Claims:1. The synergistic personal care composition comprising of:
a) from about 1 % to about 20% of coconut oil,
b) from about 1 % to about 20% of glycerine,
c) from about 1 % to about 10% of phospholipids, and
d) additives and water, making up for the remaining amount.

2. The synergistic personal care composition of claim 1, wherein the said phospholipids can be selected from the group consisting of, but not limited to, acetone insoluble fractions derived from natural sources such as soybean lecithin, rice bran lecithin, and lecithin available from sources such as eggs, milk, marine sources, rapeseed, cottonseed, sunflower, and the like.

3. The synergistic personal care composition of claim 1, wherein the said additives include at least one component selected from emulsifiers, viscosity modifiers, surfactants, fragrance, thickeners, polymers, preservatives, colorants, fragrance, humectants, opacifying agents, conditioners, exfoliating agents, pH adjusters, preservatives, natural extracts, essential oils, skin soothing agents, and skin healing agents.

4. The synergistic personal care composition of claim 1, wherein the personal care composition is, but not limited to, a moisturizing composition, a conditioning composition, or a skin care composition.

5. A process for the preparation of a synergistic personal care composition, comprising the steps of
i. preparation of a water phase, by mixing water and parabens followed by the addition of carbomer, glycerine, and phospholipids, with heating at 65-75 ºC;
ii. preparation of an oil phase, by mixing the vegetable oil (coconut oil), glycerol monostearate (GMS), stearic acid, and emulsifiers with heating;
iii. addition of the heated oil phase to the heated water phase, followed by homogenization; and
iv. addition of a neutralizer, followed by the addition of a sensory modifier such as silicone, at a temperature below 50 ºC.

6. The process of claim 5, wherein the neutralizer used is triethanolamine. , Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a synergistic personal care composition of a vegetable oil, particularly coconut oil with other actives such as glycerine and phospholipids to provide outstanding moisturizing benefit to normal to extremely dry, rough skin. The invention also relates to a process for the preparation of the synergistic personal care composition comprising a vegetable oil, particularly coconut oil, glycerine and phospholipids.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Compositions described in the prior art disclose compositions in which coconut oil has been used in fairly high quantities in combination with other oils and agents to achieve moisturizing benefits. The use of high amounts of coconut oil makes the product sticky and sensorially unacceptable to the consumers. Also, use of high amounts of glycerine and phospholipids alone results in a negative impact on sensory and invites formulation challenges to make stable and acceptable formulations. The moisturizing benefit obtained from the higher concentration of glycerine is limited beyond a certain concentration. Thus it has been observed that the natural moisturizing active alone giving desired benefit needs high concentration thus impacting the sensory of the final product which is an important aspect when it comes to a consumer product. Consumer acceptability and stability of the formulation also needs to be highlighted here.

The compositions described in the prior-art are topically applied oil-in-water compositions comprising glycerine and vegetable oil. However, no synergistic effect is found among the actives in the composition to impart moisturizing benefit.

To overcome the problems mentioned in the prior art, the inventors of the present invention have successfully established a synergistic effect through a combination of coconut oil with glycerine and phospholipids. The inventors have shown that it is possible to achieve the outstanding moisturizing benefit by using the said synergistic combination of coconut oil with glycerine and phospholipids without impacting the sensory attributes of the final product

OBJECTIVE OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a synergistic personal care composition of a vegetable oil, particularly coconut oil and other actives such as glycerine and phospholipids to provide outstanding moisturizing benefit to normal to extremely dry, rough skin.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a synergistic personal care composition comprising a vegetable oil, particularly coconut oil, glycerine and phospholipids, along with additives and water.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a process for the preparation of a synergistic personal care composition comprising a vegetable oil, particularly coconut oil, glycerine and phospholipids.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention relates to a composition that exhibits synergy between a vegetable oil, particularly coconut oil, glycerine and phospholipids.

The present invention also relates to a personal care composition comprising the said synergistic composition of coconut oil, glycerine and phospholipids along with additives and water.

