Olive Oil Ester Mixture for Stable Cosmetic Emollients
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Solution Overview
Problem
Natural unsaponifiable components from olive oil, such as squalene, face challenges in cosmetic preparations due to oxidation, strong odor, intense color, and cloudiness, leading to stability issues and increased production costs, while lacking desirable dermatological properties like skin cooling and hypoallergenicity.
Innovation Solution
A mixture of esters derived from saturated and unsaturated C16-C18 fatty acids with 2-ethyl-1-hexyl alcohol, which mimics the chemical nature of human sebum, offering improved stability, absorption, and reduced irritation, and is produced through a reproducible process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If unsaponifiable component (squalene) is used in cosmetic preparations, then dermatological actions (emollient, moisturizing, elasticizing) are achieved, but oxidation stability deteriorates due to six double bonds making it easily subject to oxidation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the beneficial dermatological properties of the unsaponifiable component while removing the harmful polyunsaturated fatty acids with multiple double bonds that cause oxidation. The ester mixture replicates the emollient, moisturizing, and elasticizing effects without the oxidation-prone squalene molecule, thereby achieving stability without sacrificing dermatological action.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the chemical parameters of the active ingredient by using esters of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids instead of polyunsaturated squalene. This parameter change reduces the number of double bonds from six in squalene to at most one in the ester molecules, fundamentally altering the oxidation resistance while maintaining the desired dermatological effects.
2Reliability
If unsaponifiable component is used in cosmetic preparations, then dermatological benefits are obtained, but organoleptic characteristics deteriorate due to strong characteristic smell that is difficult to mask
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the desirable dermatological functions from the undesirable strong odor by using a completely different chemical structure (esters of 2-ethyl-1-hexyl alcohol) that does not produce the characteristic strong smell of squalene, while still delivering emollient, moisturizing, and elasticizing benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a synthetic copy of the unsaponifiable component's functional properties without replicating its chemical structure. The ester mixture copies the emollient, moisturizing, and elasticizing effects while having a neutral or pleasant odor profile, effectively decoupling function from unwanted sensory characteristics.
3Reliability
If unsaponifiable component is used in cosmetic preparations, then dermatological effects are achieved, but visual appearance deteriorates due to intense deep yellow color and cloudiness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the beneficial dermatological effects from the unsaponifiable component while eliminating the deep yellow color and cloudiness by using clear, colorless or lightly colored ester molecules that do not contain the conjugated double bond systems responsible for the intense coloration of squalene.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a visual copy of the desired product appearance (clear, homogeneous, light-colored) while maintaining the functional copy of dermatological effects, thereby achieving both aesthetic and therapeutic goals simultaneously through a different chemical approach.
4Reliability
If unsaponifiable component is used in cosmetic preparations, then some dermatological properties are obtained, but skin cooling effect is lost instead producing feeling of heat
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the thermal parameters of the active ingredient by selecting esters with different heat capacity and thermal conductivity characteristics compared to squalene. The 2-ethyl-1-hexyl alcohol esters provide a cooling sensation upon application, reversing the thermal effect from heating (squalene) to cooling through fundamental changes in the molecular structure and thermal properties.
5Reliability
If natural unsaponifiable component is used, then dermatological actions are achieved, but production costs increase due to difficulty in isolation and batch variability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential fatty acid components needed for dermatological action from olive oil, discarding the problematic unsaponifiable fraction. This extraction approach simplifies the production process by working with readily available fatty acids and standard esterification procedures, eliminating the need for complex isolation and purification of squalene while maintaining batch-to-batch consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a synthetic replica of the natural unsaponifiable component's benefits using commercially available fatty acids and straightforward esterification chemistry. This copying approach provides a reproducible, cost-effective alternative that eliminates the isolation difficulties and batch variability inherent in extracting natural squalene, while delivering comparable or superior dermatological performance.
Data Source
AI summary
Mixture comprising esters of saturated C16-C18 fatty acid and unsaturated C16-C18 fatty acids with 2-ethyl-hexyl alcohol, said esters being in an amount ranging from 90% to 100% by weight with respect to the total weight of the mixture. The cosmetic compositions containing such a mixture formulated in topical form have a moisturising, emollient, elasticising and skin compactness and smoothness improving action.