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(11) | EP 0 002 334 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Hand cleansing compositions |
| (57) The invention concerns hand-cleansing compositions which are particularly suitable
for cleansing heavily oiled hands and a method of cleansing the hands using such compositions.
The composition contains, as a surface active agent the condensate of at least one
alcohol, phenol or acid with an alkylene oxide, there being 9 moles of alkylene oxide
moiety per mote of the or each alcohol, phenol or acid moiety, and a topically acceptable
diluent or additive. A preferred composition does not contain neither a hydrocarbon
nor any other surface active agent soluble to any appreciable extent in water, and
it is also preferred that the concentration of the condensate in the composition is
at least 5% W/V. |
[0001] This invention relates to hand-cleansing compositions which are particularly suitable for cleansing heavily oiled hands, eg, those of engineers, and relates also to a method of cleansing the hands using such compositions.
[0002] Known hand-cleansing compositions usually contain amine and/or potash soaps, and these are sometimes mixed with other anionic or non-ionic detergent substances. In addition, the most effective contain aliphatic hydrocarbons, and may contain emollients, for example glycerine and lanolin derivatives, to reduce any harmful effects which the solvents might have.
[0003] The mechanism by which such compositions operate to effect hand-cleansing is as follows:-
(a) on rubbing the composition into the hands, the oil/dirt is dissolved in the hydrocarbon portion,
(b) on applying water to the hands thereafter, the dissolved mixture is wholly or partially emulsified by the soap in the composition, and
(c) this emulsion is then washed away. However, the emulsion formed by step (b)
is only stable under moderately accurately controlled conditions (eg, within a given range of dilutions), and it is found that, in practice, when such accurately controlled conditions do not dtain, the emulsion "breaks" during the cleansing operation with reesultant re-deposition on the hand of the hydrocarbon, and often some of the oil/dirt, during the performance of step (c). This is especially so when the lighter hydrocarbons usually employed in convontional hand-cleansing compositions are present. This deposition can only be removed by a further subsequent wash with, for example, conventional toilet soap as a second operation.
[0004] I have found a hand-cleansing composition which removes dirt from the hands by a mechanism different from that described above, which mechanism no longer requires the presence of a hydrocarbon to dissolve the dirt and which composition need not, therefore, contain any hydrocarbon.
[0005] According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a hand-cleansing composition suitable particuarly for cleansing hands soiled with oil and/or grease, for example, engineers hands, which composition contains, as active ingredient, the condensate of at least one alcohol, phenol, or acid with alkylene oxide there being 9 moles or alkylene oxide moiety per mole of the or each alcohol,phenol, or acid moiety, and a topically acceptable diluent or additive. The alkylene oxide is preferably ethylene oxide or propylene oxide,
[0006] The mechanism of operation of such a composition is different from that of the conventional compositions mentioned above. It is believed that the composition of the invention is effective because the 9 - alkoxylated compound is deposited ("plated out") on the skin in preference to the dirt or oil to be removed.
[0007] Acoording to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of cleansing hands which consists of applying thereto a hand-cleansing composition containing, as active ingredient, the condensate of at least one alcohol,phenol, or acid with alkylene oxide, therebeing 9 moles of alkylene oxide moiety per mole of alcohol or aid moiety, and a topically acceptable diluent or additive. The method extends to cleansing other parts of the human body or even animals.
[0008] A preferred composition contains a said condesate which has an arithmetical hydrophile/lipophile balance (HLB), ie, propor tion of weigth percentage of hydrophilic/lipophilic moieties, within a range of from 12.2 - 12.5, a condensate having an HLB value within this range being particularly suitable for cleansing the heavy oils and greases to be found on the hands of industrial engineers.
[0009] The composition may (although much less -preferably) contain one or more other detergents or soaps but only if these are not soluble in water; if the composition cotains an appreciable amount of a detergent or soap which is other than the 9-mole alkoxylate and which is soluble to any appreciable extent in water then the composition will not have the desired hand-cleansing properties. When the composition contains a mixture of surface active agents, the components should be present in suitable proportions such that the said mixture has the desired HLB.
[0010] The or each alcohol or acid moiety of the condensate preferably has a long (and more preferably linear) hydrocarbon chain ie, a chain having more than 8 carbon atoms therein, and it is found that, provided that such an alcohol or acid is condensed with 9 moles of alkylene oxide, then a compound having hand-cleansing properties is obtained, this being irrespective of the number of carbon atoms in the chain. The condensate may be biologically hard (eg an alkoxylated nonyl phenol hydrophobe) or soft (eg an alkoxylated synthetic linear alcohol). 9-Mole ethoxylated or propoxylated fatty alcohols are especially preferred as the active ingredients in compositions of the present invention.
[0011] The condensate may contain a mixture of different alcohol,phenol or acid moieties and many of the commercially available phenols or fatty alcohols or acids (which are in fact mixtures) can be used to provide the phenol, alcohol or acid part.
[0012] Thus, condensates having particularly useful hand-cleansing properties are Synperonic A9, a product of ICI consisting of 9-mole ethoxylated mixture of C13-15 (ie, Ziegler) alcohols; a commercially available 9-mole ethoxylate of a C12 alcohol which is a product of Tensia; and CD 919, a commercial 9-mole ethoxylated alcohol of Lankro Chemicl as.
[0013] A particularly preferred heavy duty composition contains a mixture of the 9-mole alkoxylate with a water soluble 2-mole alkoxylate, for example, Synperonic A2, the 2-mole ethoxylated equivalent of Smeronic A9. Such compositions are particularly useful for removing printer's ink from the hands. It is thought that this ability to remove printer's ink is possibly as a result of the Syperonic A2 throwing the other components of the composition out of solution.
