Structured Surfactant Suspending Systems
AssigneeStepan Company
InventorsJohn Hawkins, Emilie Pace, Laetitia Lebert
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Abstract
A structured surfactant system with a very high degree of clarity. The system comprises water and a mixture of at least one surfactant having a HLB (Hydrophilic Lipophilic Balance) value of less than 10, and at least one surfactant having an HLB value of 10 or greater. The structured surfactant system forms multilamellar vesicles and has suspending properties without added electrolytes, carbohydrates, or polymeric thickeners. This makes the structured surfactant system particularly useful in personal care compositions.
Claims17
An aqueous structured surfactant system comprising:
- water and a mixture of surfactants, wherein the mixture of surfactants, comprises:
- at least one surfactant having an HLB value of less than 10;
- and
- at least one surfactant having an HLB value of 10 or greater, the mixture of surfactants having an overall HLB value in the range of about 11 to about 13;
- wherein the structured surfactant system is free of electrolytes and polymeric thickeners;
- and
- wherein the structured surfactant system is substantially transparent in the absence of any suspended matter and has suspending properties.
A personal care composition comprising:
- a structured surfactant system wherein the structured surfactant system comprises a mixture of at least one surfactant having an HLB value of less than 10 and at least one surfactant having an HLB value of 10 or greater, wherein the mixture of surfactants produces multilamellar vesicles with a droplet size of less than 2500 angstroms and a bilayer spacing below 60 angstroms;
- at least one of solid, liquid or gaseous particles suspended in the structured surfactant system;
- and
- the balance water.
A transparent structured surfactant system which is comprised of multilamellar vesicles with a droplet size of less than 2500 angstroms and a bilayer spacing below 60 angstroms.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.