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EP-3283174-B1 - METHOD EMPLOYING, AND USE OF, A SOLID CONDITIONING COMPOSITION

EP3283174B1EP 3283174 B1EP3283174 B1EP 3283174B1EP-3283174-B1

Inventors

  • LYNCH, MATTHEW, LAWRENCE
  • KUTAY, Benjamin, John
  • WILLMAN, JOANNE, ROBERTA
  • ILLIE, Brandon, Philip
  • BLYTH, KEVIN, GRAHAM
  • BARRERA, Carola
  • SAWIN, PHILIP, ANDREW
  • GLENN, ROBERT, WAYNE, JR.
  • AOUAD, YOUSEF, GEORGES
  • FLOOD, JANINE, ANNE

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20160413

Claims (20)

  1. A method of treating a surface comprising the steps of: providing a consumer product composition, said consumer product composition comprising a non-porous dissolvable solid structure comprising a carrier material and at least 5%, by weight of said consumer product composition, of a hydrophobic conditioning agent disposed within said carrier material, and wherein the mean particle size of said hydrophobic conditioning agent disposed within said carrier material is from 2 µm to 120 µm. providing an aqueous solution; dissolving said consumer product composition in said aqueous solution to form, in a washing machine or hand-washing vessel, an aqueous treatment liquor which is an aqueous laundry treatment liquor; and contacting said surface with said aqueous treatment liquor, wherein the carrier material disperses completely in 25 °C water within a Dispersion Time of less than 60 minutes, determined according to the "Dispersion Test Method" described herein; and said consumer product composition is in the form of a plurality of beads.
  2. The method of claim 1, wherein said consumer product composition comprises from 5% to 50%, preferably from 5% to 40%, preferably from 10% to 40%, by weight of said consumer product composition, of said hydrophobic conditioning agent.
  3. The method of any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein said consumer product composition comprises from 30% to 95%, preferably from 50% to 95%, preferably from 60% to 95%, by weight of the consumer product composition, of said carrier material.
  4. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said hydrophobic conditioning agent has a viscosity at 70°C of from 0.1 to 2000 Pa·s, preferably from 0.1 to 150 Pa·s, preferably from 0.2 to 20 Pa·s.
  5. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said hydrophobic conditioning agent is a liquid at 25°C.
  6. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said hydrophobic conditioning agent has a viscosity at 25°C of from 0.1 to 2000 Pa·s, preferably from 0.1 to 150 Pa·s, preferably from 0.1 to 20 Pa·s.
  7. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said carrier material has a viscosity at 70°C of from 0.005 to 350 Pa·s, preferably from 0.005 to 100 Pa·s, preferably from 0.05 to 50 Pa·s.
  8. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said carrier material has a melting point of from 25°C to 120°C, preferably from 35°C to 100°C, preferably from 40°C to 80°C.
  9. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said carrier material is a solid at 25°C.
  10. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein a ratio of the viscosity of said hydrophobic conditioning agent at 70°C to the viscosity of said carrier material at 70°C is from 1000:1 to 1:1000, preferably from 100:1 to 1:100, preferably from 10:1 to 1:10.
  11. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said carrier material disperses completely in 25°C water within a Dispersion Time of less than 30 minutes, preferably less than 10 minutes, wherein the Dispersion Time is determined according to the "Dispersion Test Method" as described herein.
  12. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mean particle size of said hydrophobic conditioning agent disposed within said carrier material is from 2 µm to 70 µm.
  13. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said hydrophobic conditioning agent is selected from the group consisting of silicone materials, organic conditioning oils, hydrocarbon oils, fatty esters, metathesized unsaturated polyol esters, silane-modified oils, and mixtures thereof.
  14. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said hydrophobic conditioning agent comprises polyisobutene or a silicone material, preferably a terminal aminosilicone or a polydimethylsiloxane.
  15. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said carrier material comprises a polyethylene glycol material, or mixtures thereof.
  16. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said carrier material comprises a polyethylene glycol material, or mixtures thereof, having a molecular weight of from 200 to 50,000, preferably from 500 to 20,000, preferably from 1,000 to 15,000.
  17. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of beads having an average maximum cross-sectional dimension of from 0.05 to 50 mm, preferably from 0.3 to 10 mm, preferably from 0.5 to 5 mm.
  18. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said beads having an average aspect ratio of from 1:1 to 1000: 1, preferably from 1:1 to 100:1, preferably from 1:1 to 10:1.
  19. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said consumer product composition comprises a ratio of the level of carrier material to the level of hydrophobic conditioning agent of from 1:1 to 20:1, preferably from 1:1 to 10:1, preferably from 1:1 to 5:1, by weight of the consumer product composition.