The process for the preparation of the synergistic composition of the present invention comprising the steps of preparation of a water phase comprising water, parabens, carbomer, glycerine and phospholipids, preparation of an oil phase comprising a vegetable oil, particularly coconut oil, glycerol monostearate (GMS), stearic acid and emulsifiers with heating, addition of the heated oil phase to the heated water phase followed by homogenization, and addition of a neutralizer and a sensory modifier.

The following examples and experimental studies are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting to this disclosure in any manner. Various modifications of the invention, in addition to those shown and described herein, will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following examples and the foregoing description. Such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Fig. 1 is a graphical representation of the increase in moisturizing benefit of the synergistic composition in 7 days.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present composition describes the synergy between a vegetable oil, particularly coconut oil, glycerine and phospholipids. All the formulations were prepared in the same base for the assessment of moisturizing benefit.

“Synergy” or “synergistic” may be used interchangeably and refer to a situation in which the combined effect of two agents is greater than which would be predicted from their individual effect. Various mechanisms for calculating or otherwise determining synergism are known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

The personal care composition of the present invention comprises a synergistic combination of coconut oil, glycerine and phospholipids, wherein the said coconut oil, glycerine and phospholipids are employed in the said composition in a weight ratio ranging between 1:1:1 and 2:2:1.

The composition of the present invention comprises a vegetable oil selected from the group consisting of, but not limited to, coconut oil, soy bean oil, corn oil, canola oil, safflower oil, cuphea oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, wheatgerm oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, sesame seed oil, apricot oil, castor oil, shea oil, avocado oil, sweet almond oil, cottonseed oil, hazelnut oil, macadamia oil, alfalfa oil, poppy oil, pumpkin oil, sesame oil, marrow oil, rapeseed oil, blackcurrant oil, evening primrose oil, millet oil, barley oil, quinoa oil, rye oil, candlenut oil, passionflower oil and muskrose oil.

The non-limiting examples of phospholipids used in the present invention are acetone insoluble fractions derived from natural sources such as soybean lecithin, and rice bran lecithins. Lecithin is also available from sources such as eggs, milk, marine sources, rapeseed, cottonseed, and sunflower.

In a preferred embodiment, a process for the preparation of the said synergistic composition, comprising the steps of:
i. preparation of a water phase, by mixing water and parabens followed by the addition of carbomer, glycerine, and phospholipids with heating at 65-75 ºC;
ii. preparation of an oil phase, by mixing the vegetable oil (coconut oil), glycerol monostearate (GMS), stearic acid, and emulsifiers with heating;
iii. addition of the heated oil phase to the heated water phase, followed by homogenization; and
iv. addition of a neutralizer, followed by the addition of a sensory modifier such as silicone, at a temperature below 50 ºC.

According to another preferred embodiment, the composition of the present invention comprises
from about 1 % to about 20% of coconut oil, from about 1 % to about 20% of glycerine, from about 1 % to about 10% of phospholipids, and additives and water making up for the remaining amount.

The compositions of the present invention may comprise a wide range of other optional components. The CTFA Cosmetic Ingredient Handbook describes a wide variety of non-limiting cosmetic and pharmaceutical ingredients commonly used in the skin care industry, which are suitable for use as additives in the compositions of the present invention. Examples of additives used in the composition of the present invention include thickeners, polymers, preservatives, colorants, fragrance, humectants, opacifying agents, conditioners, exfoliating agents, pH adjusters, preservatives, natural extracts, essential oils, skin soothing agents, and skin healing agents. The composition is formulated in any known format, more preferred formats being creams or lotions.

