Wet Wipe Preservative System for High Water Content
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Wet wipes with high water content face challenges in maintaining effective preservative systems against microbial growth, as water reduces the efficacy of preservative components and increases interaction with the substrate, leading to reduced effectiveness in inhibiting bacteria, mold, and yeast growth.
Innovation Solution
The use of wet wipes with a substrate comprising cellulosic fibers and a lotion containing a high water concentration (96.0% to 99.5% by weight) along with a preservative system comprising benzoic acid, succinic acid, and phytic acid, which maintains a pH buffering system and surfactants, ensuring effective microbial inhibition while minimizing substrate interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the water content of the lotion is increased to make it gentler on skin and decrease chemical concentration, then the lotion becomes milder and safer for sensitive skin, but the preservative system becomes less effective at inhibiting microbial growth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple preservative agents (benzoic acid, succinic acid, and phytic acid) into a single preservative system that works synergistically. This merging of multiple preservative mechanisms allows effective microbial inhibition even in high-water-content lotions where individual preservatives would be less effective due to dilution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the pH of the lotion to be between 3.5 and 5.0, which is within the effective range for benzoic acid preservative activity. By controlling this critical parameter, the preservative system maintains efficacy despite the high water content that would otherwise dilute preservative concentration.
2Quantity of substance
If the water content of the lotion is increased to reduce chemical concentration, then fewer chemicals are applied to skin, but the lotion components become more available to react with the substrate, reducing preservative system effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a surfactant as an intermediary component that helps stabilize the lotion formulation and control the interaction between lotion components and the substrate. The surfactant moderates the availability of preservative components for reaction with the substrate while maintaining the high water content necessary for gentleness.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a high water content lotion is used to reduce chemical concentration, then the lotion is gentler on skin, but it becomes more difficult to meet preservative system efficacy requirements for microbial growth inhibition
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite preservative system combining organic acids (benzoic and succinic) with phytic acid, which has chelating properties. This composite approach provides multiple mechanisms of microbial inhibition (direct acidification and metal chelation) that work together to ensure preservative efficacy compliance even in highly diluted high-water formulations.
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 described wet wipes achieve a Benzoate Retention Factor of 45% to 99% and Log Reduction Factors of ≥3 for bacteria and ≥2 for yeast and mold, ensuring robust preservative system efficacy and extended shelf life.
Implementation Method 1
a preservative system comprising benzoic acid and/or a salt thereof, succinic acid and/or a salt thereof, and phytic acid and/or a salt thereof
Implementation Method 2
The lotion also comprises a pH buffering system, a surfactant, and a preservative system... The lotion has a pH of about 3.5 to about 5
Data Source
AI summary
A wet wipe with a substrate having cellulosic fibers and a lotion is provided. The lotion may have between about 96.0% and about 99.5%, by weight of the lotion, of water. The lotion may have a preservative system having benzoic acid and/or a salt thereof, succinic acid and/or a salt thereof, and phytic acid and/or a salt thereof. The lotion may also have a surfactant, pH buffering system, and a pH of about 3.5 to about 5.