Agar gel bead composition and method
First Claim
1. A topically applied composition comprising a two-phase cream, gel or lotion formed by homogenization at a temperature elevated above about 50°
- C. of;
a) an oil phase ingredient; and
b) an aqueous phase ingredient; and
c) gel beads dispersed in the cream, gel or lotion, the gel beads comprising;
i) agar gel;
ii) a restraining polymer distributed throughout the agar gel;
iii) a topically active agent retained in the gel beads by the restraining polymer;
wherein the gel beads can be spread on application to make the active agent topically available.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Crushable gel beads 10 formed of an agar complex provide novel cosmetic, pharmaceutical, etc. delivery vehicles for topical delivery of biologically or cosmetically active agents. Preferred agar beads 10 are complexes of a continuous phase of agar gel 12 in a self-supporting solid or semi-solid form with a restraining polymer 14. Entrapped in and dispersed randomly throughout each agar bead 10 is a water-soluble, preferably polar, restraining polymer 14, preferably a quaternized cationic polymer, such as polyquaternium 24 or steardimonium hydroxyethylcellulose. Various active agents 16 may be bound to restraining polymer 14, for example ascorbic acid, lactic acid or papain. Methods of manufacture are also described.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A topically applied composition comprising a two-phase cream, gel or lotion formed by homogenization at a temperature elevated above about 50°
- C. of;
a) an oil phase ingredient; and
b) an aqueous phase ingredient; and
c) gel beads dispersed in the cream, gel or lotion, the gel beads comprising;
i) agar gel;
ii) a restraining polymer distributed throughout the agar gel;
iii) a topically active agent retained in the gel beads by the restraining polymer;
wherein the gel beads can be spread on application to make the active agent topically available. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
- C. of;
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14. A method of preparing gel particles for incorporation in a topically applied formulation, the method comprising:
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a) forming a hot aqueous solution comprising an agar gelling agent and a restraining polymer to form a gelling agent solution, the solution being gellable at a lower temperature; and
b) discharging the hot gelling agent solution through a discharge orifice into a cold hydrophobic liquid immiscible with the gelling agent solution, the cold hydrophobic liquid being maintained at a temperature below the gelling agent gelling point;
c) providing a moving stream of the cold hydrophobic liquid; and
d) discharging the hot gelling agent solution through the discharge orifice into the moving stream of cold hydrophobic liquid to generate gel particles in the hydrophobic liquid stream. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification