• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.469-479
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• 2003

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.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.99-103
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• 2010

Waxes, or long-chain hydrocarbons, may be obtained naturally from animals, vegetables, and mineral waxes, or may be synthesized. The oil-wax gels are widely applied to lots of cosmetics such as lipsticks. For example, the lipstick texture is strongly dependent on the glossiness of the oil-wax gels. Extensive research has been carried out to investigate the lattice structure of wax mixture in pure solvents (hydrocarbons) and defined mixtures. However, only a limited amount of work has been published on the lattice structure of wax matrixes in undefined mixtures. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the lattice structure of ceresin wax and different wax mixtures and the glossiness of oil-wax gels. Recently visual factors such as the glossiness of skin are generally known as the words to express the beauty. The mechanism of glossiness has been suggested to understand the changes that occur in the lattice structure of the wax matrixes when they are forming gels and also the effects of the nature of solvent. The present work investigates the lattice structure of the wax matrixes and glossiness of oil-wax gels obtained from ceresin and microcrystalline wax as well as of the gels formed by different waxes in solvent.