U.S. patent application number 16/319070 was filed with the patent office on 2020-09-10 for cosmetic product applicator.
This patent application is currently assigned to Chanel Parfums Beaute. The applicant listed for this patent is Chanel Parfums Beaute. Invention is credited to Christian Salciarini.
Application Number | 20200281345 16/319070 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004867597 |
Filed Date | 2020-09-10 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200281345 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Salciarini; Christian |
September 10, 2020 |
Cosmetic Product Applicator
Abstract
The cosmetic product applicator has an arithmetic mean height
S.sub.a of a surface of the applicator in at least one portion A of
the applicator that is strictly greater than 10.0 .mu.m, this
height being calculated in accordance with the following formula: S
a = 1 A .intg. .intg. A z ( x , y ) dxdy , ##EQU00001## in which: A
is the portion of the applicator in question, and x, y and z
represent the coordinates of the surface of the applicator in an
orthogonal system of Cartesian coordinates, with z corresponding to
a measurement axis of the height.
Inventors: |
Salciarini; Christian;
(Hyeres, FR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Chanel Parfums Beaute |
Neuilly-sur-Seine |
|
FR |
|
|
Assignee: |
Chanel Parfums Beaute
Neuilly-sur-Seine
FR
|
Family ID: |
1000004867597 |
Appl. No.: |
16/319070 |
Filed: |
July 18, 2017 |
PCT Filed: |
July 18, 2017 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/FR2017/051953 |
371 Date: |
May 26, 2020 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A46B 2200/1053 20130101;
A46B 9/021 20130101; A46D 1/0207 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A46B 9/02 20060101
A46B009/02; A46D 1/00 20060101 A46D001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 19, 2016 |
FR |
1656879 |
Claims
1. A cosmetic product applicator comprising an arithmetic mean
height S.sub.a of a surface of the cosmetic product applicator in
at least one portion A of the cosmetic product applicator is
strictly greater than 10.0 .mu.m, this arithmetic mean height being
calculated in accordance with the following formula: S a = 1 A
.intg. .intg. A z ( x , y ) dxdy ##EQU00006## in which: A is the
portion of the applicator in question, and x, y and z represent the
coordinates of the surface of the applicator in an orthogonal
system of Cartesian coordinates, with z corresponding to a
measurement axis of the arithmetic mean height.
2. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic mean
height S.sub.a of the surface of the applicator in the portion A is
greater than 15.0 .mu.m.
3. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein a maximum pit
height S.sub.v of the surface of the applicator in the portion A is
less than 200 .mu.m.
4. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein a developed
interfacial area ratio S.sub.dr of the surface of the applicator in
the portion A of the applicator calculated according to the
formula: S dr = 1 A [ .intg. .intg. A ( [ 1 + ( .differential. z (
x , y ) .differential. x ) 2 + ( .differential. z ( x , y )
.differential. y ) 2 ] - 1 ) dxdy ] ##EQU00007## is greater than
70%.
5. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein the applicator is a
cosmetic product applicator for the eyelashes, eyebrows, lips or
skin.
6. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein the applicator
comprises a body and protuberances, the portion A comprising one or
more protuberances or parts of protuberances.
7. The applicator according to claim 1, wherein the applicator is
manufactured by additive synthesis, preferably by powder bed
fusion.
8. The cosmetic article comprising an applicator according to claim
1.
9. A method of manufacturing a cosmetic product applicator by
powder bed fusion, implemented so as to obtain an applicator whose
arithmetic mean height S.sub.a of a surface of the applicator in at
least one portion A of the applicator is greater than 10.0 .mu.m,
this arithmetic mean height being calculated in accordance with the
following formula: S a = 1 A .intg. .intg. A z ( x , y ) dxdy
##EQU00008## in which: A is the portion of the applicator in
question, and x, y and z represent the coordinates of the surface
of the applicator in an orthogonal system of Cartesian coordinates,
with z corresponding to a measurement axis of the arithmetic mean
height.
10. The method according to claim 1, comprising at least a step of
selecting powder grains which have a largest dimension of less than
80.0 .mu.m.
11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the powder grains are
selected by sieving.
12. The method according to claim 9, comprising at least a
sandblasting step.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the sandblasting is
carried out in an automatic drum sandblasting booth.
14. The method according to claim 13, wherein abrasive media
including grains having a largest dimension between 4.0 and 140.0
.mu.m are used.
