Hair cosmetic composition

Abstract: A hair cosmetic composition contains an oxyalkylenized xanthan gum in combination with at least one component selected from an oxidizing agent, a reducing agent, a film-forming polymer, an oxidation dye or an acid dye.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION a) Field of the Invention This invention relates to a hair cosmetic composition which has good spreadability, permits easy application to hair, and provides an excellent feeling of use, specifically to a semi-permanent to temporary hair dye composition. b) Description of the Related Art A hair cosmetic composition is generally added with one or more of various thickening agents with a view to improving the ease in application by preventing running-down and further to reducing irritation to the skin. Employed as such thickening agents are, for example, natural polymers such as xanthan gum and guar gum, semisynthetic polymers such as methylcellulose and ethylcellulose, and synthetic polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol and polyethylene oxide. Among these, xanthan gum is widely used because it is hardly affected by pH, temperature and the like and exhibits good thickening effect. Hair cosmetic compositions which contain xanthan gum are however accompanied by the problem that, when they are taken out of bottoms upon use, they become a lump and show poor spreadability, they cannot be easily applied to hair, and the feeling of use is hence significantly impaired. Further, xanthan gum fails to bring about sufficient thickening effect in systems which contain a salt and a solvent at high concentrations. To cope with the above-described problem, U.S. Patent No. 3,349,077 discloses that xanthan gum etherified with an alkylene oxide is usable as a thickening agent. This etherified xanthan gum is described in the U.S. patent to be useful for obtaining an alcohol-base high-viscosity gel, but the U.S. patent has no disclosure whatsoever as to whether it would show sufficient thickening effect in other systems. Among hair cosmetic compositions, hair dye compositions, hair setting compositions, permanent wave compositions and the like generally contain a salt and a solvent at high concentrations. It has therefore been desired to develop a component which can exhibit sufficient thickening effects in these systems. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a semi-permanent to temporary hair dye composition, which has good spreadability, permits easy application, has excellent feeling of use, and shows sufficiently long-lasting thickening effect even if a salt and a solvent are contained at high concentrations. Under the foregoing circumstances, the present inventors have proceeded with extensive research. As a result, it has been found that use of an oxyalkylenized xanthan gum as a thickening agent in a system containing an acid dye, i.e. a semi-permanent to temporary hair dye composition, in which fully-controlled thickening effect has heretofore been unavailable due to inclusion of a salt and a solvent at high concentrations makes it possible to obtain a hair cosmetic composition having good spreadability, permitting easy application to hair and having an excellent feeling of use, leading to the completion of the present invention. The present invention provides a semi-permanent to temporary hair dye composition comprising 0.01 to 10 wt% of an oxylalkylenized xanthan gum, 0.1 to 20 wt% of a salt, 3 to 50 wt% of a solvent selected from the group consisting of N-alkylpyrrolidones, lower alkylene carbonates and aromatic alcohols, and 0.01 to 5 wt% of an acidic dye, wherein the composition has a pH of from 2 to 5, wherein said oxyalkylenized xanthan gum has an oxyalkylene substitution degree of from 0.05 to 0.3 and an etherification degree of from 2 to 10%. Moreover, the present invention also provides a semi-permanent to temporary hair dying process, which comprises applying to hair the above composition. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The oxyalkylenized xanthan gum useful in the practice of the present invention is available by substituting at least some of hydroxyl groups of xanthan gum with (poly)oxyalkylene groups and includes, for example, one represented by the below-described formula. Here, the term "the degree of substitution by (poly)-oxyalkylene groups [(poly)oxyalkylene substitution degree]" as used herein means an average number of (poly)oxyalkylene units [-(C x H 2x O) y -H units in the below-described formula] bonded per residual group of constituent unit saccharide of xanthan gum. wherein R represents a hydrogen atom of - (C x H 2x O) y -H, x standing for a value of from 1 to 6 and Y denoting a value of from 1 to 20, and M + represents a metal atom. Incidentally, each oxyalkylene substitution degree referred to in the present invention means a value determined in accordance with the method subscribed in ASTM D-2367-72. Preferred examples of the (poly)oxyalkylene group include (poly)oxyalkylene groups having 2-4 carbon atoms, for example, (poly)oxyethylene group, (poly)-oxypropylene group and (poly)oxybutylene group. Such an oxyalkylenized xanthan gum can be prepared, for example, following the process disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3,349,077. For example, it can be prepared by mixing xanthan gum with an alkali and a solvent such as water, adding an alkylene oxide and then reacting them to each other. Usable examples of the alkylene oxide include ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, 1-butene oxide and 2-butene oxide. The reaction may preferably be conducted at 40 to 100°C, especially at 60 to 80°C for 3 to 20 hours. Regarding the proportions of the alkylene oxide and xanthan gum to be employed in the reaction, it is preferred to determine their proportions so that one or more molecules of the alkylene oxide are added per molecule of xanthan gum. It is possible to adjust the oxyalkylene substitution degree and etherification degree of the resulting oxyalkylenized xanthan gum by modifying their proportions. Incidentally, the term "etherification degree" as used herein means the proportion (%) of hydroxyl groups ether-substituted by (poly)oxyalkylene groups out of the hydroxyl groups in xanthan gum. Xanthan gums having different oxyalkylene substitution degrees and etherification degrees can also be obtained by modifying the reaction time, reaction temperature and the amount of a catalyst. An oxyalkylene substitution degree in a range of from 0.05 to 0.3 as claimed provides excellent water solubility and thickening property, while an oxyalkylene substitution degree in a range of from 1 to 1.5 leads to superb solubility in an organic solvent system. On the other hand, an etherification degree in a range of from 2 to 10% is employed because this range provides excellent flowability. Further, at a high etherification degree, a system with an oxyalkylenized xanthan gum incorporated therein has a higher viscosity under acidic condition than under neutral condition when the oxyalkylenized xanthan gum is added in the same amount. At a high substitution degree, on the other, the viscosity is conversely higher under neutral conditions than under acidic conditions when the oxyalkylenized xanthan gum is added in the same amount. By using this property, it is possible to choose an appropriate oxyalkylenized xanthan gum depending on the application. The etherification degree in the present invention may preferably be determined as follows: (1) Preparation of a sample solution: Xanthan gum (0.1 g) is precisely weighed (Wt mg) and poured into a messflask (100 ml). Into the flask is added 1N sulfuric acid (25 ml), and then the resultant mixture is heated in the water bath to thereby dissolve the xanthan gum. The solution is then cooling down and is added water precisely to adjust the volume of the solution to 100 ml. Thereafter, 4 ml of the solution is placed in a mess flask (20 ml), and is added water to obtain 20 ml of a sample solution. (2) Preparation of a standard solution: 0.1 g of propylene glycol is weighed precisely (Ws mg), poured into a messflask (100 ml) and is added water to obtain a solution measured precisely as 100 ml. The precisely measured 3 ml of the solution is then placed in a messflask (100 ml) and is added water to thereby obtain a standard solution. (3) Coloring: Each 1 ml of the sample solution, the standard solution and water is precisely measured off. Then the three kind of liquids are poured into messflasks (25 ml) separately. Each liquid is allowed to stand for 5 or more minutes in the ice bath. Thereafter, to each liquid, a conc. sulfuric acid (8 ml) is added dropwise while stirring, and subsequently heated precisely for 3 minutes in a water bath. Immediately after the heating, the solutions are cooled down in an ice bath for 10 minutes or more, and then added carefully 0.6 ml of the below-described ninhydrin solution(*) under stirring. The resultant solutions are allowed to stand over 100 minutes in a hot bath at constant temperature of 25 ± 0.5°C. Then, to each of the solutions is added a conc. sulfuric acid to prepare 25 ml solution under stirring. (4) Measurement: At 5 minutes after the addition of sulfuric acid, the absorbances (at a wavelenth of 590 nm) of the coloring solutions prepared based on the sample solution, the standard solution, and water (as a control) are measured. The etherification degree is calculated by the equation: The etherification (%) = 11.64 x Ws x At Wt x As (wherein Wt is the amont of the sample (mg), Ws is the amount of propylene glycol (mg), At is absorbance of the sample solution and As is absorbance of the standard solution.) (*) Ninhydrin solution used here is prepared by mixing 0.6 g of ninhydrin into 5% of sodium hydrogensulfite solution to obtain 20 ml solution. In the present invention, it is particularly preferred to use (poly)oxypropylenized xanthan gum which is available by reacting xanthan gum with propylene oxide. In the hair cosmetic composition according to the present invention, oxyalkylenized xanthan gums can be used either singly or in combination. One or more oxyalkylenized xanthan gums are added in a total amount of from 0.01 to 10 wt.% (hereinafter indicated simply by "%") based on the whole composition. In particular, the addition in an amount of from 0.01-5%, notably 0.01 to 3% is preferred as excellent solubility is also brought about. The addition of the acid dye in the hair dye composition according to the present invention makes it possible to uniformly disperse the dye in a large amount. Hair can therefore be evenly coated with the dye, so that the dyeability can also be improved. No particular limitation is imposed on such an acid dye insofar as it is usable in ordinary cosmetic composition. Illustrative examples of these acid dyes include Red No. 102 (C.I. 16255), Yellow No. 4 (C.I. 19140), Yellow No. 5 (C.I. 15985), Red No. 201 (C.I. 15850), Red No. 227 (C.I. 17200), Orange No. 205 (C.I. 15510), Brown No. 201 (C.I. 20170), Red No. 502 (C.I. 16155), Red No. 503 (C.I. 16150), Red No. 504 (C.I. 14700), Red No. 506 (C.I. 15620), Orange No. 402 (C.I. 14600), Yellow No. 402 (C.I. 18950), Yellow No. 406 (C.I. 14065), Yellow No. 407 (C.I. 18820), Red No. 213 (C.I. 45170), Red No. 214 (C.I. 45170), Red No. 3 (C.I. 45430), Red No. 104(1) (C.I. 45410), Red No. 105(1) (C.I. 45440), Red No. 106 (C.I. 45100), Green No. 2, Green No. 3 (C.I. 42053), Orange N. 207 (C.I. 45425), Yellow No. 202(1) (C.I. 45350), Yellow No. 202(2) (C.I. 45350), Blue No. 202 (C.I. 42052), Blue No. 203 (C.I. 42052), Blue No. 205 (C.I. 42090), Blue No. 2 (C.I. 73015), Yellow No. 203 (C.I. 47005), Blue No. 201 (C.I. 73060), Green No. 201 (C.I. 61570), Blue No. 1 (C.I. 42090), Red No. 230(1) (C.I. 45380), Red No. 231 (C.I. 45410), Red No. 232 (C.I. 45440), Green No. 204 (C.I. 59040), Green No. 205 (C.I. 42095), Red No. 401 (C.I. 45190), Yellow No. 403(1), (C.I. 10316), Green No. 401 (C.I. 10020), Green No. 402 (C.I. 42085), Black No. 401 (C.I. 20470), and Violet No. 401 (C.I. 60730). These acid dyes can be used either alone or in combination. It is preferred to add one or more of them in an amount of from 0.001 to 10%, especially from 0.01 to 5% based on the whole composition. To provide such a semi-permanent to temporary hair dye composition, the acid dye is added in an amount of from 0.01 to 5% and the oxy-alkylenized xanthan gum in an amount of 0.01 to 10%, while adjusting the pH to 2 to 5. Owing to the addition of the oxyalkylenized xanthan gum, the hair dye composition according to the present invention has good spreadability, permits easy application and provides excellent feeling of use. Further, sufficient thickening effect can be obtained. Sufficient thickening effect can be continuously retained even in systems where conventional thickening agents have difficulty to achieve thickening, especially even in systems where a salt and a solvent are contained at high concentrations. Here, the salt usable for incorporation in the hair cosmetic composition according to the present invention can be any one of inorganic salts, organic salts, polymer electrolytes and the like which are employed in general hair cosmetic compositions. Illustrative examples include sodium salts, potassium salts, ammonium