O-acyl isethionate surfactant blends for mild cleansing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The incorporation of high-melting, water-insoluble O-acyl isethionates in personal care formulations is challenging due to their high melting points and low solubility, requiring energy-intensive processes and the use of additional surfactants in liquid delivery systems, which can be costly and pose health hazards.
Innovation Solution
A cost-effective, energy-efficient process to produce blends of O-acyl isethionates and N-acyl amino acid surfactants from fatty acid chloride, allowing for flexible ratios and direct conversion of solid O-acyl isethionates into liquid form without additional surfactants, using a two-step reaction at controlled temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If O-acyl isethionates are incorporated in solid form, then formulation is simple, but high melting points require energy-intensive heating processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of O-acyl isethionates from solid to liquid form through chemical modification or selection of specific derivatives, enabling incorporation at lower temperatures and reducing energy consumption while maintaining formulation simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses readily available fatty acid chlorides as starting materials to synthesize O-acyl isethionates in liquid form, eliminating the need for expensive liquid delivery systems and high-temperature processing equipment
2Ease of operation
If liquid delivery systems are used to solubilize O-acyl isethionates, then ease of incorporation improves, but additional surfactants increase cost and potential health hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the need for additional surfactants by directly synthesizing O-acyl isethionates in liquid form that can be incorporated without solubilization aids, removing the harmful components while maintaining ease of incorporation
Solution Approach 2:
The O-acyl isethionates are designed to be self-deliverable in liquid form, serving their own solubilization function without requiring additional surfactants or liquid delivery systems, thereby eliminating health hazards associated with extra ingredients
3Reliability
If high levels of emollients are used for moisturization, then skin benefit improves, but formulation complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes O-acyl isethionates serve multiple functions: as primary surfactants for cleansing and as emollients for moisturization, eliminating the need for separate emollient ingredients and simplifying the overall formulation while maintaining skin benefits
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
This process enables the creation of 'super-mild' personal cleansing compositions with improved ease of incorporation and reduced energy consumption, eliminating the need for high-temperature processing and excess surfactants, while ensuring safety and flexibility in formulation.
Implementation Method 1
reacting alkali metal or ammonium salts of hydroxyalkyl sulphonates with fatty acid chloride
Implementation Method 2
reaction of the remainder fatty acid chloride with equivalent quantity of aqueous solution of one or more amino acids
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention discloses a process for preparing blends of O-acyl isethionates and N-acyl amino acid surfactants using common fatty acid chlorides, in quantitative yields. The blends are in liquid form or can be spray dried to obtain solid dried form.