JP7782956B2 - Cleansing agent - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cleanser comprising a polyglyceryl monoalkyl ether, a fatty acid or its salt, and a polyhydric alcohol.

It is preferable that concentrates of cleansing agents, such as aerosols and pump foamers, have extremely low viscosity and remain in a clear liquid state. Foaming cleansers often contain fatty acids, but fatty acids generally tend to precipitate out as white deposits at low temperatures, which can make the cleansing agent less stable.

In addition to the essential function of cleansing power, the feel of a cleanser, such as the quality of the foam produced during cleansing and the lack of stickiness after washing, are also important factors that consumers find appealing.

Patent Document 1 describes an aerosol detergent composition that produces good foam, has excellent foam retention, and also has excellent cleaning properties by blending a nonionic surfactant, an anionic surfactant, and an amphoteric surfactant in the concentrate and using a propellant that is insoluble in water. However, it does not disclose any detergents with excellent stability.

Patent Document 2 also describes a skin cleanser that contains a fatty acid salt, a specific polymer, a specific polyglyceryl monoalkyl ether, an acylmethyl taurine salt, and the like, and that has excellent foaming speed and creaminess, as well as an excellent moisturizing feeling and no tightness after cleansing, and does not change the moisture content of the skin. However, it does not disclose any cleanser that has excellent stability.

Under these circumstances, there is a demand for cleansers that have good stability and a pleasant feel when used.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-095671 JP 2009-242274 A

The inventors have surprisingly discovered that by using a cleanser containing a polyglyceryl monoalkyl ether, a specific amount of a fatty acid or its salt, and a polyhydric alcohol, a cleanser with good stability, particularly good low-temperature stability, and excellent usability can be obtained. The present invention is based on these findings.

Accordingly, the present invention discloses a cleanser comprising (A) a polyglyceryl monoalkyl ether, (B) a fatty acid or its salt, and (C) a polyhydric alcohol, wherein the amount of (B) the fatty acid or its salt is 2 to 15 mass % based on the total amount of the cleanser.

According to the present invention, the following inventions are provided.
(1) (A) polyglyceryl monoalkyl ether,
A cleanser comprising (B) a fatty acid or a salt thereof and (C) a polyhydric alcohol, wherein the (B) fatty acid or a salt thereof accounts for 2 to 15 mass % of the total amount of the cleanser.
(2) The cleansing agent according to (1), wherein the polyglyceryl monoalkyl ether (A) is a compound represented by the following formula (I):
(wherein n represents an integer of 6 to 22, and m represents an integer of 3 or more).
(3) The cleansing agent according to (1) or (2), wherein the polyglyceryl monoalkyl ether (A) is polyglyceryl-4 lauryl ether.
(4) A cleanser according to any one of (1) to (3), in which the blending amount of (A) polyglyceryl monoalkyl ether is 0.01 to 10 mass % relative to the total amount of the cleanser.
(5) A cleanser according to any one of (1) to (4), in which the blending amount of the (C) polyhydric alcohol is 20 to 60 mass % relative to the total amount of the cleanser.
(6) A cleansing agent according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the polyhydric alcohol (C) contains dipropylene glycol and/or isopentyldiol.
(7) The cleanser according to (6), wherein the amount of dipropylene glycol and/or isopentyl diol contained in the polyhydric alcohol (C) is 9% by mass or more relative to the total amount of the cleanser.
(8) A cleansing agent according to any one of (1) to (7), further comprising (D) highly polymerized polyethylene glycol.
(9) The cleansing agent according to (8), wherein the mass average molecular weight of the (D) highly polymerized polyethylene glycol is 15,000 to 25,000.
(10) The cleanser according to any one of (1) to (9), which is a transparent liquid cleanser.
(11) The cleanser according to any one of (1) to (10), which is a cleanser for pump foamers or an aerosol cleanser.

The use of the detergent of the present invention is advantageous in that it allows for the production of a detergent that has good stability, particularly good low-temperature stability, while also being easy to use.

