Surfactant System for Mildness and Cleaning in Personal Cleansing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current shampoo products either excel at cleansing or providing scalp mildness but not both, leading to compromised cleaning performance, viscosity, foaming, and delivery of benefits like smooth hair when trying to balance surfactant concentrations for mildness.
Innovation Solution
A shampoo composition combining anionic and amphoteric surfactants at enriched amphoteric ratios with reduced surfactant concentrations and specific average SLES ethoxylation levels, along with emulsified silicones, to achieve excellent cleaning, deposition of benefit agents, and desirable rheological and foaming characteristics while maintaining mildness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If higher contents of alkyl sulfates and alkyl ether sulfates are used, then cleaning benefit is improved, but irritation potential increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines anionic surfactants (alkyl sulfates and alkyl ether sulfates) with zwitterionic surfactants (betaines) in a specific ratio to create a synergistic surfactant system. This merging of different surfactant types allows the composition to achieve effective cleaning while reducing irritation potential through the mildness contribution of the zwitterionic component.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent specifies precise parameter ranges for the surfactant composition: alkyl ether sulfate at 3-7 wt% and betaine at 1-5 wt%, with a weight ratio between 1:1 to 4.5:1. By optimizing these parameters, the composition achieves the desired balance between cleaning efficacy and scalp mildness.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If higher content of betaine is used, then irritation potential is reduced, but delivery of benefit agents is impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The patent precisely controls the betaine content parameter within 1-5 wt% and maintains the weight ratio of anionic to zwitterionic surfactant between 1:1 to 4.5:1. This parameter optimization ensures sufficient mildness while preventing excessive betaine from interfering with silicone emulsion stability and benefit agent delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite surfactant system combining anionic and zwitterionic surfactants with specific proportions, along with silicone emulsions and optional polymers. This composite formulation ensures that the mildness function and benefit agent delivery function work synergistically rather than antagonistically.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If reduced surfactant concentrations are used, then scalp mildness is maintained, but cleaning performance and foaming properties are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges anionic surfactants (for cleaning power and foaming) with zwitterionic surfactants (for mildness) in optimized proportions. This combination allows the system to maintain scalp mildness even at reduced total surfactant concentrations (5-10 wt%) while preserving effective cleaning performance through the synergistic interaction of the two surfactant types.
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 provides improved sebum removal from hair, mildness to scalp skin and hair lipids, and leaves hair feeling smooth and soft, maintaining effective cleaning and foaming properties.
Implementation Method 1
anionic and amphoteric surfactants at enriched amphoteric ratios with reduced surfactant concentrations
Implementation Method 2
emulsified silicones
Data Source
AI summary
A personal cleansing comprising, in an aqueous continuous phase: a total amount of anionic surfactant, amphoteric surfactant and zwitterionic surfactant consisting of: (i) from 3 wt % to less than 7 wt %, by weight of the total composition at 100% activity, of an alkyl ether sulfate anionic surfactant of general formula (I): R—O—(CH2CH2—O)n—SO3−M+ in which R is selected from linear or branched alkyl groups having from 10 to 14 carbon atoms and mixtures thereof; n is a number that represents the average degree of ethoxylation and ranges from 1.5 to 2.5; and M is a solubilizing cation; (ii) a betaine surfactant selected from an amido betaine amphoteric surfactant of general formula (II): where m is 2 or 3; R1C(O) is selected from linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated acyl groups having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms and mixtures thereof; and R2 and R3 are each independently selected from alkyl, hydroxyalkyl or carboxyalkyl groups having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms and mixtures thereof; an alkyl betaine of general formula (III): wherein R is a coco chain, and mixtures thereof; and (iii) one or more dispersed benefit agents selected from emulsified silicones with a mean diameter (D3,2) of 4 micrometres or less; in which the weight ratio of (i) to (ii) ranges from 1 to 1 to 4.5:1 and the pH of the composition is from 3 to 6.5, and the combined amount of (i) and (ii) ranges from 5 wt % to 9 wt % (by weight based on the total weight of the composition); gives mildness benefit without compromising on cleaning and rheology; and wherein the composition further comprises an inorganic electrolyte.