DERMATOLOGICAL COMPOSITIONS

Abstract: A dermatological composition comprises a mixture of an active ingredient and a base, the base being a high water content base incorporating a gelling agent and light emol­ lient. The active ingredient may be coal tar and/or wood tar.

Description: DERMATOLOGICAL COv2OSITIONS This invention relates to dermatological compositions particularly although not exclusively for human therapeutic use. Crude tars such as coal and wood tar are effective dermatological therapeutic agents. However, known compositions containing crude tars have a heavy, greasy base and are not therefore wholly cosmetically acceptable. An object of the present invention therefore is to provide a dermatological composition combining efficacy with cosmetic acceptability. According to the invention therefore there is provided a dermatological composition comprising at least one active ingredient and a base, characterised in that the said base is a high water content base incorporating a gelling agent and a light emollient. With this composition the active ingredient can be readily and conveniently applied in intimate contact with the skin such as to give effective dermatological action yet at the same time the composition can be in the form of a cosmetically acceptable vanishing preparation. The active ingredient or ingredients may comprise coal tar and/or wood tar and, advantageously, the invention permits use of these in their highly effective crude form without necessitating incorporation in a messy, greasy, cosmetically unacceptable formulation. The base used in the composition of the invention is preferably such that the composition is in the form of a thixotropic gel. The gelling agent may be any suitable natural and/or synthetic substance although preferably a cellulose derivative is used. The light emollient may be of any suitable form although preferably a sjbstance having both emollient and solvent properties is used which is capable of assisting in maintaining a stable gel emulsion of tar oils in water. The invention will now be described further in the following Example. A dermatological composition is prepared by mixing active ingredients with a light base. The active ingredients comprise: Strong coal tar solution BP (more specifically liquor picis carbonis fortis BPC which is a solution in 95% W.W. ethyl alcohol of ocal tar fractions drived from coal distillation); and wood tar BP (which comprises fractions derived from the distillation of wood). The light base comprises: Water; a cellulose gelling agent (preferably the cellulose derivative sold by Courtaults Limited under the trade name Celacol Gum); and an emollient/solvent such as that sold by Atlas Chemical industries UK Limited under the name Arlamol E (which is a polyoxypropylene stearyl ether). The constituents may be mixed in the following proportions: Strong coal tar solution - sufficient to give 2% by weight coal tar BP in the final mixture Wood tar BP - 5% by weight Arlamol E - 5% " " Celacol Gum (Grade HPM 5000 GP) - 3.5% Water - to 100% by weight. The resulting mixture is a thixotropic gel which spreads easily and cleanly on the skin and has "vanishing" properties. The composition is therefore cosmetically acceptable and also highly effective since intimate contact can be readily attained between the active ingredients (i.e. the tars) and the skin. The composition may be used in the treatment of Psoriasis and dermatitis in the chronic phase and has antipruritic, keratolytic and antiseptic properties as well as possible antiproliferative action in the case of Psoriasis. It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above Example. Thus for example strong coal tar BP may be used as an alternative to the BPC material. Also, if desired an antifungicide and preservative may be added such as Myocide S.P. in a proportion of say 0.1% by weight. The ingredients used in the Example are preferably mixed cold with the water being added last.

Claims: Claims: 1. A dermatological composition comprising at least one active ingredient and a base, characterised in that the said base is a high water content base incorporating a gelling agent and a light emollient. 2. A composition according to claim 1, wherein said active ingredient comprises coal tar. 3. A composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said active ingredient comprises wood tar. 4. A composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said base is such that the composition is in the form of a thixotropic gel. 5. A composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said gelling agent comprises a cellulose derivative. 6. A composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said light emollient is a polyoxypropylene stearyl ether.

Inventors: BROWN, JOHN
Applicants: QUINODERM LIMITED
Application year: 1983
Main classification: A61K9
IPC codes: A61K47, A61K35