Specific Description of the Invention

The present invention provides
(A) polyglyceryl monoalkyl ether,
The cleanser comprises (B) a fatty acid or a salt thereof and (C) a polyhydric alcohol, and the (B) fatty acid or a salt thereof accounts for 2 to 15% by mass of the total amount of the cleanser.

The cleanser of the present invention contains a polyglyceryl alkyl ether. The polyglyceryl alkyl ether contained in the cleanser of the present invention is formed by an ether bond between polyglycerin and one alkyl. The alkyl is preferably an alkyl having 6 to 22 carbon atoms, more preferably an alkyl having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, and even more preferably an alkyl having 8 to 16 carbon atoms. The alkyl may be linear, branched, or cyclic. The alkyl may be partially substituted or unsubstituted. When the alkyl is partially substituted, examples of the substituent include a hydroxy group and an amino group.

In polyglyceryl alkyl ethers, examples of the alkyl group ether-bonded to polyglycerin include linear alkyl groups such as hexyl, heptyl, octyl (also known as capryl), nonyl, decyl, undecyl, dodecyl (also known as lauryl), tridecyl, tetradecyl (also known as myristyl), pentadecyl, hexadecyl (also known as palmityl), heptadecyl, octadecyl (also known as stearyl), nonadecyl, icosyl, heneicosyl, and docosyl; branched alkyl groups such as 2-ethylhexyl, 2-methylheptyl, 2-methylnonyl, 2-octyldecyl, 3,5,5-trimethylhexyl, and isostearyl; and cyclic alkyl groups such as cyclohexyl.

According to a preferred embodiment of the cleanser of the present invention, the polyglyceryl alkyl ether contained in the cleanser of the present invention is a compound represented by the following formula (I):
(wherein n represents an integer of 6 to 22, and m represents an integer of 3 or more).
By incorporating such a polyglyceryl alkyl ether into a cleanser, the stability of the cleanser can be maintained even at low temperatures, and this is advantageous in that it allows the cleanser to be more easily used.

The degree of polymerization (m) of the glycerin unit of the polyglycerin in (I) above is not particularly limited, but is preferably 3 or more, more preferably 3 to 25, even more preferably 3 to 20, even more preferably 4 to 20, and particularly preferably 4 to 10.

Examples of polyglyceryl alkyl ethers include polyglyceryl-4 lauryl ether and polyglyceryl-10 lauryl ether, with polyglyceryl-4 lauryl ether being preferred. Polyglyceryl-4 lauryl ether and polyglyceryl-10 lauryl ether are available commercially. Examples of such commercially available products include "Sunether L-4" (manufactured by Taiyo Kagaku Co., Ltd.) for polyglyceryl-4 lauryl ether and "Sunether L-10" for polyglyceryl-10 lauryl ether. Polyglyceryl-4 lauryl ether is a polyglyceryl alkyl ether in which, in the above formula (I), the alkyl is a lauryl group (n=12) and m is 4.

The amount of polyglyceryl alkyl ether contained in the cleanser of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.01 to 10% by mass relative to the total amount of the cleanser, more preferably 0.5 to 8% by mass relative to the total amount of the cleanser, and even more preferably 1 to 3% by mass relative to the total amount of the cleanser.

The cleanser of the present invention contains a fatty acid or its salt. The fatty acid or its salt contained in the cleanser of the present invention is not particularly limited, as long as it is a neutralized product of a fatty acid commonly used as a cleanser material, or a saponified product of a fatty acid ester or oil. The cleanser of the present invention may also contain a fatty acid soap, which is a fatty acid salt obtained by neutralizing a fatty acid with an alkali.

Fatty acids are preferably those having 8 to 22 carbon atoms and may be straight-chain, branched, saturated, or unsaturated. For example, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, behenic acid, palmitoleic acid, oleic acid, isomyristic acid, isopalmitic acid, and isostearic acid may be used alone or in combination.

Examples of alkalis that can be used to form fatty acid salts include inorganic alkalis such as potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide, organic alkalis such as triethanolamine, and basic amino acids such as lysine and arginine. Of these alkalis, potassium hydroxide is preferred.

As fatty acid salts that can be used in the cleanser of the present invention, potassium laurate, potassium myristate, potassium palmitate, and potassium stearate are preferred, and potassium laurate, potassium myristate, and potassium palmitate are more preferred.

Salts of fatty acids are produced, for example, by neutralizing fatty acids with alkali, but generally they are not completely neutralized and the product may also contain unreacted (higher) fatty acids.

The amount of fatty acid or its salt contained in the cleanser of the present invention is 2 to 15% by mass, preferably 3 to 10% by mass, and more preferably 4 to 7% by mass, based on the total amount of the cleanser.

The cleansing agent of the present invention contains a polyhydric alcohol. Specific examples of the polyhydric alcohol contained in the cleansing agent of the present invention include dihydric alcohols (e.g., ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, trimethylene glycol, 1,2-butylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, tetramethylene glycol, 2,3-butylene glycol, pentamethylene glycol, 2-butene-1,4-diol, isopentyldiol, hexylene glycol, octylene glycol, etc.); trihydric alcohols (e.g., glycerin, trimethylolpropane, etc.); tetrahydric alcohols (e.g., pentaerythritol such as 1,2,6-hexanetriol, etc.); pentahydric alcohols (e.g., xylitol, etc.); hexahydric alcohols (e.g., sorbitol, mannitol, etc.); polyhydric alcohol polymers (e.g., diethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, triethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, diglycerin, polyethylene glycol, triglycerin, tetraglycerin, polyglycerin, etc.); dihydric alcohols alkyl ethers (e.g., ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylene glycol monophenyl ether, ethylene glycol monohexyl ether, ethylene glycol mono-2-methylhexyl ether, ethylene glycol isoamyl ether, ethylene glycol benzyl ether, ethylene glycol isopropyl ether, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, ethylene glycol diethyl ether, ethylene glycol dibutyl ether, etc.); dihydric alcohol alkyl ethers (e.g., diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol dimethyl ether, diethylene glycol diethyl ether, diethylene glycol butyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl ethyl ether, triethylene glycol monomethyl ether, triethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monoethyl ether, propylene glycol monobutyl ether, propylene glycol isopropyl ether, dipropylene glycol methyl ether, dipropylene glycol ethyl ether, dipropylene glycol butyl ether, etc.); dihydric alcohol ether esters (e.g., ethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate, ethylene glycol monophenyl ether acetate, ethylene glycol diadipate, ethylene glycol disuccinate, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, propylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate, propylene glycol monopropyl ether acetate, propylene glycol monophenyl ether acetate, etc.); Examples of suitable surfactants include serine monoalkyl ethers (e.g., xyl alcohol, selachyl alcohol, batyl alcohol, etc.); sugar alcohols (e.g., sorbitol, maltitol, maltotriose, mannitol, sucrose, erythritol, glucose, fructose, starch-decomposed sugars, maltose, xylitose, starch-decomposed sugar-reduced alcohols, etc.); glysolid; tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol; POE-tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol; POP-butyl ether; POP·POE-butyl ether; tripolyoxypropylene glycerin ether; POP-glycerin ether; POP-glycerin ether phosphate; POP·POE-pentaneerythritol ether, and polyglycerin. Of these, the cleanser of the present invention preferably contains glycerin, 1,3-butylene glycol, sorbitol, dipropylene glycol, and/or isopentyl diol, and more preferably contains dipropylene glycol and/or isopentyl diol.

The amount of polyhydric alcohol contained in the cleanser of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 10 to 70% by mass, and more preferably 20 to 60% by mass, of the total amount of the cleanser.

The amount of dipropylene glycol and/or isopentyl diol contained in the polyhydric alcohol in the cleanser of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 9% by mass or more, and more preferably 10 to 50% by mass, of the total amount of the cleanser.