A wide variety of emulsifiers are useful herein and include, but not limited to sorbitan esters, glyceryl esters, polyglyceryl esters, methyl glucose esters, sucrose esters, ethoxylated fatty alcohols, hydrogenated castor oil ethoxylates, sorbitan ester ethoxylates, polymeric emulsifiers, silicone emulsifiers, glyceryl monoesters, preferably glyceryl monoesters of C16-C22 saturated, unsaturated and branched chain fatty acids such as glyceryl oleate, glyceryl monostearate, glyceryl monopalmitate, glyceryl monobehenate, and mixtures thereof; polyglyceryl esters of C16-C22 saturated, unsaturated and branched chain fatty acids, such as polyglyceryl-4 isostearate, polyglyceryl-3 oleate, diglycerol monooleate, tetraglycerol monooleate and mixtures thereof; methyl glucose esters, preferably methyl glucose esters of C16-C22 saturated, unsaturated and branched chain fatty acids such as methyl glucose dioleate, methyl glucose sesquisostearate, and mixtures thereof; sucrose fatty acid esters, preferably sucrose esters of C12-C22 saturated, unsaturated and branched chain fatty acids such as sucrose stearate, sucrose trilaurate, sucrose distearate, C12-C22 ethoxylated fatty alcohols such as oleth-2, oleth-3, steareth-2, and mixtures thereof; hydrogenated castor oil ethoxylates such as PEG-7 hydrogenated castor oil; sorbitan ester ethoxylates such as PEG-40 sorbitan peroleate, Polysorbate-80, and mixtures thereof; polymeric emulsifiers such as ethoxylated dodecyl glycol copolymer; and silicone emulsifiers such as laurylmethicone copolyol, cetyl dimethicone, dimethicone copolyol, and mixtures thereof.

Suitable thickeners and viscosity modifiers include water-soluble polyacrylic and hydrophobically modified polyacrylic resins such as carbopol and pemulen, starches such as corn starch, potato starch, tapioca, gums such as guar gum, gum arabic, xanthan gum, cellulose ethers such as hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, and the like.

The conditioning component may be composed of a water-soluble conditioning agent, an oil soluble conditioning agent, a conditioning emulsion, or any combination thereof.

Experimental details:
The following non-limiting examples include tests to evaluate the moisturizing efficacy of the combination of coconut oil, glycerine and phospholipids, and compared the moisturizing benefit obtained individually from coconut oil and glycerine. All parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise stated.

The invention is illustrated by non-limiting examples mentioned in Example I below.

Example I:
Ingredients % Composition
DM water q.s 100
Disodium EDTA 0.04
Parabens 0.2
Carbomer 0.2
Glyceryl Monostearate 0.5
Steareths 1.2
Stearic acid 1
Coconut oil 1-20
Glycerine 1-20
Soya Lecithin (Phospholipids) 1-10
Triethanolamine 0.25
Silicones (Sensory modifiers) 1-6
Isopropyl Myristate 5
Hydrogenated vegetable oil 1
Phenoxyethanol 0.1
Perfume 0.4

The composition described in the aforementioned example (Example I) was tested on healthy human volunteers to assess the extended skin moisture over a period of 7 days.

Healthy human volunteers with visible dry rough skin were recruited for the seven day clinical study. The volunteers were made to wash their arms with a surfactant solution and acclimatized in a temperature and humidity controlled chamber for 30 minutes. The initial hydration was measured at the start of the study (“time 0”) for each volunteer using a Corneometer. This was taken as the baseline. Then an amount of 0.5 gm per volar arm was used for the evaluation studies. The formulations containing a combination of coconut oil, glycerine and phospholipids, coconut oil and glycerine individually and combinations thereof, were applied on different forearms of each volunteer. The applications were repeated twice daily for seven days. On the eighth day, the hydration was measured using a Corneometer without any product being applied on the skin.

In use, a small quantity of the composition, for example, 1 to 5 ml, was applied to the forearm, from a suitable container or applicator and, if necessary, it was then spread over and/or rubbed into the skin using the hand or fingers or a suitable device.

The % increase in the hydration over the baseline was calculated and the results are presented in Fig. 1.

These results indicate the moisturizing benefit obtained from each of the actives - coconut oil, glycerine and combinations thereof, and a combination of coconut oil, glycerine and phospholipids. The maximum moisturizing benefit was visible from the formulation comprising a combination of coconut oil, glycerine and phospholipids. This explains the outstanding moisturizing benefit rendered by the synergistic combination of coconut oil, glycerine and phospholipids.

The composition according to the present invention is, but not limited to, a moisturizing composition, conditioning composition, or a skin care composition.

The composition according to the present invention is intended primarily as a product for topical application to human skin, particularly when the skin is dry or damaged, in order to reduce moisture loss and generally to enhance the quality and flexibility of skin. The composition can also be applied to normal skin, hair scalp and nails.

While this invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to this description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments as fall within the true scope of the invention.