[0014] Although the 9-mole alkoxylated alcohd, phenol, or acid compounds can be used effectively as hand-cleansers without being diluted or admixed with other ingredients in a composition, such a compound could be harmful to the skin in such concentrated form.
[0015] Accordingly in practice, an emollient, for example, glycerine or an ethoxylated lanolin (eg, a commercial product manufactured by Croda Limited) is added.
[0016] If glycerine is used, then there should be more than 0.4% present for it to have sufficient effect and less than 2% to avoid the deposition of a sticky deposit of glycerine on the hands in use.
[0017] For example, an aqueous solution containing from 5-25% W/V of Synpersonic A9 and from 0.5 - 1% of glycerine (or alternatively from 0.5 - 2% of an ethoxylated lanolin) gives a non-escharotic composition with particularly excellent hand-cleansing effects.
[0018] Alternatively or additionally, depending upon the required thickness of the composition, one of many commerially available thickening agents or gels can be added, for example, so-called "coco-amide" (the amide derived from coconut oil), a hydroxyethyl cellulose, or sodium carboxy methyl cellulose. As more thickener is included in the mixture, the amount of lanolin and/or glycerine may be progressively reduced.
[0019] The composition may be formlated at will on the basis of cost, convenience and compatibility.
[0020] Other ingredients which may be included in the composition are, for example, foaming agents (eg, lauryl ether sulphates) scents, colours, and preservatives against bacterial degradation. Indeed the presence of a preservative in the composition is essential unless it contains an alternative ingredient which renders the hand-cleansing composition positively antiseptic or germicidal. The constituents of the composition must, of course, be compatible with one another. One would not use, for example, a thickening agent which rendered the preservative ineffective.
[0021] Thus, compositions embodying the invention may contain several ingredients. However a preferred composition contains at least 5% W/V of the 9-mole alkoxylate.
[0022] Compositions embodying the invention which have particularly excellent hand-cleansing properties are given below.
Formulations D. E and F
[0024] As formulations A, B and C respectively, but replacing Symperonic A9 by Marchon, a commerically available 9-mole ethoxylated nonyl phenol produced by Albright & Wilson Ltd. These compositions exhibit excellent hand-cleansing properties but are not (unlike those containing Synperonic A9) bio-degradable.
Formulations G. H and I
[0025] As formations A, B and C respectively but replacing Synperonic A9 by CD 919, a commercially availsble 9-mole ethoxylated alcohol of Lankro Chemicals. These compositions have a rather strong odour but exhibit excellent hand-cleansing properties.
[0026] Formulations L and M contain Synperonic 12 and are particularly suitable for removing printing inks.
[0027] Compositions embodying the present invention can be extremely sffective hand-cleansers which can be used with safety, prepared at much lower costs and used much more economically than many conventional hand-cleansers and can be provided with desired cosmetic effects merely by adjusting at will the viscosity and emolliency.
[0028] In addition the amount of active ingredient required to be presmt in a composition embodying the present invention may be much less than that presont in many conventional hand-cleansing compositions to achieve good results, or put another way, the amount of compositions embodying the invention required to be placed on the hands to achieve the desired result is up to four times less than that of some conventional hand-cleansing compositions containimg the same concentration of active ingredient. Thus, the smaller capacity dispensers fr dispensing hand lotions (whcih dispemse up to about 2 ml of composition), rather than the larger dispensers for dispensing conventional hand-cleansers (which will dispense between 4 to 28 ml), can be effectively employed.
[0029] A formulation embodying the invention containing 10% or less of condensate can be as effective in cleansing hands soiled with oil and/or grease as a conventional hydrocarbon composition containing, eg, 30% of kerosene. Ind an amount of a formulation embodying the invontion containing a 9-mole ethoxylated condensate that one half of a formulation containing 10% kerosene can achieve comparable cleaning results.
1. A cleansing composition for the skin characterised in that it contains, as a surface
active agent, the condensate of at least one alcohol, phenol or acid with an alylene
oxide, there being 9 moles of alkylene oxide moiety per mole of the or each alcohol,
phenol or acid moiety, and a topically acceptable diluent or additive.
2. A cleansing composition according to claim 1 wherein the said condensate is the
only surface active agent present which is soluble in water.
3. A cleansing composition according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the hydrophile/lipophile
balance, as hereinbefore defined, of the surface active agent is within a range of
from 12.2 to 12.5 inclusive.
4. A cleansing composition according to any one of the preceding claims containing
at least 5% W/V of the said condensate in an aqueous medium.
5. A cleansing composition according to claim 4 containing at least 10% W/V of the
condensate.
6. A cleansing composition according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the
alkylene oxide moiety is ethylene oxide or propylene oxide.
7. A cleaning composition according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the
active ingredient is a said condensate which is a 9-mole ethoxylated mixture of C13-15 alcohols.
8. A cleansing composition according to claim 7 containing additionally a 2-mole ethoxylated
mixture of C13-15 aldohols.
9. A cleansing composition according to any one of the preceding claims which contains
an emollient or thickener, or a foaming agent.
10. A method of clansing the skin which method consists of applying to the skin a
hand-cleansing active composition containing, as a surface agent , the condensate
of at least one alcohol, phenol or acid with an alkylene oxide, there being 9-moles
of alkylene oxide moiety per sole of the or each alcohol, phenol or acid moiety, and
a topically acceptable diluent or additive.