The cleanser of the present invention may further contain a polyoxyalkylene (poly)glyceryl ether. Examples of polyoxyalkylene (poly)glyceryl ethers include polyoxypropylene glyceryl ether and polyoxypropylene diglyceryl ether.

The polyoxyalkylene (poly)glyceryl ether that may be included in the cleanser of the present invention is not particularly limited, but polyoxypropylene diglyceryl ether (PPG-9 diglyceryl) is preferred.

The amount of polyoxyalkylene (poly)glyceryl ether that may be contained in the cleanser of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.01 to 10% by mass, and more preferably 1 to 3% by mass, of the total amount of the cleanser.

In a preferred embodiment of the cleanser of the present invention, it may further contain highly polymerized polyethylene glycol. The mass-average molecular weight of the highly polymerized polyethylene glycol is not particularly limited, but is preferably 15,000 to 25,000.

The amount of highly polymerized polyethylene glycol that may be contained in the cleanser of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.01 to 10% by mass, and more preferably 1 to 5% by mass, of the total amount of the cleanser.

The cleanser of the present invention may further contain a surfactant.

Surfactants that may be included in the cleansing agent of the present invention include nonionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, anionic surfactants, and amphoteric surfactants.

Specific examples of nonionic surfactants include lipophilic nonionic surfactants and hydrophilic nonionic surfactants, such as sorbitan fatty acid esters (e.g., sorbitan monooleate, sorbitan monoisostearate, sorbitan monolaurate, sorbitan monopalmitate, sorbitan monostearate, sorbitan sesquioleate, sorbitan trioleate, diglycerol sorbitan penta-2-ethylhexylate, diglycerol sorbitan tetra-2-ethylhexylate, etc.), glycerin polyglycerin fatty acids (e.g., monoglycerin, diglycerol sorbitan tetra-2-ethylhexylate, etc.), and glycerin polyglycerin fatty acids (e.g., monoglycerin, diglycerol sorbitan tetra-2-ethylhexylate, etc.). Cottonseed oil fatty acid glycerin, glycerin monoerucate, glycerin sesquioleate, glycerin monostearate, α,α'-oleic acid pyroglutamic acid glycerin, glycerin monostearate malate, etc.), propylene glycol fatty acid esters (for example, propylene glycol monostearate, etc.), hydrogenated castor oil derivatives, glycerin alkyl ether, POE-sorbitan fatty acid esters (for example, POE-sorbitan monooleate, POE-sorbitan monostearate, POE-sorbitan monooleate, POE-sorbitan tetraoleate, etc.), oleate, etc.), POE sorbitol fatty acid esters (for example, POE-sorbitol monolaurate, POE-sorbitol monooleate, POE-sorbitol pentaoleate, POE-sorbitol monostearate, etc.), POE-glycerin fatty acid esters (for example, POE-monooleates such as POE-glycerin monostearate, POE-glycerin monoisostearate, POE-glycerin triisostearate, etc.), POE-fatty acid esters (for example, POE-distearate, POE-monodioleate, ethylene glycol distearate, ether, etc.), POE-alkyl ethers (for example, POE-lauryl ether, POE-oleyl ether, POE-stearyl ether, POE-behenyl ether, POE-2-octyldodecyl ether, POE-cholestanol ether, etc.), Pluronic types (for example, Pluronic, etc.), POE.POP-alkyl ethers (for example, POE.POP-cetyl ether, POE.POP-2-decyltetradecyl ether, POE.POP-monobutyl ether, POE.POP-hydrogenated lanolin, POE.POP-glycerin ether, etc.), tetra Examples include POE-tetraPOP-ethylenediamine condensates (e.g., Tetronic), POE-castor oil hydrogenated castor oil derivatives (e.g., POE-castor oil, POE-hydrogenated castor oil, POE-hydrogenated castor oil monoisostearate, POE-hydrogenated castor oil triisostearate, POE-hydrogenated castor oil monopyroglutamic acid monoisostearate diester, POE-hydrogenated castor oil maleic acid, etc.), POE-beeswax/lanolin derivatives (e.g., POE-sorbitol beeswax, etc.), alkanolamides (e.g., coconut oil fatty acid diethanolamide, lauric acid monoethanolamide, fatty acid isopropanolamide, etc.), POE-propylene glycol fatty acid esters, POE-alkylamines, POE-fatty acid amides, sucrose fatty acid esters, and alkylethoxydimethylamine oxide-trioleyl phosphate.

