Water-in-oil-in-water compositions

A water-in-oil-in-water multiple emulsion composition comprising:

• (a) about 50% to about 95% by weight of the composition of an external aqueous phase comprising:
• (i) about 0.1% to about 30% by weight of the external aqueous phase of a second topically-active compound,
• (ii) about 0.5% to about 16% by weight of the external aqueous phase of a surfactant system capable of forming liquid crystals, wherein the surfactant system in the external phase is selected from the group consisting of a quaternary ammonium compound having two long alkyl (C.sub.8 -C.sub.22) chains, a di-long chain alkyl (C.sub.8 -C.sub.22) amine, a long chain fatty (C.sub.8 -C.sub.22) alcohol, an ethoxylated fatty (C.sub.8 -C.sub.22) alcohol, a double-tailed anionic surfactant, a double-tailed phospholipid, and mixtures thereof;
• and
• (iii) water;
• and
• (b) about 5% to about 50% by weight of the composition of a primary emulsion, said primary emulsion comprising:
• (i) about 10% to about 95% by weight of the primary emulsion of an aqueous phase comprising (A) water and (B) about 0.1% to about 30% by weight of the primary emulsion of a first topically-active compound;
• (ii) about 0.5% to about 80% by weight of the primary emulsion of an oil phase comprising a volatile silicone compound, a nonvolatile silicone compound, a volatile hydrocarbon compound, a nonvolatile hydrocarbon compound, or a mixture thereof, and
• (iii) about 0.1% to about 15% by weight of the primary emulsion of a surfactant phase comprising a silicon-free surfactant or surfactant blend having an HLB value of about 1 to about 7, an oil-soluble silicon-based surfactant, an oil-soluble polymeric surfactant, or a mixture thereof.

A water-in-oil-in-water multiple emulsion composition comprising:

• (a) about 40% to about 99% by weight of the composition of an external aqueous phase comprising:
• (i) water and (ii) about 0.001% to about 14.85% by weight of the composition of a surfactant system capable of forming liquid crystals, wherein the surfactant system in the external phase is selected from the group consisting of a quaternary ammonium compound having two long alkyl (C.sub.8 -C.sub.12) chains, a di-long chain alkyl (C.sub.8 -C.sub.22) amine, a long chain fatty (C.sub.8 -C.sub.22) alcohol, an ethoxylated fatty (C.sub.8 -C.sub.22) alcohol, a double-tailed anionic surfactant, a double-tailed phospholipid, and mixtures thereof;
• and
• (b) about 1% to about 60% by weight of the composition of a primary emulsion, said primary emulsion comprising:
• (i) about 0.01% to about 57% by weight of the composition of an aqueous phase comprising water and about 0.001% to about 17.1% by weight of the composition of a first topically-active compound,
• (ii) about 0.005% to about 57% by weight of the composition of an oil phase comprising a volatile silicone compound, a nonvolatile silicone compound, a volatile hydrocarbon compound, a nonvolatile hydrocarbon compound, or a mixture thereof, and
• (iii) about 0.001% to about 12% by weight of the composition of a surfactant phase comprising a silicon-free surfactant or surfactant blend having an HLB value of about 10 or less, an oil-soluble silicon-based surfactant, an oil-soluble polymeric surfactant, or a mixture thereof.

A method of treating the skin or hair with a topically-active compound comprising topically applying an effective amount of a water-in-oil-in-water multiple emulsion composition to skin or hair, said composition comprising:

• (a) about 40% to about 99% by weight of the composition of an external aqueous phase comprising:
• (i) water and (ii) about 0.1% to about 15% by weight of the external phase of a surfactant system capable of forming liquid crystals, wherein the surfactant system in the external phase is selected from the group consisting of a quaternary ammonium compound having two long alkyl (C.sub.8 -C.sub.22) chains, a di-long chain alkyl (C.sub.8 -C.sub.22) amine, a long chain fatty (C.sub.8 -C.sub.22) alcohol, an ethoxylated fatty (C.sub.8 -C.sub.22) alcohol, a double-tailed anionic surfactant, a double-tailed phospholipid, and mixtures thereof;
• and
• (b) about 1% to about 60% by weight of the composition of a primary water-in-oil emulsion, said primary emulsion comprising:
• (i) about 1% to about 95% by weight of the primary emulsion of an aqueous phase comprising a topically-effective amount of a first topically-active compound and water,
• (ii) about 0.5% to about 95% by weight of the primary emulsion of an oil phase comprising a volatile silicone compound, a nonvolatile silicone compound, a volatile hydrocarbon compound, a nonvolatile hydrocarbon compound, or a mixture thereof, and
• (iii) about 0.1% to about 20% by weight of the primary emulsion of a surfactant phase comprising a silicon-free surfactant or surfactant blend having an HLB value of about 10 or less, an oil-soluble silicon-based surfactant, an oil-soluble polymeric surfactant, or a mixture thereof,
• wherein droplets of the primary emulsion remain in contact with the skin or hair.

A water-in-oil-in-water multiple emulsion composition comprising:

• (a) about 40% to about 99% by weight of the composition of an external aqueous phase comprising:
• (i) water and (ii) about 0.1% to about 15% by weight of the external aqueous phase of a surfactant system capable of forming liquid crystals, wherein the surfactant system in the external phase is selected from the group consisting of a mixture of cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, dicetyldimmonium chloride, searylamidopropyldimethylamine and ceteareth-20;
• a mixture of distearyldimmonium chloride, cetrimonium chloride, cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol;
• a mixture of oleth-15, cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol;
• and mixtures thereof;
• and
• (b) about 1% to about 60% by weight of the composition of a primary emulsion, said primary emulsion comprising:
• (i) about 1% to about 95% by weight of the primary emulsion of an aqueous phase comprising a topically-effective amount of a first topically-active compound and water,
• (ii) about 5% to about 95% by weight of the primary emulsion of an oil phase comprising a volatile silicone compound, a nonvolatile silicone compound, a volatile hydrocarbon compound, a nonvolatile hydrocarbon compound, or a mixture thereof, and
• (iii) about 0.1% to about 20% by weight of the primary emulsion of a surfactant phase comprising a silicon-free surfactant or surfactant blend having an HLB value of about 10 or less, an oil-soluble silicon-based surfactant, an oil-soluble polymeric surfactant, or a mixture thereof.

A water-in-oil-in-water multiple emulsion composition comprising:

• (a) about 40% to about 99% by weight of the composition of an external aqueous phase comprising:
• (i) water and (ii) about 0.1% to about 15% by weight of the external aqueous phase of a surfactant system capable of forming liquid crystals, wherein the surfactant system in the external phase is selected from the group consisting of dicetyldimonium chloride, distearyldimonium chloride, di-palmitylamine, cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, steareth-2, steareth-21, dioctylsodium sulfosuccinate, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine, and mixtures thereof;
• and
• (b) about 1% to about 60% by weight of the composition of a primary emulsion, said primary emulsion comprising:
• (i) about 1% to about 95% by weight of the primary emulsion of an aqueous phase comprising a topically-effective amount of a first topically-active compound and water,
• (ii) about 5% to about 95% by weight of the primary emulsion of an oil phase comprising a volatile silicone compound, a nonvolatile silicone compound, a volatile hydrocarbon compound, a nonvolatile hydrocarbon compound, or a mixture thereof, and
• (iii) about 0.1% to about 20% by weight of the primary emulsion of a surfactant phase comprising a silicon-free surfactant or surfactant blend having an HLB value of about 10 or less, an oil-soluble silicon-based surfactant, an oil-soluble polymeric surfactant, or a mixture thereof.