Packaging and cover for packaging for cosmetic or pharmaceutical compositions

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention includes a cover (6) for a packaging for a cosmetic and/or a pharmaceutical composition. The cover (6) comprises means of attachment on a container of the packaging and a sealing wall for sealing an opening of the container (1). The sealing wall is a flexible wall that is elastically deformable by a difference in pressure exerted on its two main sides.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a refillable packaging for cosmetic compositions and/or pharmaceutical compositions and to a process for packaging a cosmetic and/o pharmaceutical composition packaged in the refillable packaging. Packagings for cosmetic compositions are typically provided with a rigid cover which prevents variation of the internal volume of the packaging. In the case of sealed packaging, a variation of the internal pressure, for example, an increase of the internal pressure induced by closing of the cover, or a variation of the external pressure, induces a difference of pressure between the interior and the exterior of the packaging. This pressure variation has numerous disadvantages. On one hand, hermetic sealing of the packaging can be compromised leading to a risk of leakage of the cosmetic composition due to excessive internal pressure, or of contamination of the cosmetic composition due to internal low pressure. Furthermore, low pressure created by movement of the wall of the cover during opening of the packaging risks detaching the cosmetic composition and carrying it outside of its housing. Moreover, compression of the air tends to work against closing of the packaging, while external pressure not balanced by an equivalent internal pressure tends to work against opening of the packaging. This pressure variation occurs for containers with a sealed compartment. Cosmetic compositions based on wax and emulsions of fatty material can advantageously be refilled within a container, particularly in the case of foundations, lipsticks, rouges or creams, by-products based on solvents, such as water, volatile silicones, alcohols or mixtures of them. These types of products require for their storage a packaging with a sealed compartment. One additional embodiment of the present invention includes a process for packaging a cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition. The process includes filling a container of a refill with cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition. The process also includes assembling the container of the refill containing cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition with the packaging. The filling can occur when the cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition is hot. It is known from the document EP-A-0845230, a refillable packaging provided with an external envelope, an opening at the base of the envelope for receiving a container and means for locking the container. The sealed packagings for cosmetic compositions of known type have an elastomer seal with compression having an axial component. These packagings have numerous disadvantages. The sealed quality is only ensured if the elastomer seal is compressed with a relatively high force, making the closing of the packaging difficult or not very reliable. Furthermore, the packaging has a high price, due not only to the use of an expensive seal, but also due to difficulties of automation of the positioning of a non-rigid part, such as an elastomer seal. One other problem with sealed cosmetic packaging concerns refills. Production of a packaging of a cosmetic composition by placing a refill inside a housing is known. The positioning and holding of the refill is not always easy. Moreover, the volume of the container receiving the refill increases the space requirement of the packaging. Furthermore, it is not always easy to ensure the temporary hermetic sealing of a sealed compartment of a refillable packaging for a cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition produced based on a volatile solvent. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One embodiment of the the present invention includes a refillable packaging for a cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition. The refillable packaging has an external envelope, the base of which being provided with opening for receiving container of a refill of cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition, the packaging further comprising an opening of container that opens inside external envelope, means of locking of container of the refill in position in the packaging. The container comprises first radially internal wall which delimits a chamber for receiving the cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition and a second radially external wall for application of means of hermetic sealing of container of the refill. In more specific embodiments: the opening is made in base of external envelope of the packaging and the external wall of the bottom of container of the refill is in the extension of the external side of base of envelope of the packaging; means of locking has projecting elements ensuring the locking and holding by clipping of container of the refill in the packaging; means of hermetic sealing of container are provided with rib which is applied radially on wall arranged facing it in order to ensure said hermetic sealing; the container of the refill has an undercut wall, which delimits a chamber for receiving the cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition; the packaging is a flat box and in that the container of the refill is a trough or a well; a platform delimits a chamber for receiving the cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition and a ventilated compartment for receiving means of application of the cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition; the platform ensures the hermetic sealing of container of the refill and wherein said platform can be deformed so as to allow compensation for the difference pressure between the interior and the exterior of container of the refill. One packaging embodiment includes a mechanism for receiving a removable container forming a refill of cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition. The packaging has a receiving opening and some mechanism of locking in position, particularly by clipping, of a removable container in the form of the trough or cup, whose opening opens inside the packaging. Some packaging embodiments further include the ventilated compartment, some mechanism of application of the cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition of a sponge or Japanese foam type. For some embodiments, the cover of the packaging constitutes the cover of the sealed compartment. The sealed compartment is for cosmetic compositions based on volatile solvents and a ventilated housing for storage of a mechanism of application, such as a Japanese foam or a sponge, which are better maintained in a dry atmosphere. In this case, the packaging according to the present invention comprises the intermediate platform between the cover of the packaging and the sealed compartment. The platform delimits a chamber for receiving the cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition and a ventilated compartment for receiving the mechanism of application of the cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition. The platform ensures hermetic sealing of the container of the refill. One additional embodiment of the present invention includes a process for packaging a cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition. The process includes filling a container a refill with cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition. The process also includes assembling the container of the refill containing cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition with the packaging. The filling can occur when the cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition is hot. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figures 1 to 3 are cross sectional views of embodiments of packagings of the art. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of packaging of the present invention. Figures 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views of embodiments of a refill trough of the packaging of the present invention. Figure 7 is a top view of the refill trough of the packaging of Figure 6. DESCRIPTION OF DETAILLED EMBODIMENTS In Figure 1 is a packaging, which has external envelope 1, for example, cylindrical, elliptical-based, oval, polygonal or other shape, which is closed by cover 6. Base 45 of envelope 1 is provided with opening 46 for receiving refill 29, in particular, within a trough or a well 10 which is capable of receiving a cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition. Some mechanism for locking 39, for example, with a screw thread, a set of pins or pegs allowing locking by catching, ensuring that trough or well 10 is assembled with the packaging. The packaging of Figure 1 does not ensure hermetic sealing of refill 29. In particular, this packaging offers the risk of passage of fluid at the edges of opening 46 between the edge of base 45 and the wall facing trough or well 10. Use of packaging of Figure 2 requires several operations that include removing cover 6, removing cover 47, taking the desired quantity of the cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition, putting cover 47 back on well 10 and putting cover 6 back on the packaging. In Figure 3 is an example of a packaging which has cover 6 provided, for example, in its center with a cap 47 which ensures the temporary hermetic sealing of trough or well. Furthermore, an execution example of the packaging illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6 according to the invention has a mechanism of locking that comprises pegs 50 and 51, that catch envelope 1 of the packaging which has corresponding grooves. In Figure 4 is an execution variant of the packaging according to the present invention, whose trough or well 10 moreover has radially internal chamber 49 for receiving the cosmetic composition, which is delimited by walls 50 and radially external walls 51 for application of cap 13' of cover 6. Cap 13' is applied on the radially internal side of radially external wall 51 and thus ensures temporary hermetic sealing of chamber 49. The radially external force exerted by cap 13' on walls 51 is only very partially transmitted to walls 50, which considerably limits the risk of detachment of the cosmetic composition from wall 50. One preferred embodiment of refill 29, for example, in the form of a trough or well according to the present invention, is illustrated in Figures 5 to 7. Trough or well 10 advantageously has an undercut shape, that is to say that its opening 52 has a width smaller than that of its bottom facing it. Consequently, on the one hand, well 10 tends to retain the cosmetic composition if the box according to the present invention is overturned, opening 52 downward, and on the other hand, the narrow walls of the well at the site of opening 52 provide optical masking of the possible detachments of the cosmetic composition with respect to the walls at the bottom due to evaporation of the solvent in case of prolonged opening of the box, corresponding to a common error of users. The undercut shape of trough or well 10 for receiving the cosmetic makes it possible to mask the shrinkage of this composition which is poured hot into the trough or well, during its shrinkage due to a cooling phase. The undercut well is produced by blowing or advantageously by injection, with a mold which is opened in two steps: first of all, the exterior of the mold is released; then a piston ensures the release of the trough or well with elastic deformation of the plastic material constituting the trough. The attachment of well 10 on lower part of the box according to the present invention is done by any known mechanism such as, for example, by screwing over a quarter turn, pinning, or advantageously, by catching. For example, trough or well 10 has, exterior to walls, radially external wall 51 provided with securing element, for example, in the form of hooks or on the contrary, securing grooves distributed preferably regularly on the periphery of wall 51. In the example illustrated, the well is roughly elliptical, and it has four securing hooks 48 arranged at the intersection of the large and the small axis of the ellipse with the external side of wall 51. The securing of refill 29 by opening 10 made in base 45 of the box according to the present invention allows one to produce a packaging with a limited space requirement. Moreover, the bottom of well or trough 10 extending advantageously in the extension of the bottom of lower part of the box according to the present invention gives the latter a particularly aesthetic appearance. Furthermore, well or trough 10 is particularly easy to fill on an automatic filling line, particularly hot. In such a case, the well is made out of a material which is resistant to the filling temperature. The rest of the box can be made of materials with a lower price.