Specific examples of cationic surfactants include stearyltrimethylammonium chloride, cetyltrimethylammonium chloride, behenyltrimethylammonium chloride, distearyldimethylammonium chloride, dioleyldimethylammonium chloride, didecyldimethylammonium chloride, lauric acid amide butylguanidine acetate, myristate amide butylguanidine acetate, palmitic acid amide butylguanidine acetate, distearyldimethylammonium sulfate, stearylethyldihydroxyethylammonium ethyl sulfate, N-cocoyl L-arginine ethyl DL-pyrrolidone carboxylate, stearic acid dimethylaminoethylamide, stearic acid dimethylaminopropylamide, stearic acid diethylaminoethylamide, stearic acid diethylaminopropylamide, stearic acid dipropylaminoethylamide, stearic acid dipropylaminopropylamide, palmitic acid dimethylaminoethylamide, palmitic acid dimethylaminopropylamide, myristate dimethylaminoethylamide, myristate dimethylaminopropylamide, behenic acid dimethylaminoethylamide, behenic acid dimethylaminopropylamide, and the like.

Specific examples of anionic surfactants include N-acylamino acid salts, N-acylmethyl taurine salts, alkyl ether phosphate ester salts, alkyl sulfate ester salts, and polyoxyethylene alkyl ether sulfate salts, such as N-acyl glutamates such as potassium cocoyl glutamate, N-acyl-N-methyl-β-alanine salts, N-acyl sarcosinate salts, sodium N-cocoyl taurate, sodium N-cocoyl-N-methyl taurate, sodium N-lauroyl-N-methyl taurate, and N-coconut oil fatty acid-N-methyl Examples include sodium taurate, N-coconut oil fatty acid-N-methyl taurate triethanolamine, N-palm oil fatty acid-N-ethyl taurate triethanolamine, magnesium N-cocoyl taurate, magnesium N-cocoyl-N-methyl taurate, magnesium N-lauroyl-N-taurate, magnesium N-lauroyl-N-methyl taurate, magnesium N-coconut oil fatty acid-N-methyl taurate, etc., but among these, sodium lauryl glycol acetate and/or sodium N-cocoyl-N-methyl taurate are preferred.

Specific examples of amphoteric surfactants include imidazoline-based amphoteric surfactants (e.g., 2-undecyl-N,N,N-(hydroxyethylcarboxymethyl)-2-imidazoline sodium, 2-cocoyl-2-imidazolinium hydroxide-1-carboxyethyloxy disodium salt, etc.); betaine-based surfactants (e.g., 2-heptadecyl-N-carboxymethyl-N-hydroxyethylimidazolinium betaine, lauryldimethylaminoacetic acid betaine, alkyl betaine, amido betaine, sulfobetaine, cocamidopropyl betaine, lauryl betaine, etc.); and the like.

Chelating agents that may be contained in the cleanser of the present invention include 1-hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid, 1-hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid tetrasodium salt, disodium edetate (disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA-2Na)), trisodium edetate, tetrasodium edetate, sodium citrate, sodium polyphosphate, sodium metaphosphate, gluconic acid, phosphoric acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid, succinic acid, edetic acid, trisodium ethylenediaminehydroxyethyltriacetate, etc., of which disodium edetate, trisodium edetate, and pentasodium pentetate are preferred.

A preferred embodiment of the cleanser of the present invention is a transparent liquid cleanser. Here, "transparent" refers to a transparency range of 98 to 100, where the transparency of purified water is 100 and no light transmittance is 0.

