Cosmetic Applicator

Abstract

Cosmetic applicator comprises stick having one end covered by an absorbent material coated with a cosmetic material. The absorbent material may be coated with a wax before the cosmetic is applied thereto.

Description

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Certain cosmetic products, and particularly lip rouge, are conventionally packaged in the form of molded sticks which must have sufficient strength to permit the user to apply them to the skin or the mucous membrane without crushing the stick. This necessity requires that formulas be used which, at ordinary temperatures, have a sufficiently stiff consistency to permit their being removed from the mold at the time of manufacture on the one hand, and, on the other hand, to be applied to the skin and/or the mucous membrane without deforming. It is also known that certain cosmetic products come in the form of powders which may be compacted, and must, in order to be applied, be transported from the container to the point of application by means of an accessory such as a brush, a puff, or a tissue.

It is the purpose of the present invention to permit a cosmetic product to be applied regardless of the physical state of the product, that is to say, whether liquid, pasty, solid, or powdered, without it being necessary for the user to utilize any indepenent accessory for transporting the cosmetic product from its container to the skin or mucous membrane over which it is to be spread.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide as a new article of manufacture a cosmetic stick comprising a rigid or semi-rigid material characterized by the fact that at least one end of the stiick is coated with a carrier on which a cosmetic product has been deposited.

In a first embodiment of the invention the carrier consists only of a supporting material formed by a layer of fibers, which are preferably absorbent, or of absorbent foam. In a second embodiment, the carrier consists of the layer of supporting material covered by a coating material on which the cosmetic product is deposited.

In the first embodiment the supporting material may advantageously consist of, for example of woven or unwoven cotton fibers. The supporting material may also advantageously consist of absorbent foam, such as polyurethane foam. The absorbent support is then formed from a thin sheet of flexible plastic foam which is adhesively attached to the end of the stick. The supporting material may also be produced by flocking, that is to say by projecting independent fibers onto an adhesive zone on the stick. The fibers attached by flocking are synthetic textile fibers such as nylon. The flocked fibers have a diameter ranging from 0.5 to 5 denier. The length of the segments of fibers used is from between 0.2 and 1 millimeter. The fibers are projected by a spray gun. The supporting material is attached to the end of the stick over a length of about 5 to 20 millimeters. In the second embodiment the supporting material may advantageously be covered with a hard wax in which it is dipped and on which the cosmetic product is subsequently deposited.

It is clear that the stick according to the invention makes it possible to use cosmetics which, up to the present, could not be used except with an accessory for transferring them from their container to the skin. In particular in the case of lip rouge, it is well known that it is highly desirable to be able to use unctuous formulations which are very agreeable to the lips but have the disadvantage of being extremely fluid. Their fluidity at ordinary temperatures practically prevents their sale in the form of a stick, since the removal of such sticks from a mold is practically impossible and the stick would be so soft that the user could not apply it conveniently. The use of a stick according to the invention makes such a procedure possible without difficulty. In effect, the unctuous lip rouge is secured to the supporting material at the end of the stick. The lip rouge may form a layer which completely covers said supporting material. The necessary rigidity during use is provided by the stick itself and the retention of the product on the stick is assured by the layer of supporting material, regardless of whether this material is a fibrous material or a foam, and partially or totally covered with hard wax.

It will thus be seen that the stick according to the invention makes it possible to use lip rouges having, at ordinary temperatures, the consistency of a soft paste. Moreover, for rouges intended for dry lips, that is to say having a hard consistency, the use of the stick according to the invention is equally advantageous. In effect, the supporting material at the end of the stick has sufficient flexibility to insure that the application of this end to the lips of the user does not disintegrate the layer of the cosmetic product deposited on the end of the stick. On the contrary, the disintegration of a hard cosmetic would have been particularly significant if said product had been directly deposited on the end of a rigid support.

It is clear that the cosmetic stick according to the invention may be utilized not only for applying lip rouges, but also for applying any other cosmetic product such, for example, as face powders, and eye shadow. When the products to be deposited on the absorbent material of the stick are in pulverulent form, the powder is suspended in an appropriate liquid and the supporting material carried by the end of the stick is dipped into this suspension. The liquid is then evaporated from the suspension and the absorbent material is thus impregnated with face powder.