15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the abrasive media
used are selected from the group consisting of: microbeads; sodium
bicarbonate; and compressed fruit stones.
16. The method according to claim 9, comprising a step of cleaning
by ultrasound.
17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the frequency of the
ultrasound used is between 25 kHz and 45 kHz.
18. The method according to claim 9, wherein the powder in the
powder bed fusion step is selected from the thermoplastic polymers
of the family of aliphatic polyamides.
19. The applicator according to claim 2, wherein the arithmetic
mean height S.sub.a of the surface of the applicator in the portion
A is between 15.0 and 30.0 .mu.m.
20. The applicator according to claim 3, wherein a maximum pit
height S.sub.v of the surface of the applicator in the portion A is
between 80 and 150 .mu.m.
21. The applicator according to claim 4 wherein the developed
interfacial area ratio S.sub.dr of the surface of the applicator in
the portion A of the applicator is greater than 100%
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to cosmetic product applicators.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A mascara article, or "mascara", typically comprises a case,
a mascara container and an applicator. There are several types of
applicator, bottle brush type, injected type and those manufactured
by additive synthesis. A bottle brush type applicator has a brush
which comprises bristles formed by fibers trapped in a twisted
metal wire forming the core of the applicator. An injected
applicator is a single piece and comprises plastic bristles or
teeth for example. An applicator manufactured by additive synthesis
also generally consists of a single piece and may be made for
example of a thermoplastic polymer powder. Such applicators give
the user satisfactory results. However, she is always looking for
better make-up effects.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] An object of the invention is therefore to improve the
cosmetic product applicators.
[0004] Thus, the invention provides for a cosmetic product
applicator having an arithmetic mean height S.sub.a of a surface of
the applicator in at least one portion A of the applicator that is
strictly greater than 10.0 .mu.m, this height being calculated in
accordance with the following formula:
S a = 1 A .intg. .intg. A z ( x , y ) dxdy ##EQU00002##
[0005] in which:
[0006] A is the portion of the applicator in question, and
[0007] x, y and z represent the coordinates of the surface of the
applicator in an orthogonal system of Cartesian coordinates, with z
corresponding to a measurement axis of the height.
[0008] This arithmetic mean height S.sub.a is calculated in
accordance with standard ISO 25178.
[0009] The surfaces of the make-up areas of the body on which the
cosmetic products are applied generally have a surface state whose
roughness is of the order of the .mu.m. A surface of an applicator
having an arithmetic mean height S.sub.a according to the invention
has a roughness which allows it to increase its surface state
compared with conventional applicators and therefore increase its
interactions with the area to be made up, for example the user's
skin, eyelashes, eyebrows or lips. Increasing these interactions
allows better transfer of the product from the surface of the
applicator to the surface to be made up, which simplifies the
make-up operation, in particular by not having to repeat the same
movements.
[0010] The order of magnitude of the arithmetic mean height S.sub.a
of an applicator according to the invention therefore corresponds
to that of the eyelashes, eyebrows, hairs and epidermis, which
improves the contact friction between the applicator and the
make-up areas.
[0011] Preferably, the arithmetic mean height S.sub.a of the
surface of the applicator in the portion A is greater than 15.0
.mu.m, and preferably between 15.0 and 30.0 .mu.m.
[0012] These values represent a good compromise between the desired
beneficial effect and the costs necessary to obtain these
characteristics.
[0013] Advantageously, a maximum pit height S.sub.v of the surface
of the applicator in the portion A of the applicator is less than
200 .mu.m, and preferably between 80 and 150 .mu.m.
[0014] This therefore avoids cavities that are too large and which
could trap product. In this case, some of the product would be lost
since not used for make-up. In addition, this accumulation of
product in these cavities is likely to make the applicator less
efficient and cause premature wear of the applicator. An applicator
according to the invention therefore has a longer lifetime.
[0015] Advantageously, a developed interfacial area ratio S.sub.dr
of the surface of the applicator in the portion A of the applicator
calculated according to the formula:
S dr = 1 A [ .intg. .intg. A ( [ 1 + ( .differential. z ( x , y )
.differential. x ) 2 + ( .differential. z ( x , y ) .differential.
y ) 2 ] - 1 ) dxdy ] ##EQU00003##
[0016] is greater than 70%, preferably greater than 100%.
[0017] This characteristic reflects the fact that the surface of
the applicator is increased and therefore creates a larger contact
surface with the make-up area and therefore a more efficient
transfer of product between the applicator and this make-up
area.
