to the skin's natural pH. This parameter change reduces irritation and improves skin compatibility while the selected polymer is specifically chosen to remain stable and transparent at this lower pH, unlike conventional polymers that require higher pH for stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a polymer system that is optimized for low pH applications, effectively replacing conventional pH-sensitive polymers. This specialized polymer formulation allows the composition to maintain clarity and stability at the lower pH required for skin compatibility, effectively making the system adaptable to the low pH environment without compromising performance.
Data Source
AI summary
The methods and compositions of this invention relate to compositions having low irritation characteristics in combination with one or more additional characteristics, for example, relatively high clarity, relatively high foaming, and/or combinations thereof, as well as methods of making and using such compositions. These compositions contain blends of amphoteric surfactants, have low pH values and are useful in cleansing the skin.