salts, and alkanolamine salts (e.g., triethanolamine salts) of inorganic acids, such as phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid and nitric acid, and organic acids such as citric acid, glycolic acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, levulinic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, oxalic acid, maleic acid and mandelic acid. Illustrative of such polymer electrolytes are water-soluble sodium sulfonate of polyester, sodium poly(styrenesulfonate), poly(meth)acrylates, polymaleates and polyphosphates. These salts can be used either singly or in combination. One or more of these salts can be added preferably in an amount of from 0.1 to 20%, especially from 0.1 to 10%, specifically from 1 to 8% based on the whole composition. The solvent usable for incorporation in the hair dye composition according to the present invention is selected from N-alkylpyrrolidones in liquid forms at room temperature, such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-propyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-butyl-2-pyrrolidone, and N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone; lower alkylene carbonates such as ethylene carbonate and propylene carbonate; and aromatic alcohols such as benzyl alcohol, cinnamyl alcohol, p-anisyl alcohol, p-methylbenzyl alcohol, phenoxyethanol, phenoxyisopropanol, 2-benzylethanol, and β-phenylethyl alcohol. These solvents can be used either singly or in combination. One or more of these solvents are added in an amount of from 3 to 50%, specifically from 0.1 to 30% because sufficient spreadability and thickening effect can be obtained. Thus, according to the present invention, a semi-permanent to temporary hair dye composition is provided wherein the oxyalkylenized xanthan gum is added in an amount of from 0.01 to 10%, the salt in an amount of from 0.1 to 20%, the solvent in an amount of from 3 to 50% and the acid dye in an amount of 0.01 to 5% and also the pH is adjusted to 2 to 5. To the hair dye composition according to the present invention, components employed in ordinary hair cosmetic compositions can be added as desired in addition to the above-described components to extents not impairing the advantageous effects of the present invention. Illustrative of such additional components are surfactants such as cationic surfactants, anionic surfactants and nonionic surfactants; higher alcohols containing linear or branched, alkyl or alkenyl groups; hydrocarbons such as liquid paraffin and vaseline; liquid lanolin, and lanolin derivatives such as lanolin fatty acids; phospholipids such as lecithin; sterols such as cholesterol, and derivatives thereof; collagen-degraded peptide derivatives; perfluoropolyethers; oils and fats, such as higher alcohol-higher fatty acid esters, higher fatty acids, and alkyl- or alkenyl-containing, long-chain amide amines; animal or vegetable oils and fats such as mink oil and olive oil; medicinally-effective ingredients such as anti-dandruff agents, disinfectants and vitamins; antiseptics such as parabens; coloring matters such as dyes and pigments; ultraviolet light absorbers; plant extracts; astringents; perfume bases; and colors. The hair dye composition according to the present invention can be prepared by a method known per se in the art. No particular limitation is imposed on its form, and it can be prepared into a temporary hair dye composition or semi-permanent hair dye composition by using various components, such as those described above, in combination as needed depending on the application purpose. The hair dye composition according to the present invention has good spreadability, permits easy application to hair and gives excellent feeling of use. Further, even in a system containing a salt and a solvent at high concentrations, sufficient thickening effect remains. The present invention will next be described in further detail by the following Examples. It should however be borne in mind that the present invention is not limited to or by them. Production Example 1 To a closed reaction vessel equipped with a stirrer, 200 g of xanthan gum ("Keltol", trademark; product of Kelco Company), 8 g of sodium hydroxide, 12 g of methanol and 4 g of water were added. They were mixed under stirring for about 1 hour at room temperature. Propylene oxide (80 g) was added to the resultant mixture, followed by a reaction at 70-75°C for 4 hours. The reaction mixture was allowed