[0018] Preferably, the applicator is a cosmetic product applicator
for the eyelashes, eyebrows, lips or skin.
[0019] For example, the applicator could be a mascara applicator, a
lipstick or gloss applicator or an eyeliner.
[0020] Advantageously, the applicator comprises a body and
protuberances, the portion A comprising one or more protuberances
or parts of protuberances.
[0021] Since it is these parts which are intended mainly to come
into contact with the make-up area, their surface state
characteristics should preferably be as described in this
application. Obviously, these characteristics could also concern
other portions of the applicator, for example the body of the
applicator which is also used sometimes for make-up.
[0022] Advantageously, the applicator is manufactured by additive
synthesis, preferably by powder bed fusion.
[0023] The invention also provides for a cosmetic article
comprising an applicator according to any one of the preceding
claims.
[0024] The invention further provides for a method of manufacturing
a cosmetic product applicator by powder bed fusion, implemented so
as to obtain an applicator whose arithmetic mean height S.sub.a of
a surface of the applicator in at least one portion A of the
applicator is strictly greater than 10.0 .mu.m, this height being
calculated in accordance with the following formula:
S a = 1 A .intg. .intg. A z ( x , y ) dxdy ##EQU00004##
[0025] in which:
[0026] A is the portion of the applicator in question, and
[0027] x, y and z represent the coordinates of the surface of the
applicator in an orthogonal system of Cartesian coordinates, with z
corresponding to a measurement axis of the height.
[0028] The advantages of these characteristics are the same as
those described previously with reference to the applicator. In
particular, they allow better control of the final surface state of
the applicator.
[0029] A powder bed fusion method consists in producing objects
from powder materials using one or more lasers to selectively melt
the powder particles on the surface of the powder bed, layer by
layer, in a closed chamber. Any type of powder suitable for such a
method can be used.
[0030] The applicator can be manufactured by powder-based additive
manufacturing methods. Manufacture by powder bed fusion is one of
the powder-based additive manufacturing methods that can be used to
manufacture the applicator. A powder binding method can also be
used. A powder binding method consists in producing objects from
powder materials using a binding agent in order to selectively
consolidate the powder particles on the surface of the powder bed.
Any type of powder suitable for such a method can be used.
[0031] The arithmetic mean height of a surface of the applicator
could be between 15.0 .mu.m and 30.0 .mu.m.
[0032] Preferably, the method comprises at least a step of
selecting powder grains which have a largest dimension of less than
80.0 .mu.m.
[0033] Thus, this selection step which is carried out on the
powder, therefore before the formation of the applicator
(pre-treatment) allows better control of the final surface state of
the applicator and in particular reduces the roughness of the
applicator. Only grains having a largest dimension less than 120
.mu.m could be selected, preferably less than 70 .mu.m, for example
less than 60.0 .mu.m, or even less than 50.0 .mu.m.
[0034] Preferably, the grains are selected by sieving.
[0035] Several types of sieving can be considered to separate the
grains having a largest dimension greater than 80.0 .mu.m from the
other grains. For example, sieving by ultrasound, micro-vibration
and/or blowing can be used.
[0036] Advantageously, the method comprises at least a sandblasting
step.
[0037] Such a step also allows better control of the final surface
state of the applicator. This sandblasting is generally carried out
in post-treatment, in other words once the applicator has been
formed. This sandblasting is carried out in particular to clean the
applicator using an abrasive medium (microbeads, bicarbonate,
compressed fruit stones, etc.).
[0038] Preferably, the sandblasting is carried out in an automatic
drum sandblasting booth, preferably using microbeads.
[0039] Once again, this characteristic provides better control of
the final surface state of the applicator.
[0040] More preferably, abrasive media including grains having a
largest dimension between 4.0 and 140.0 .mu.m are used. Abrasive
media having grains of largest dimension between 40.0 and 100.0
.mu.m could be used, for example between 60.0 and 80.0 .mu.m.
Advantageously, the abrasive media used are selected from at least:
[0041] microbeads, for example glass or ceramic microbeads; [0042]
sodium bicarbonate; or [0043] compressed fruit stones.
[0044] The sandblasting step is carried out, preferably using up to
1000 brushes, in a rotating drum comprising a nozzle projecting
silica beads of 4 to 45 .mu.m at a pressure of between 5 bars
(510.sup.5 Pa) and 7 bars (710.sup.5 Pa), preferably 6 bars
(610.sup.5 Pa) for at least 20 minutes, even 30 minutes.