Claims: A refillable packaging for a cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition, which has external envelope (1), wherein the base (45) of the external envelope (1) is provided with opening (46) receiving a container (29) of a refill of cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition, the packaging further comprising an opening (52) of container (29) that opens inside external envelope (1), means of locking (39) of container (29) of the refill in position in the packaging, characterised in that the container (29) further comprises first radially internal wall (50) which delimits a chamber (49) for receiving the cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition and a second radially external wall (51) for application of means (47, 13') of hermetic sealing of container (29) of the refill. The packaging according to claim 1, wherein the opening (46) is made in base (45) of external envelope (1) of the packaging and the external wall of the bottom of container (29) of the refill is in the extension of the external side of base (45) of envelope (1) of the packaging. The packaging according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising means of locking that has projecting elements (48) ensuring the locking and holding by clipping of container (29) of the refill in the packaging. The packaging according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the means (47, 13') to ensure hermetic sealing of container (29) of the refill provided with means of locking that catch the envelope (1) with corresponding grooves. The packaging according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the container (29) of the refill has an undercut wall (50), which delimits the chamber (49) for receiving the cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition. The packaging according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said packaging is a flat box and in that the container (29) of the refill is a trough or a well. The packaging according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a platform delimiting a chamber (49) for receiving the cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition and a ventilated compartment for receiving means of application of the cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition. The packaging according to claim 7, wherein the platform (30) ensures the hermetic sealing of container (29) of the refill and wherein said platform can be deformed so as to allow compensation for the difference pressure between the interior and the exterior of container (29) of the refill. The packaging according to any one of the preceding claims, further containing a cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition. A process for packaging a cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition, comprising: a) filling container (29) of a refill with cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition; b) assembling container (29) of the refill containing cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition in the external envelope (1) to form a refillable packaging according to claim 1. A process according to claim 10, characterized in that the filling occurs when the cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical composition is hot.

Inventors: MATHIEZ JEAN-LOUIS, MATHIEZ, JEAN-LOUIS
Applicants: COTY SA
Application year: 1999
Main classification: A45D33
IPC codes: A45C13, A45D33, A45D40, B65D79