A preferred embodiment of the cleanser of the present invention may be a pump-former cleanser or an aerosol cleanser. In the present invention, pump formers include pump formers that extrude the contents by pushing with a pump and squeeze formers that extrude the contents by manually compressing the container. Pump-former cleansers can be used, for example, as facial cleansers, shampoos, body soaps, and hand soaps. Furthermore, in the present invention, aerosol cleansers are cleansers in which cleansing ingredients are dissolved in a solvent and then filled into a pressure-resistant container with a propellant such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), butane, or isopentane.

The present invention will be specifically explained based on the following examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. Unless otherwise specified, blend amounts are expressed in mass %.

Cleansers (Examples 1-7 and Comparative Examples 1-23) with the compositions shown in Tables 1-4 below were prepared by standard methods and evaluated for (1) appearance (2 weeks at room temperature, 1 day at 0°C, 1 week at 0°C, 2 weeks at 0°C), (2) foam quality, and (3) non-stickiness after rinsing. Each evaluation was based on the following criteria.

(1) Appearance (low temperature stability)
The samples shown in Tables 1 to 4 below were stored at room temperature for 2 weeks, at 0°C for 1 day, at 0°C for 1 week, and at 0°C for 2 weeks, and then the appearance was observed and the transparency was evaluated. The appearance evaluation was judged by a panel of five experts according to the following evaluation criteria.
<Evaluation criteria>
A: Transparent B: Slight turbidity was observed C: Cloudy

(2) Foam Quality The samples shown in Tables 1 to 4 below were sprayed as foam cleansers and used in practice. Five expert panelists evaluated the foam quality (foam persistence and foam elasticity) according to the following criteria.
<Evaluation criteria>
A: Very good B: Good C: Poor

(3) Non-stickiness after washing The samples shown in Tables 1 to 4 below were evaluated by a panel of five experts for non-stickiness after washing when the cleansing agents were actually used, according to the following evaluation criteria.
<Evaluation criteria>
A: Not sticky at all B: Almost no stickiness C: Sticky

The results in Table 1 show that the cleansers of the present invention (Examples 1 to 7) have good low-temperature stability and excellent usability (foam quality and non-sticky feeling after washing). On the other hand, the results in Tables 1 to 4 show that the cleansers not included in the scope of the cleansers of the present invention (Comparative Examples 1 to 23) were all inferior to the cleansers of the present invention in terms of low-temperature stability and/or usability.

Claims (8)

(A) polyglyceryl monoalkyl ether,
(B) a fatty acid or a salt thereof;
A cleanser comprising (C) a polyhydric alcohol, and (D) a highly polymerized polyethylene glycol,
and (B) the fatty acid or its salt is present in an amount of 2 to 15% by mass based on the total amount of the cleanser;
The (C) polyhydric alcohol contains dipropylene glycol and/or isopentyl diol ,
the mass average molecular weight of the (D) highly polymerized polyethylene glycol is 15,000 to 25,000;
The detergent is a pump foamer detergent or an aerosol detergent . 2. The cleansing agent according to claim 1, wherein the polyglyceryl monoalkyl ether (A) is a compound represented by the following formula (I):
(wherein n represents an integer of 6 to 22, and m represents an integer of 3 or more). The cleanser according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the (A) polyglyceryl monoalkyl ether is polyglyceryl-4 lauryl ether. The cleanser according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the blended amount of (A) polyglyceryl monoalkyl ether is 0.01 to 10 mass% based on the total amount of the cleanser. The cleanser according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the blended amount of the polyhydric alcohol (C) is 20 to 60 mass% based on the total amount of the cleanser. The cleanser according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the amount of dipropylene glycol and/or isopentyl diol contained in the polyhydric alcohol (C) is 9% by mass or more based on the total amount of the cleanser. The cleanser according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the blended amount of (D) highly polymerized polyethylene glycol is 0.01 to 10% by mass based on the total amount of the cleanser. The cleanser according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , which is a transparent liquid cleanser.