[0045] The distance from the nozzle to the bottom of the drum is an
important parameter. In this case, the nozzle is positioned 350 mm
from the bottom.
[0046] The rotating drum also comprises a lateral nozzle, used to
detach the brushes from the bottom for better mixing. The pressure
of the lateral nozzle is between 2 bars (210.sup.5 Pa) and 4 bars
(410.sup.5 Pa), preferably 3 bars (310.sup.5 Pa).
[0047] The brushes rotate at a given speed in the drum. The speed
is between 3 and 6 rpm, preferably 4 rpm.
[0048] Advantageously, a blowing step is carried out before the
sandblasting step, in the drum of the sandblasting machine with the
brushes rotating. This blowing step removes most of the particles
of material (PA 11) before the sandblasting step.
[0049] Optionally, the method comprises an alternative step of
cleaning by ultrasound.
[0050] The roughness of the applicator can therefore be controlled
more precisely. In addition, the roughness can be adjusted
depending on the type of applicator to be manufactured.
[0051] Advantageously, the frequency of the ultrasound used is
between 25 kHz and 45 kHz.
[0052] This frequency range gives particularly satisfactory
cleaning results. The ultrasound is generally applied during
post-treatment after immersing the applicator in a suitable
solution, for example a 50% solution of isopropyl alcohol.
Obviously, other solutions can be used.
[0053] Preferably the powder is selected from the thermoplastic
polymers of the family of aliphatic polyamides.
[0054] Obviously, several types of powder can be used, alone or
mixed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0055] We will now describe embodiments of the invention given as
non-limiting examples in reference to the drawings, in which:
[0056] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an
applicator according to the invention;
[0057] FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views of a free end
respectively of an applicator according to an embodiment of the
invention and of a silicone applicator made by injection;
[0058] FIG. 3 is a diagram of an embodiment of the method according
to the invention;
[0059] FIGS. 4A, 5A and 6A are three-dimensional views respectively
of a plastic applicator manufactured by injection, of an applicator
according to the invention for which there was no sandblasting step
during its manufacture by additive synthesis and of an applicator
according to the invention for which there was a step of
sandblasting during its manufacture by additive synthesis.
[0060] FIGS. 4B to 4D, 5B to 5D and 6B to 6D are graphs showing the
roughness profile of the respective applicators of FIGS. 4A, 5A and
6A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0061] We will now describe embodiments of the applicator and of
the method according to the invention, in reference to FIGS. 1 to
6D. We will describe here a mascara applicator but, obviously, it
could be another cosmetic product applicator, for example a
cosmetic product applicator for the lips, the eyebrows or the
skin.
[0062] The mascara applicator 1 according to the invention is
carried by a rod 2 which, in a cosmetic article, connects the
applicator to a cap. The applicator has an elongate ovoid general
shape along its longitudinal axis 3. The rod has a cylindrical
rectilinear general shape and its longitudinal axis is coincident
with the longitudinal axis 3 of the applicator. The rod and the
applicator are connected together by one of their ends (see FIG.
1).
[0063] The applicator 1 may have other general shapes, for example
a spherical, parallelelipedic, curvilinear or cubic general
shape.
[0064] The applicator comprises a body or core from which the
protuberances 4 extend. Obviously, the applicator according to the
invention could be an applicator with no core. These protuberances
form in this case rows parallel to the axis and rings located in
planes perpendicular to the axis.
[0065] The manufacturing method is carried out according to the
steps described in the diagram of FIG. 3. Obviously, other steps
could be added to this method and some steps could be replaced by
another step.
[0066] In this case, we are describing a method of manufacturing a
mascara applicator by additive synthesis, more specifically, a
powder bed fusion method. This method consists in producing objects
from powder materials using one or more lasers to selectively melt
the powder particles on the surface of the powder bed, layer by
layer, in a closed chamber. In the embodiment described, the type
of powder used is a thermoplastic polymer from the family of
aliphatic polyamides. We may mention in particular polyamide
powders PA11 and PA12. Obviously, several other types of powder can
be used, alone or mixed.