to cool down to room temperature and was then neutralized with concentrated sulfuric acid. The resulting solid matter was dried and ground, whereby 225 g of oxypropylenized xanthan gum powder were obtained. The oxypropylene substitution degree and etherification degree of the oxypropylenized xanthan gum were 0.05 and 1.5 (%), respectively. Production Example 2 To a closed reaction vessel equipped with a stirrer, 200 g of xanthan gum ("Kelsan", trademark; product of Kelco Company), 16 g of sodium hydroxide, 24 g of methanol and 8 g of water were added. They were mixed under stirring for about 1 hour at room temperature. After the mixture was allowed to stand overnight, 80 g of propylene oxide were added, followed by a reaction at 70-75°C for 4 hours. The reaction mixture was allowed to cool down to room temperature and was then neutralized with concentrated sulfuric acid. The resulting solid matter was dried and ground, whereby 259 g of oxypropylenized xanthan gum powder were obtained. The oxypropylene substitution degree and etherification degree of the oxypropylenized xanthan gum were 0.15 and 3.7 (%), respectively. Production Example 3 To a closed reaction vessel equipped with a stirrer, 200 g of xanthan gum ("Keltol", trademark; product of Kelco Company), 12 g of sodium hydroxide, 18 g of methanol and 6 g of water were added. They were mixed under stirring for about 1 hour at room temperature. Propylene oxide (120 g) was added to the resultant mixture, followed by a reaction at 70-75°C for 5 hours. The reaction mixture was allowed to cool down to roomtemperature and was then neutralized with concentrated sulfuric acid. The resulting solid matter was dried and ground, whereby 265 g of oxypropylenized xanthan gum powder were obtained. The oxypropylene substitution degree and etherification degree of the oxypropylenized xanthan gum were 0.23 and 6.3 (%), respectively. Example 1 Semi-permanent hair dye compositions of the formulations shown in Table 1 were prepared by a method known per se in the art, and their viscosities and flowabilities were ranked. The results are also presented in Table 1. (Ranking methods) (1) Viscosity: The viscosity of each semi-permanent hair dye composition was measured at 30°C by a Brookfield type viscometer (No. 4, 30 rpm) immediately after its preparation and after stored at 40°C for 1 month. The measurement data were ranked in accordance with the following standards. A: The viscosity was 500 cp or higher. B: The viscosity was 100 cp or higher but lower than 500 cp. C: The viscosity was lower than 100 cp. (2) Flowability: Each hair dye composition was placed to a height of 10 cm in a glass tube of 5 cm in diameter and 20 cm in height. After the hair dye composition thoroughly shaken up and down at room temperature for 30 seconds, the hair dye composition was left over for 1 minute. The glass tube was then caused to fall down sideways over 90 degrees. Ten (10) seconds later, the surface smoothness of the hair dye composition was ranged in accordance with the following standards. A: The surface was smooth. B: The surface was not smooth.

Claims: A semi-permanent to temporary hair dye composition comprising: 0.01 to 10 wt% of an oxylalkylenized xanthan gum, 0.1 to 20 wt% of a salt, 3 to 50 wt% of a solvent selected from the group consisting of N-alkylpyrrolidones, lower alkylene carbonates and aromatic alcohols, and 0.01 to 5 wt% of an acidic dye, wherein the composition has a pH of from 2 to 5, wherein said oxyalkylenized xanthan gum has an oxyalkylene substitution degree of from 0.05 to 0.3 and an etherification degree of from 2 to 10%. A semi-permanent to temporary hair dye composition according to claim 1, wherein said oxyalkylenized xanthan gum is one available by (poly)oxyalkylene-etherifying at least some of hydroxyl groups of xanthan gum. A semi-permanent to temporary hair dye composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein (poly)oxyalkylene groups of said oxyalkylenized xanthan gum are (poly)oxyalkylene groups having 2 to 4 carbon atoms. A semi-permanent to temporary hair dye composition according to any one of the claims 1 to 3, wherein said oxyalkylenized xanthan gum is contained in an amount of 0.01 to 5 wt.%.

Inventors: KAWASE JIRO, SHIBATA YUTAKA, SUGINO KUMI, KAWASE, JIRO, SHIBATA, YUTAKA, SUGINO, KUMI
Applicants: KAO CORP, KAO CORPORATION
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A61K7
IPC codes: A61Q5, A61K8