Sulfate-Free Personal Care Composition with Cationic Guar
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current personal care compositions containing sulfate-containing surfactants face issues such as skin and scalp irritation, oil stripping, and high costs due to the need for large surfactant amounts to achieve desired foaming and viscosity, while sulfate-free alternatives struggle to maintain mildness, cleansing, and foaming properties without using excessive surfactants.
Innovation Solution
A sulfate-free personal care composition combining lauramphoacetate and sulfosuccinate surfactants with a derivatized cationic guar, which enhances oil deposition and conditioning, achieving balanced viscosity, foaming, and mildness without requiring large surfactant quantities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sulfate-containing surfactants are used to achieve satisfactory cleansing and foaming properties, then foaming and cleansing performance is improved, but skin and scalp irritation and oil stripping occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters by replacing sulfate-containing surfactants with sulfate-free alternatives (amphoacetate and sulfosuccinate surfactants), fundamentally altering the surfactant system to eliminate irritation while maintaining cleansing and foaming performance through optimized surfactant combinations and concentrations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite surfactant system combining multiple sulfate-free surfactant types (amphoacetate and sulfosuccinate) with derivatized cationic guar, where the synergistic interaction between different surfactant classes achieves both mildness and effective cleansing/foaming properties that neither component could achieve alone
2Stability of the object's composition
If sulfate-containing surfactants are used to maintain viscosity, then viscosity is easily controlled by adding salt, but large amounts of surfactants are required which increases cost and irritation risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces derivatized cationic guar as an intermediary thickening agent that provides viscosity control without requiring large amounts of surfactant. This mediator substance enables independent adjustment of viscosity through its salt-sensitive thickening properties, decoupling viscosity control from surfactant concentration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the viscosity control mechanism from relying on surfactant concentration to using salt-sensitive thickening agents (derivatized cationic guar), allowing viscosity adjustment through electrolyte addition rather than increasing surfactant content, thereby reducing both cost and irritation potential
3Object-affected harmful factors
If sulfate-free surfactants are used to reduce irritation, then mildness is improved, but viscosity and foaming properties are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent formulates a composite system combining sulfate-free amphoacetate and sulfosuccinate surfactants with derivatized cationic guar, where the combination of these materials provides both the mildness of sulfate-free surfactants and the viscosity stability achieved through the synergistic interaction of the composite formulation
Solution Approach 2:
The derivatized cationic guar serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a thickening agent to provide viscosity, conditions the hair through oil deposition enhancement, and works synergistically with the sulfate-free surfactants to maintain foaming properties, thereby compensating for the inherent limitations of sulfate-free surfactant systems
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 improved conditioning, reduced surfactant usage, and maintained viscosity and foaming properties, as demonstrated by foam measurements and sensorial tests, addressing the challenges of sulfate-free formulations.
Implementation Method 1
improve its oil deposition properties on target area
Implementation Method 2
surfactant system comprising at least one lauramphoacetate, and one sulfosuccinate
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to sulfate-free aqueous personal care composition comprising from about 0.2 pbw to about 15 pbw of a derivatized cationic guar comprising cationic substituent groups and non ionic substituent groups, at least 0.05 pbw of an oil and from about 2 pbw to about 20 pbw of a surfactant system comprising at least one lauramphoacetate, and one sulfosuccinate. It is also directed toward the use of such a composition for washing keratin substrates, in particular the hair or the scalp.