[0067] To control the final surface state of the applicator and
give it the required characteristics, pre-treatment is carried out
on the powder to remove powder grains whose largest dimension is
greater than 80.0 .mu.m. In the present case, this pre-treatment
includes sieving the powder before using the powder in a
conventional powder bed fusion machine. In this case, sieving by
ultrasound is used. Obviously, any sieving technique capable of
selecting the powder grains whose largest dimension is less than
80.0 .mu.m can be used. Selection of these grains therefore allows
better control of the final roughness of the surface of the
applicator.
[0068] The sieved powder then undergoes fusion on a conventional
powder bed. To do this, the additive synthesis machine uses a
digital file representing the applicator geometrically. The file is
obtained after designing the applicator on computer-aided design
(CAD) software. This file can be in STL format or any other
standard file format suitable for additive synthesis by powder bed
fusion. The file is then processed by software supplied by the
manufacturer of the machine used to carry out the additive
synthesis. This software breaks down the file into sections in the
form of about hundred digital images in SLI or BFF format, each
image corresponding to a layer of the model to be printed, i.e. to
a section of the applicator taken in a plane perpendicular to its
longitudinal axis. This data is then sent to the printer to produce
the applicator.
[0069] To obtain an applicator having a surface state close to the
preferred ranges, post-treatment steps are carried out after
synthesizing the applicator.
[0070] In the present case, a sandblasting step is carried out in
an automatic drum sandblasting booth using microbeads to clean the
applicators manufactured, with an abrasive. In this case, glass
microbeads of diameter between 4.0 and 140.0 .mu.m are used. This
technique produces applicators with the required characteristics.
Obviously, other sandblasting techniques can be used.
[0071] The sandblasting step is carried out, preferably using up to
1000 brushes, in a rotating drum comprising a nozzle projecting
silica beads of 4 to 45 .mu.m at a pressure of between 5 bars
(510.sup.5 Pa) and 7 bars (710.sup.5 Pa), preferably 6 bars
(610.sup.5 Pa) for at least 20 minutes, preferably 30 minutes.
[0072] The distance from the nozzle to the bottom of the drum is in
this case 350 mm.
[0073] The rotating drum also comprises a lateral nozzle, used to
detach the brushes from the bottom for better mixing. The pressure
of the lateral nozzle is between 2 bars (210.sup.5 Pa) and 4 bars
(410.sup.5 Pa), preferably 3 bars (310.sup.5 Pa).
[0074] The brushes rotate at a given speed in the drum. The speed
is between 3 and 6 rpm, preferably 4 rpm.
[0075] Advantageously, a blowing step is carried out before the
sandblasting step, in the drum of the sandblasting machine with the
brushes rotating. This blowing step removes most of the particles
of material (PA 11) before the sandblasting step.
[0076] To control the roughness more precisely, cleaning by
ultrasound is then carried out. To do this, the applicator is
immersed in a solution of 50% isopropyl alcohol and ultrasound
between 25 kHz and 45 kHz is applied. Obviously, other cleaning
techniques can be used.
[0077] This specific cleaning step is optional and simply a
conventional cleaning step included in the cleaning cycle could be
considered. This offers the advantage of requiring no additional
operation. In addition, it offers the advantage of being carried
out in dry environment.
[0078] Sieving by micro-vibration and/or blowing could be used in
addition or as an alternative. This also offers the advantage of
being carried out in dry environment.
[0079] Lastly, cleaning in aqueous environment could also be
considered.
[0080] The characteristics of the surface state of the applicator
produced by the above method are measured using an Altisurf 520
machine sold by Altimet equipped with a CL4 probe. The measurement
is based on the confocal-chromatic principle which is a contactless
measurement method and the tests were conducted in accordance with
standard ISO 25178. The measurements were taken on the
protuberances of three different applicators. A first applicator
used as a control is made of plastic and was produced by injection
(see FIGS. 4A to 4D). A second applicator was manufactured
according to the method described above but has not undergone a
post-treatment step (see FIGS. 5A to 5D). Lastly, a third
applicator was manufactured according to the method described above
with the step of sandblasting and cleaning by ultrasound (see FIGS.
6A to 6D). Each surface to be tested is scanned by the probe which
takes point by point readings at a pitch of 4 .mu.m in the x and y
directions. The light exposure is set by the measurement frequency,
200 Hz in this case.
[0081] On the graphs of FIGS. 4B to 4D, 5B to 5D and 6B to 6D
showing the roughness profile of the applicators, the ordinate
corresponds to the height, expressed in micrometers, and the
abscissa corresponds to the length of the applicator in the portion
of the applicator in question.
