Patent Description:
Wet wipe concentrates are available on the market. However, these concentrates often contain water in significant amounts which require that preservatives be added to the concentrate. The problem with adding a preservative to concentrates is that the final end use of the concentrate may be limited and most preservatives are viewed negatively. But a concentrate that does not require a preservative allows the flexibility for the wet wipe manufacturer to add any preservative they wish to, based on the particular end customer. Further, the presence of water makes the concentrate less cost effective (i.e. less concentrated).

Also many of the concentrates available are generally hazy. This haze is a sign of instability in the concentrate, i.e. it can mean the concentrate will have a short shelf life on storage and separate.

There is a need in the art to provide a wet wipe concentrate which is highly dilutable, preservative free so that the end use of the concentrate is not limited, is highly stable during storage prior to use, and is essentially clear. The present invention provides an answer to that need.

In one aspect, the present invention provides a concentrate composition comprising.

As used herein, "HLB" is the abbreviation for "hydrophilic lipophilic balance". Said value expresses the water and oil solubility of, in particular non-ionic, emulsifiers, i.e. expresses the lipophilic and hydrophilic properties of an emulsifier, which are determined by the different parts of the emulsifier molecules. The higher the HLB value of an emulsifier, the more hydrophilic and water soluble is it. According to the method of Griffin, the HLB value of an emulsifier molecule is calculated as follows: <MAT> The hydrophilic part of an emulsifier molecule may e.g. be the polyglyceryl or ethoxylate part of a polyglyceryl fatty ester, ethoxylated fatty alcohol or an ethoxylated fatty acid. When the molecular weight of the hydrophilic part and/or the whole molecule differs within the molecules of an emulsifier, the HLB of said emulsifier is calculated as an average of the HLBs of the different emulsifier molecules.

In another aspect, provided is a wet wipe impregnating formulation, i.e. a wet wipe saturating formulation, comprising the concentrate composition described herein and a fluid, wherein the fluid is water, a lower alcohol or a mixture thereof. As used herein, "lower alcohol" means a straight or branched hydrocarbon chain having <NUM> to <NUM> carbon atoms and at least one hydroxyl groups, wherein the hydrocarbon chain may optionally comprise one or several heteroatoms such as e.g. oxygen or sulfur.

In an additional aspect, provided is a wet wipe comprising a wipe substrate and the wet wipe impregnating formulation described herein.

In a further aspect, provided is a method for the production of the wet wipe, wherein the wipe substrate is impregnated, i.e. saturated, with the wet wipe impregnating formulation. Said method results in a wet wipe comprising the wipe substrate impregnated, i.e. saturated, with the wet wipe impregnating formulation.

These and other aspects become apparent when reading the detailed description of the invention.

The concentrate composition of the present invention contains.

The term "fatty", as used herein, means a hydrocarbon chain having <NUM> to <NUM> carbon atoms, preferably <NUM> to <NUM> carbon atoms, and in particular <NUM> to <NUM> carbon atoms. The chain may be straight or branched and may be saturated or unsaturated, which typically means one or two double bonds in the chain. The term "ethoxylate", as used herein, means an ether produced by addition of one or more molecules of ethylene oxide, wherein an ethoxylate chain typically is built up from <NUM> to <NUM> ethylene oxide units, and preferably is built up from <NUM> to <NUM> ethylene oxide units.

Polyglyceryl fatty esters are formed by esterification of fatty acids to one or several hydroxyl groups of polyglycerols, wherein the fatty acids generally are saturated or mono-unsaturated fatty acids. As glycerol is a trifunctional molecule, it may condense with itself to give polymers. These polyglycerols are hydroxy-containing ethers, diglycerol being the simplest example.

As described herein, polyglyceryl fatty esters are built up from <NUM> molecules to <NUM> molecules of glycerin, more preferably from <NUM> to <NUM> molecules of glycerin, based on an average.

As described herein, saturated fatty acid components of polyglyceryl fatty esters include caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid, behenic acid, lignoceric acid, cerotic acid and mixtures thereof. The mono-unsaturated fatty acid components of said polyglyceryl fatty esters include oleic acid, decaoleic acid and mixtures thereof.