  20. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said consumer product composition comprises less than 5%, preferably less than 3%, preferably less than 1%, by weight of said consumer product composition, of water.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a consumer product composition comprising a non-porous dissolvable solid structure and a hydrophobic conditioning agent disposed therein. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Consumer product compositions often contain benefit agents, such as conditioning agents, to provide enhancements to surfaces treated with the consumer product composition such as improved hand feel benefits (e.g. soft, silky feel), softness benefits, and the like. Such benefits are desired by consumers of fabric care products, such as laundry detergents or fabric softeners, skin care products, such as skin moisturizing lotions, and hair care products, like shampoo or hair conditioners. Such consumer product compositions, such as fabric softeners or hair conditioners, are typically provided in the form of aqueous liquid products. Since many desirable conditioning agents are hydrophobic in nature, it can be a challenge to create a stable aqueous liquid formulation containing hydrophobic conditioning agents. As a result, such conditioning agents are typically incorporated in aqueous liquid compositions in the form of emulsions or other systems comprising emulsion droplets/particles having relatively small particle size benefits agents, typically smaller than 1 µm. One drawback of having small particle size conditioning agents is that it can be difficult to deposit and retain small particle size benefit agents on the treated surface, especially if the surfaces are being treated in the context of an aqueous treatment liquor such as a detergent treatment liquor in a washing machine or a treatment liquor that a consumer uses in the shower when shampooing and/or conditioning her hair. As a result, the small particle size conditioning agents can be easily washed down the drain and therefore wasted, as opposed to being deposited and retained on surfaces to enhance the surface. In order to address such drawbacks, attempts have been made to provide delivery systems, such as encapsulation systems, for the hydrophobic conditioning agents in order to enhance their deposition and retention on surfaces while remaining stable in an aqueous liquid product. These delivery systems, however, can limit the effectiveness of the conditioning agents or lead to other issues. It is therefore desired to provide a consumer product composition that contains relatively large particle size conditioning agents without the need for liquid delivery systems that can interfere with the effectiveness of the conditioning agent being deposited on the treated surfaces. WO 2008/009521 A1 discusses solid fabric-softening compositions comprising a matrix and a compound having an affinity for fabric and a perfume distributed in the matrix. DE 10 2007 059 296 A1 discusses granulates containing silicone oil for detergents and cleaning agents for softening and protection of fibers. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of treating a surface and a use of a consumer product composition in accordance with the claims. The non-porous dissolvable solid structure comprises carrier material within which the hydrophobic conditioning agent is disposed. The carrier material is selected such that the desired mean particle size of the hydrophobic conditioning agent can be "set" in the carrier material of the non-porous dissolvable solid structure. The desired mean particle size of hydrophobic conditioning agent in the consumer product composition is in the range of from 2 µm to 120 µm. The optimal particle size of the hydrophobic conditioning agent may depend upon the intended use of the consumer product composition. For instance, a fabric softening product composition for conditioning fabrics in a laundry process will contain a hydrophobic conditioning agent having a mean particle size of from 2 µm to 120 µm, more preferably from µm to about 70 µm; whereas a hair conditioning product composition for conditioning hair in a hair washing process will preferably contain a hydrophobic conditioning agent having an average particle size of from about 10 µm to 120 µm. Since the consumer product composition is in a solid, non-porous form, the mean particle size of the hydrophobic conditioning agent will generally remain constant during packaging, shipping and storage of the consumer product composition. When the consumer product composition is ready for use, it is dissolved in an aqueous solution to form an aqueous treatment liquor. Upon dissolution, the hydrophobic conditioning agent will tend to maintain its mean particle size from the consumer product composition and into the aqueous treatment liquor. The relatively large particles of hydrophobic conditioning agent in the aqueous treatment liquor will tend to be more effectively deposited on the treated surfaces and therefore provide enhanced consumer benefits, as compared to products which provide smaller mean particle size agents. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1A a