[0082] The values of arithmetic mean height S.sub.a in a portion A
of the surface of the applicator, and the values of developed
interfacial area ratios S.sub.dr were calculated using the
following formulae:
S a = 1 A .intg. .intg. A z ( x , y ) dxdy ##EQU00005## S dr = 1 A
[ .intg. .intg. A ( [ 1 + ( .differential. z ( x , y )
.differential. x ) 2 + ( .differential. z ( x , y ) .differential.
y ) 2 ] - 1 ) dxdy ] ##EQU00005.2##
[0083] in which:
[0084] A is the portion of the applicator in question, and
[0085] x, y and z represent the coordinates of the surface of the
applicator in an orthogonal system of Cartesian coordinates, with z
corresponding to a measurement axis of the height.
[0086] In addition, the maximum pit height S.sub.v was also
measured.
[0087] The results of these measurements are shown in Table I
below:
TABLE-US-00001 S.sub.a (in .mu.m) S.sub.dr (in %) S.sub.v (in
.mu.m) Applicator made by 21 318 211 additive synthesis with no
29.5 168 200 post-treatment after 29.6 151 152 leaving the machine
Applicator made by 26 227 130 additive synthesis with 15.5 182 92
post-treatment 22.9 203 124 Plastic applicator made 6.85 62 172 by
injection 5.99 59.4 30 6.99 59.9 31.8
[0088] For each case, three samples were used. These three samples
correspond to the three respective graphs of the three conditions
(see FIGS. 4B to 4D, 5B to 5D and 6B to 6D).
[0089] These results show that the method described above can be
used to obtain applicators for which a surface of the protuberances
has an arithmetic mean height S.sub.a strictly greater than 10.0
.mu.m. More particularly, this method can be used to obtain
arithmetic mean heights in the preferred range of 15.0 to 30.0
.mu.m.
[0090] In addition, these results show that the method described
above can be used to obtain applicators for which a surface of the
protuberances has a developed interfacial area ratio S.sub.dr
greater than 70%. More particularly, the developed interfacial area
ratios are between 151% and 318%. Note that such values are not
obtained for plastic applicators manufactured by injection. Note
also that the use of post-treatment seems to provide better control
over the value obtained which is then close to 200%.
[0091] Lastly, these results show that the method described above
can be used to obtain applicators whose maximum pit height S.sub.v
is less than 200 .mu.m. More particularly, this method can be used
to obtain a maximum pit height S.sub.v of between 80 et 150 .mu.m.
Note in fact that in the case of applicators manufactured according
to the claimed method, four of the six samples tested lie within
the preferred value ranges, whereas this is the case for only one
of the three samples for applicators manufactured by injection.
[0092] Thus, the method as described above produced applicators
whose values of arithmetic mean height R.sub.a of the surface of
the applicator, of maximum pit height S.sub.v, and of developed
interfacial area ratio of the surface of the applicator lie within
the respective preferred value ranges.
[0093] A particularly advantageous applicator is therefore
obtained, since its surface state characteristics allow it to be
rough enough to be loaded with a sufficient quantity of cosmetic
product when it is dipped into a mascara container, but not too
rough so as to simplify the transfer of mascara to the area to be
made up and to ensure comfort of use for the user. In addition, the
values of interfacial area ratio obtained optimize the exchanges
between the applicator and the mascara and between the applicator
and the area to be made up. Lastly, the maximum pit heights
described avoid the formation of areas on the applicator in which
the mascara would be inaccessible for make-up while allowing the
formation of mascara reserves that will be useful for make-up.
[0094] Note that the implementation of post-treatment is
advantageous since it reduces the maximum pit height and thus
avoids the accumulation of mascara in the pits.
[0095] Such differences between an applicator according to the
invention and an injected applicator can be seen in particular on
FIGS. 2A and 2B, as well as on FIGS. 4A, 5A and 6A.
[0096] Obviously, numerous modifications can be made without
leaving the scope of the invention.
[0097] The embodiments described above concern mascara applicators.
Other cosmetic applicators could be considered, for example
cosmetic product applicators for the lips, skin or eyebrows.
[0098] We have described here a method of manufacturing by additive
synthesis, powder bed fusion. Other methods of manufacturing by
additive synthesis could be considered.
[0099] We have described here the case of a cosmetic product
applicator but an applicator according to the invention could be
used for another liquid or semi-liquid product, i.e. a product of
viscosity from 0.01 Pas to nearly 100 Pas.
* * * * *