Patent ID: 7105153

Claim:
A thickened personal care composition comprising a cosmetically-functional agent in amounts effective to impart cosmetic properties to the composition and a thickener-rheology modifier system comprising a) from about 0.1 to 2.5% by weight of a hydrophobically modified alkali-soluble copolymer thickener comprising an aqueous emulsion copolymer of: i) from about 5 to 70 weight percent based on the weight of thickener of an α, β ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer of the formula: where R is H and R 1 is H, C 1 –C 4 alkyl, or —CH 2 COOX; R is —COOX and R 1 is H or —CH 2 COOX and R is CH 3 and K 1 H, C 1 –C 4 alkyl or —CH 2 COOX, and X is H or C 1 –C 4 alkyl; ii) from about 10 to 90 weight percent based on the weight of thickener of a nonionic copolymerizable, α, β ethylenically unsaturated monomer of the formula: CH 2 ═CYZ where Y is H or CH 3 , and Z is where R is C 1 –C 4 alkyl; and iii) from about 1 to 90 weight percent based on the weight of thickener of a hydrophobically modified, α, β ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer of the formula: where R is an alkyl group of 6 to 22 carbon atoms or an alkaryl of 8 to 22 carbon atoms, x is an average number of from about 6 to 100, y is an average number of from about 0 to 50 and A is the residue of an unsaturated carboxylic acid having the formula: where R′ is H, —COOH or CH 3 , and R″ is H, CH 3 , —COOH or —CH 2 COOH; b) from about 0.1 to 1% by weight of a polysaccharide hydrocolloid or polyalkylene glycol; c) from about 0.1 to 1% by weight of a hydrophobic nonionic surfactant having an HLB of from 4 to 16 or an anionic surfactant derivative of a fatty alcohol ethoxylate; d) from about 0.01 to 0.1% by weight of boric acid; e) an effective neutralizing amount of alkali; and f) the balance water.