Self-Thickening Gel Composition Without Conventional Thickeners
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gel products face challenges in forming stable gels using amino acid surfactants as primary surfactants without conventional thickening agents, leading to issues such as incomplete rinsing, residue, and adverse effects on skin feel, while conventional thickening agents can affect product performance and user experience.
Innovation Solution
A gel composition is formed by self-thickening using a N-long-chain acyl amino acid and a basic amino acid, optionally with an inorganic base or dipeptide, eliminating the need for traditional thickening agents and ensuring thermo- and cryo-resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional polymeric thickening agents are used to form gel, then gel structure is achieved, but product functionality and user experience deteriorate due to adverse skin feel and incomplete rinsing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes conventional polymeric thickening agents from the formulation entirely. Instead, it uses a salt system (sodium chloride at 5-15 wt%) combined with surfactants to achieve gel structure through self-thickening, eliminating the harmful effects of polymeric thickeners on skin feel and rinsing quality while maintaining stable gel composition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the thickening mechanism from polymeric agents to a salt-based system. By adjusting the concentration of sodium chloride (5-15 wt%) and using specific surfactant combinations, the system achieves gel formation through ionic interactions and micelle formation, fundamentally changing how gel structure is created without compromising user experience.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a large amount of water-soluble polymeric thickening agent is added to achieve gelation in the presence of salt, then gel structure is formed, but product functionality and user experience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for large amounts of polymeric thickening agents by extracting the thickening function and replacing it with a salt-based self-thickening system. Sodium chloride at 5-15 wt% combined with surfactants achieves gelation without requiring excessive additive quantities, improving both product functionality and user experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the formulation to self-thicken using components already present in the system. The surfactants and salt work together to create gel structure through self-organization and ionic interactions, eliminating the need for external polymeric thickening agents and their associated drawbacks.
3Stability of the object's composition
If thickening agents are used to form gel, then gel structure is achieved, but foaming properties of surfactant are suppressed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes polymeric thickening agents that suppress foaming. By using a salt-based self-thickening system with sodium chloride and surfactant combinations, gel structure is achieved without interfering with the surfactant's foaming capabilities, eliminating this harmful effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the thickening mechanism to one that is compatible with surfactant foaming. By using ionic interactions between salt and surfactants to create gel structure, rather than polymeric networks, the system maintains surfactant functionality including foaming properties while achieving stable gelation.
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 gel composition is environmentally friendly, non-irritant, and features improved portability and multifunctionality, with enhanced extrusion and truncation performance, suitable for various applications including cleansing and cosmetic products.
Implementation Method 1
the gel is formed by self-thickening of the N-long-chain acyl amino acid and the basic amino acid
Implementation Method 2
the gel is formed by self-thickening of the N-long-chain acyl amino acid and the inorganic base
Data Source
Figure 1a~3b
Figure 4a~5
AI summary
Disclosed in the present invention are a gel composition, a related gel, and a preparation method therefor and the use thereof. The gel composition is based on a long-chain N-acyl amino acid, contains no thickener, is transparent/semitransparent in appearance, is mild and non-irritant, and has very good heat resistance and cold resistance. A related gel product is convenient to carry and applicable to various environments and various usage scenarios, and is very easy to rinse off after use. The gel composition provided in the present invention can be applied to a cleaning composition, a washing composition, a cosmetic composition, a skin care composition, a toothpaste composition, etc.