Spherical Polylactic Acid Pickering Emulsion for Cosmetics

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing oil-in-water emulsion compositions without surfactants face challenges in achieving stability and smooth, non-powdery textures, as previous solutions using inorganic or organic powders often result in creakiness and stickiness, impairing the fresh feeling of cosmetics.

Innovation Solution

An oil-in-water emulsion composition utilizing a spherical polylactic acid powder with a specific particle size distribution, between 0.5 to 1.5 µm, is used to create a stable and smooth emulsion without surfactants, ensuring excellent emulsion stability and a pleasant texture.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If inorganic powder particles are used as emulsifying agent in Pickering emulsion, then emulsion stability is improved, but creakiness and powderiness occur leading to impairment of fresh feeling

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveemulsion stabilityVSAvoidcreakiness and powderiness
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the material parameter from inorganic powder to spherical organic particles, and optimizes the size parameter to 10 µm or less, thereby maintaining emulsion stability while eliminating creakiness and powderiness

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses spherical organic particles that can be easily incorporated into cosmetic formulations without requiring long-term stability, providing a temporary but effective emulsifying solution that feels pleasant during use

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

2Object-generated harmful factors

If spherical organic particles are used to replace inorganic powder, then creakiness and powderiness are reduced, but emulsion stability becomes insufficient requiring addition of elastomeric organopolysiloxane

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecreakiness and powderinessVSAvoidemulsion stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention optimizes the particle size parameter to 10 µm or less, which provides sufficient surface area for emulsification while maintaining stability without requiring additional elastomeric organopolysiloxane additives

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If surfactant is used for emulsification, then emulsion stability is achieved, but sticky feeling occurs impairing fresh feeling in use

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveemulsion stabilityVSAvoidsticky feeling
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and removes the surfactant component from the emulsion system, replacing it with spherical organic particles that provide emulsification without the unwanted sticky feeling

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The spherical organic particles act as an intermediary substance that facilitates emulsification between oil and water phases without exhibiting the sticky properties of surfactants, thereby maintaining fresh feeling

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 composition achieves excellent emulsion stability and a fresh, smooth feeling without stickiness or powderiness, enabling the production of high-quality cosmetics with improved user experience.

Implementation Method 1

mixing of powder particles or colloidal particles into two mutually immiscible liquids leads to adsorption of the particles onto the interface of the liquids, which resulted in stabilization of the resultant emulsion system

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdsorption: Adsorption

Data Source

PatentEP3167871B1Oil-in-water emulsion composition and cosmetic substance
Publication Date: 2020.01.01 DAITO KASEI KOGYO CO LTD
  • EP3167871B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2

AI summary

The present invention provides, without use of a surfactant, an oil-in-water emulsion composition and cosmetics having fresh and smooth feeling without powderiness in use, and having excellent emulsion stability by preparing a Pickering emulsion using a spherical polylactic acid powder. An oil-in-water emulsion composition is obtained as a composition containing (a) a spherical polylactic acid powder having an average particle size of from 0.5 to 1.5 µm, wherein 90% by volume or more of the whole particles of the powder have a particle size of 3 µm or less, (b) an oil phase component, and (c) an aqueous phase component, and containing substantially no surfactant. Desired cosmetics are obtained by using the oil-in-water emulsion composition.