Porous Dissolvable Substrate with Cationic Surfactant Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Formulating hair care products with cationic surfactant conditioners is challenging due to interactions with other ingredients, leading to complexities in achieving optimal hair conditioning, rheology, and shelf stability, requiring iterative and resource-intensive efforts to meet different consumer needs.
Innovation Solution
A porous dissolvable solid substrate with a surface resident coating of cationic surfactant conditioner, allowing for flexible formulation and easy application, which separates the cationic surfactant conditioner from anionic surfactants, reducing interactions and simplifying the formulation process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the level of cationic surfactant conditioner is increased to improve hair conditioning performance, then hair conditioning is improved, but product rheology and shelf stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the hair care product into two distinct functional components: a porous dissolvable solid substrate containing anionic surfactants and cleaning agents, and a separate cationic surfactant conditioner applied as a surface resident coating. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the substrate can be formulated for optimal cleaning performance while the coating provides conditioning without interfering with the substrate's rheology or stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cationic surfactant conditioner is extracted from the bulk liquid formulation and placed as a surface resident coating on the porous substrate. This extraction removes the conditioning agent from the problematic interaction environment of the liquid formula, allowing it to function independently without the negative interactions that occur when mixed with anionic surfactants and fatty alcohols in traditional liquid formulations.
2Reliability
If the level of cationic surfactant conditioner is increased to improve hair conditioning performance, then hair conditioning is improved, but formulation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the formulation into a porous substrate and a surface coating, the patent simplifies the overall formulation strategy. Each component has a defined function and can be manufactured separately using standardized processes, reducing the complexity of achieving optimal performance across multiple parameters simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The porous dissolvable solid substrate acts as an intermediary carrier that separates the anionic surfactant system from the cationic conditioner. This intermediary structure allows both surfactant types to coexist in the final product without direct interaction, simplifying formulation by eliminating the need to balance complex surfactant ratios.
3Reliability
If traditional liquid hair care products are used to provide conditioning benefits, then conditioning agents can be incorporated, but product stability and formulation ease deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the product from liquid to porous solid, which fundamentally alters the formulation parameters. This phase change allows the product to be manufactured using different processes (such as extrusion or molding) and enables independent optimization of cleaning and conditioning properties without the stability issues inherent in liquid formulations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite structure combining a porous dissolvable solid substrate with a surface resident coating. This composite material approach allows integration of multiple functional components (anionic surfactants, conditioners, polymers) in a way that maintains product stability while providing comprehensive hair care 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
The solution enables flexible formulation and improved hair conditioning performance while maintaining product stability and ease of use, allowing for late-stage differentiation and convenient reconstitution into a liquid hair care composition.
Implementation Method 1
a porous dissolvable solid substrate that can be conveniently and quickly dissolved in the palm of the consumer's hand to constitute a liquid hair care composition
Implementation Method 2
a surface resident coating comprising from about 10% to about 100% of one or more cationic surfactant conditioner actives
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to hair care compositions, especially those hair care compositions in the form of a hair care article that is a porous dissolvable solid substrate. The porous dissolvable solid substrate has a surface resident coating comprising the cationic surfactant conditioner active that can provide a conditioning benefit.