As described herein, polyglyceryl fatty ester may e.g. comprise polyglyceryl monodecaoleate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> decaoleate; polyglyceryl monooleate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> monooleate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> monooleate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> monooleate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> monooleate, or polyglyceryl-<NUM> monooleate; polyglyceryl dioleate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> dioleate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> dioleate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> dioleate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> dioleate or polyglyceryl-<NUM> dioleate; polyglyceryl trioleate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> trioleate or polyglyceryl-<NUM> trioleate; polyglyceryl tetraoleate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> tetraoleate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> tetraoleate, or polyglyceryl-<NUM> tetraoleate; polyglyceryl pentaoleate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> pentaoleate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> pentaoleate, or polyglyceryl-<NUM> pentaoleate; polyglyceryl heptaoleate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> heptaoleate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> heptaoleate; polyglyceryl monostearate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> monostearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> monostearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> monostearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> monostearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> monostearate or polyglyceryl-<NUM> monostearate; polyglyceryl distearate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> distearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> distearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> distearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> distearate, or polyglyceryl-<NUM> distearate; polyglyceryl tristearate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> tristearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> tristearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> tristearate, or polyglyceryl-<NUM> tristearate; polyglyceryl tetrastearate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> tetrastearate; polyglyceryl pentastearate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> pentastearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> pentastearate, or polyglyceryl-<NUM> pentastearate; polyglyceryl heptastearate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> heptastearate; polyglyceryl isostearate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> isostearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> isostearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> isostearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> isostearate, or polyglyceryl-<NUM> isostearate; polyglyceryl diisostearate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> diisostearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> diisostearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> diisostearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> diisostearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> diisostearate, or polyglyceryl-<NUM> diisostearate; polyglyceryl triisostearate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> triisostearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> triisostearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> triisostearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> triisostearate; polyglyceryl tetraisostearate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> tetraisostearate; polyglyceryl caprylate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> caprylate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> caprylate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> caprylate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> caprylate, or polyglyceryl-<NUM> caprylate; polyglyceryl dicaprylate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> dicaprylate; polyglyceryl sesquicaprylate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> sesquicapyrlate; polyglyceryl octacaprylate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> octacaprylate; polyglyceryl caprate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> caprate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> caprate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> caprate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> caprate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> caprate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> caprate; polyglyceryl dicaprate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> dicaprate or polyglyceryl-<NUM> dicaprate; polyglyceryl caprylate/caprate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> capyrlate/caprate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> caprylate/caprate, or polyglyceryl-<NUM> caprylate/caprate; polyglyceryl palmitate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> palmitate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> palmitate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> palmitate or polyglyceryl-<NUM> palmitate; polyglyceryl dipalmitate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> dipalmitate or polyglyceryl-<NUM> dipalmitate; polyglyceryl tetrabehenate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> tetrabehenate; polyglyceryl myristate such as polyglyceryl-<NUM> myristate or polyglyceryl-<NUM> myristate; polyglyceryl rincinoleate such polyglyceryl-<NUM> polyricinoleate or polyglyceryl-<NUM> ricinoleate; or mixtures thereof. Polyglyceryl-<NUM> monooleate, i.e. polyglyceryl-<NUM> oleate, is particularly preferred.

The emulsifier is present in an amount between <NUM>% and <NUM>% by weight, more preferably between <NUM>% and <NUM>% by weight, most preferably between <NUM>% and <NUM>% by weight, based on the weight of the composition.

Described herein are humectants that do not cloud or discolor the concentrate. Examples of humectants include amino acids, pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, lactic acid and salts thereof, lactitol, urea and urea derivatives such as e.g. hydroxyethyl urea, uric acid, glucosamine, creatinine, cleavage products of collagen, chitosan and chitosan salts/derivatives such as e.g. chitosan ascorbate, and, in particular, polyols. The polyol is as defined in the claims. As described herein, a polyol may be a straight or branched hydrocarbon chain having at least two hydroxyl groups, wherein the hydrocarbon chain may optionally comprise one or several heteroatoms such as e.g. oxygen or sulfur. The polyol may for example be glycerol, polyglyerin, such as diglycerol, triglycerol or polyglycerin-<NUM>, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butylene glycol, erythritol, <NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>-hexanetriol, polyethylene glycols, sugars and sugar derivatives (e.g. fructose, glucose, maltose, maltitol, mannitol, inositol, sorbitol, sorbityl silanediol, sucrose, trehalose, xylose, xylitol, glucuronic acid and salts thereof), ethoxylated sorbitol (Sorbeth-<NUM>, Sorbeth-<NUM>, Sorbeth-<NUM>, Sorbeth-<NUM>), honey and hydrogenated honey (as used herein, "hydrogenated honey" is the end product of controlled hydrogenation of honey), hydrogenated starch hydrolyzates and mixtures of hydrogenated wheat protein and PEG-<NUM>-acetate copolymer. Glycerol is generally used in the present concentrate.

The humectant is present in an amount between <NUM>% and <NUM>% by weight, more preferably between <NUM>% and <NUM>% by weight, based on the weight of the composition.

As used herein, "oil" means an organic compound which at <NUM> is both liquid and water-insoluble. In the context of the invention, insolubility in water is understood to be a solubility of less than <NUM>% by weight at <NUM>. However, more preferred is a solubility of less than <NUM>% by weight, even more preferably less than <NUM>% by weight, in particular less than <NUM>% by weight. The oil may e.g. comprise an ester oil, an ether oil or a mixture thereof. As used herein, the term "ester oil" means an oil as above-defined, which comprises at least one ester group. This means that also esters of carbonic acids are ester oils according to the invention. Further, as used herein, the term "ether oil" means an oil as above-defined, which comprises at least one ether group.

Oil components described herein include, for example, glycerides such as e.g. triglycerides, hydrocarbons such as e.g. petrolatum, silicone oils such as e.g. dimethicone, dialkyl ethers, alkyl esters, dialkyl carbonates and natural oils such as vegetable oils. In dialkyl ethers, alkyl esters and dialkyl carbonates, the alkyl groups may be straight or branched and independently from each other typically have <NUM> to <NUM> carbon atoms. Preferably, at least one of said alkyl groups has at least <NUM> carbon atoms, more preferably at least <NUM> carbon atoms. A particularly preferred dialkyl ether is dicaprylyl ether. As alkyl ester, C<NUM>-C<NUM> alkyl benzoates are particular preferred. Particular preferred dialkyl carbonates are dicaprylyl carbonate, ethylhexyl carbonate, dihexyl carbonate and a mixture thereof, wherein dicaprylyl carbonate is most preferred.

Optionally the oil may be an oil that has further functions such as an oil soluble sunscreen. Mixtures of oil components may also be used. According to one particular embodiment of the present invention, the oil is a dialkyl carbonate, such as dicaprylyl carbonate, ethylhexyl carbonate, dihexyl carbonate or a mixture thereof. Dicaprylyl carbonate is most preferably used in the present concentrate.

In the concentrate composition, the emollient is present in an amount between <NUM>% and <NUM>% by weight, based on the weight of the composition, more preferably in an amount between <NUM>% and <NUM>% by weight, in particular in an amount between <NUM>% and <NUM>% by weight, based on the weight of the composition.

The concentrate composition may contain other ingredients. However, the concentrate is free of preservatives That way, the concentrate composition can be used in a wide range of wet wipe impregnating formulations, without concern that the preservatives are not acceptable for an intended use. Water is present in an amount of less than <NUM>%, for example between <NUM>% and <NUM>%.

The concentrate compositions of the present invention may be produced by mixing the emulsifier, the humectant, the emollient and optionally the further ingredients in an appropriate order, optionally at increased temperatures such as above <NUM> to <NUM>. For example, if polyglyceryl-<NUM> oleate, glycerin and dicaprylyl carbonate are used as emulsifier, humectant and emollient, polyglyceryl-<NUM> oleate and glycerin may be mixed at a temperature between <NUM> and <NUM> first, and the resulting mixture may subsequently be mixed with dicaprylyl carbonate of between <NUM> to <NUM>. Finally, a small amount of water may optionally be added.

