CONTROL OF HARDNESS OF OIL-WAX GELS BY A NOVEL BRANCHED WAX AND APPLICATION TO LIPSTICKS

A novel branched wax has been developed for the control of the hardness of oil-wax gels. Using this wax, glossier application and smoother texture but tough lipstick can be obtained. Oil-wax gels are oily solids composed of liquid and crystalline solid oils (waxes). They are widely used in various cosmetic products, especially lipsticks. The control of gel hardness is one of the most important techniques in improvement of the lipstick quality. Addition of small amounts of commercial branched paraffin wax (e.g. microcrystalline wax, b-PW) to n-paraffin wax (n-PW) has been commonly used to increase gel hardness. However, gel hardness is very sensitive to the quantity of b-PW and the gel obtained is not always hard enough for practical use. In this study we examined the relationship between the gel hardness and the properties of the wax crystal in the gel. We have found that, when b-PW is added to n-PW, the wax crystal size becomes smaller (hardening the gels) and its crystallinity is decreased (softening the gels) simultaneously. Considering this result, we have developed a novel branched wax, Bis(polyethylenyl)- tetramethyldisiloxane (named ESE). ESE molecules are composed of a central tetramethyldisiloxane unit (branch unit) with polyethylene units at both ends. The central unit may suppress crystal growth while the ends are expected to prevent a decrease in wax crystallinity during crystallization. When ESE is added to n-PW, the wax crystal obtained becomes smaller without decreasing in crystallinity; consequently, the gel hardness is dramatically increased. By using ESE, the total amount of wax in a lipstick can be decreased by 30％ without spoiling the stick toughness, thereby achieving glossy application and smooth texture.