The concentrate composition of the present invention may be used as the base composition to form a wet wipe impregnating formulation, i.e. a wet wipe saturating formulation. For this purpose, said composition is diluted with water or another fluid, wherein optionally further ingredients may be added. The resulting wet wipe impregnating formulation of the present invention subsequently may be used to impregnate, i.e. saturate, a wipe substrate resulting in a wet wipe. Next to this, said wet wipe impregnating formulation can e.g. be used as such as a general skin cleanser or can be used in the production of suncare, e.g. sprayable sunscreen, facial toner, or hair care, e.g. sprayable styling.

As aforementioned, the wet wipe impregnating formulation of the present invention is a mixture of the concentrate composition with water, a lower alcohol or a mixture thereof, and preferably is water. Preferred lower alcohols are ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, glycols such as e.g. butylene glycol and mixtures thereof. Such a wet wipe impregnating formulation typically contains <NUM>% to <NUM>% by weight of the concentrate composition and from <NUM>% to <NUM>% by weight of water, a lower alcohol or a mixture thereof, based on the weight of the formulation, preferably contains <NUM>% to <NUM>% by weight of the concentrate composition and from <NUM>% to <NUM>% by weight of water, a lower alcohol or a mixture thereof, based on the weight of the formulation, and more preferably contains <NUM>% to <NUM>% by weight of the concentrate composition and from <NUM>% to <NUM>% by weight of water, a lower alcohol or a mixture thereof, based on the weight of the formulation. In particular, the wet wipe impregnating formulation contains between <NUM>% and <NUM>% by weight of the concentrate composition and between <NUM> and <NUM>% of water, a lower alcohol or a mixture thereof, such as e.g. between <NUM>% and <NUM>% by weight of the concentrate composition and between <NUM>% and <NUM>% of water, a lower alcohol or a mixture thereof, based on the weight of the formulation. Mixing water, and optionally further ingredients, with the concentrate composition may lead to a wet wipe impregnating formulation in form of an emulsion, preferably an oil-in-water emulsion. The emulsion may be a nanoemulsion. Such a nanoemulsion is characterized by (oil) droplets having a particle diameter of less than <NUM> in average, as measured by dynamic light scattering.

As above-mentioned, the wet wipe impregnating formulation of the present invention may in particular be used to impregnate into the substrate of a wipe, which results in a wet wipe according to the present invention.

In a preferred embodiment, the wipe is a single use wipe that is impregnated with the wet wipe impregnating formulation and is stored in a container that may dispense the wipe to a user. The container with the wipes may contain a single wipe, or several wipes.

Suitable containers include a pouch that may contain a single wipe, such as a moist towelette, wherein the pouch is torn open by the user, or may be a pouch with a resealable opening that may contain several wipes in a stacked fashion, a rolled fashion or other suitable formation, wherein the pouch would allow a single wipe to be removed from the opening at a time. Pouches are generally prepared from a fluid impervious material such as a polymer film, a coated paper or a foil such as e.g. an aluminum foil.

Another way to dispense wet wipes of the present invention is to place the wipes in to a fluid impervious container having an opening to access the wipes in the container. Containers may be molded plastic containers with lids that are also fluid impervious. Generally, the lids may have an opening to access the wipes in the containers.

The wipes in the container may be interleaved stacked, such that as a wipe is removed from the container, the next wipe is positioned in the opening of the container ready for the user to remove the next wipe. Alternatively, each wipe may be part of a strand of material which is perforated between the individual wipes of the strand of material. The strand of material with perforations may be in a folded form or may be in a rolled form. Generally, in the rolled form, the wipe material is fed from the center of the rolled material. As with the interleaved stack, as a wipe is removed from the container, the next wipe is positioned in the opening for the user to remove the next wipe, when needed.

The wet wipe impregnating formulation is impregnated into the wipe substrate such that the wipe is pre-moistened and may express or release the formulation on to a surface as the wipe is run across the surface. Generally, the formulation is saturated into the wipe such that the wipe may release the formulation to the substrate of a surface through the wiping action. The amount of the wet wipe impregnating formulation used to impregnate a wipe substrate may vary over a wide range, depending on the particular wipe substrate and the wipe's intended use. Typically, when impregnating a wipe substrate with the wet wipe impregnating formulation of the present invention, said formulation and said substrate are used in the weight ratio of <NUM>:<NUM> to <NUM>:<NUM>, preferably of <NUM>:<NUM> to <NUM>:<NUM>, more preferably of <NUM>:<NUM> to <NUM>:<NUM>, such as <NUM>:<NUM> to <NUM>:<NUM>.

Suitable wipe substrates include woven and nonwoven materials. Essentially any nonwoven web material may be used. Exemplary nonwoven materials may include, but are not limited to meltblown, coform, spunbond, airlaid, hydroentangled nonwovens, spunlace, bonded carded webs, and laminates thereof. Optionally, the nonwoven may be laminated with a polymer film as well. The fibers used to prepare a nonwoven wipe substrate may e.g. be cellulosic fibers, thermoplastic fibers and mixtures thereof. The fibers may also be continuous fibers, discontinuous fibers, staple fibers and mixtures thereof. Masses per area of a nonwoven web may vary from <NUM> grams per square meter to <NUM> grams per square meter, and preferably amount to <NUM> grams per square meter to <NUM> grams per square meter.

As described above, one aspect of the present invention is a method for the production of a wet wipe, wherein a wipe substrate is impregnated, i.e. saturated, with the wet wipe impregnating formulation described herein. Said method results in a wet wipe comprising a wipe substrate impregnated, i.e. saturated, with the wet wipe impregnating formulation described herein.

Described herein is the use of a wet wipe as described herein as a personal care wipe, such as a skin cleansing wipe, a baby wipe, or a makeup remover wipe.

The present invention is further described in detail by means of the following Examples. All parts and percentages are by weight and all temperatures are degrees Celsius unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Six samples of the concentrate composition are prepared in the proportions shown in Table <NUM>. Each sample is prepared by mixing polyglyceryl-<NUM> oleate with glycerin in a first beaker and heating the mixture to a temperature between <NUM> and <NUM>. In a second beaker dicaprylyl carbonate is slowly heated to a temperature between <NUM> to <NUM> and then slowly added to the first beaker with adequate mixing. In samples <NUM> and <NUM>, <NUM> weight percent water is added to the mixture. Samples <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> do not contain any additional water. After the mixtures are prepared, they are stability tested by heating and cooling the mixtures to the temperatures shown in Table <NUM>. As can be seen the concentrates are stable between <NUM> and <NUM>, remaining clear and not separating.

Each concentrate composition is blended with water such that the resulting impregnating formulations contain <NUM>% by weight of the concentrate composition and <NUM>% by weight water. The mixtures are shaken or stirred to mix the components. After mixing, the mixtures are observed to be oil-in-water emulsions, more precisely oil-in-water nanoemulsions, as determined by dynamic light scattering.

Claim 1:
A concentrate composition comprising
(a) an emulsifier having an HLB between <NUM> and <NUM>,
(b) a humectant,
(c) an emollient; and
(d) water,
wherein
the emulsifier consists of a polyglyceryl fatty ester selected from the group consisting of polyglyceryl-<NUM> decaoleate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> stearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> stearate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> oleate, polyglyceryl-<NUM> caprylate/caprate and a mixture thereof,
the humectant consists of a polyol selected from the group consisting of glycerol, propylene glycol, polyglycerol, sorbitol and a mixture thereof, and
the emollient consists of an oil selected from the group consisting of an ester oil, an ether oil and a mixture thereof; and
wherein
the emulsifier is present in an amount between <NUM>% and <NUM>% by weight based on the weight of the composition,
the humectant is present in an amount between <NUM>% and <NUM>% by weight based on the weight of the composition, and
the emollient is present in an amount between <NUM>% and <NUM>% by weight based on the weight of the composition,
wherein the concentrate composition is free of preservatives; and
wherein the water is present in an amount of less than <NUM>% by weight based on the weight of the composition.