In the particular case in which, according to the invention, a supporting material is used which consists of flocked fibers, it should be noted that the attachment of these fibers to the stick is accomplished in a particularly simple and economic manner. For this purpose, the end of the stick is dipped in an adhesive solution such as a solution of gum arabic for example, and a gaseous jet containing segments of fibers is projected with a spray gun against the zone which has been dipped. These fibers are attached to the support and constitute a layer of fibers serving the purpose of the absorbent material.

It should also be noted that the tendency of the users of a lipstick according to the invention would be to use the stick until practically all the cosmetic product which it supports has been consumed. Under these conditions, at the end of the consumption of the cosmetic product the supporting material may itself come in contact with the skin of lips of the user, which could produce a relatively disagreeable sensation if the supporting material consisted solely of a fibrous material or a plastic foam material. In order to avoid this disadvantage, it has been suggested that a coating be deposited on this supporting material. This coating may consist, for example, of hard wax, and at least partically cover the supporting material. The layer of hard wax then permits the retention of the cosmetic itself, which is subsequently deposited thereon. When the cosmetic product has been totally consumed, the skin or the lips of the user come in contact with the hard wax, which continues to adhere to the fibrous or foam material support, but has no cosmetic properties. The contact with this wax is in no way disagreeable to the user and the advantageous properties of the cosmetic stick according to the invention are thus improved.

In order that the object of the invention may be better understood, several embodiments thereof will now be described, purely by way of illustration and example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, on which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing the end of a stick according to the invention carrying cotton fibers covered with lip rouge;

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view through the end of a stick according to the invention carrying a layer of polyurethane foam impregnated with eye shadow;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the end of a stick according to the invention with the layer of cosmetic product partially broken away to show the layer of supporting material consisting of flocked fibers; and

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken along the line IV--IV of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawings, and more especially to FIG. 1, it will be seen that reference numeral 1 indicates a wooden stick, the end 1a of which is covered by cotton fibers 2 adhesively secured to said end. The stick 1 has a diameter of about 3 millimeters and the end 1a carries about 15 milligrams of cotton fibers. The fibers 2 have been dipped for a second in a molten lip rouge, said lip rouge corresponding, for example, to one of the formulations which will be hereinafter set forth. After having drawn the end of the stick from the bath of molten lip rouge, the lip rouge absorbed by the fibers 2 is permitted to cool. This produces a lipstick according to the invention which may be used on the lips by rubbing the impregnated fibers 2 along said lips.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the stick according to the invention. In this embodiment the stick 10 is made of stiff cardboard and has a diameter of about 3 millimeters. The end 10a of the stick 10 is covered by a thin sheet 20 of flexible polyurethane foam wound about the stick and completely covering the end 10a. The foam 20 is soaked in a suspension of eye shadow corresponding, for example, to the formula which will be hereinafter set forth. The layer of foam covers the end 10a of the stick and has a thickness of between about 1 and about 2 millimeters. The end is dipped for about 1 or 2 seconds. The liquid of the suspension is then evaporated and the result is a cosmetic stick which may be used to coat the eyelids by brushing the impregnated foam 20 over said eyelids.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be seen that reference numeral 30 indicates a strip of polystyrene about 1 millimeter thick and about 7 millimeters long, the width being about 10 millimeters. The width of the end 10a of the strip 30 decreases near the end of the stick.

Over a length of about 10 millimeters the end 30a is dipped in a bath consisting of a solution of gum arabic. A jet of air containing fibers of a synthetic textile fiber, e.g., nylon, is then sprayed against the end 30a which has thus been rendered adhesive. This procedure is conventionally known as "flocking." The fibers utilized are 2 denier fibers cut to a length of 0.5 millimeters. About 20 milligrams of fibers are attached to each end 30a. One the drawing the layer of fibers is indicated by reference numeral 31.

The end 30a is covered with fibers 31 is then dipped in a bath of the coating product and then, after cooling, in a lip rouge formula liquefied at a temperature of 80.degree.C. This produces the coating indicated by reference numeral 32 on the drawing. Several examples of cosmetic formulas which may be utilized to impregnate the ends of sticks according to the invention will now be given:

EXAMPLE 1

A wooden stick is used, the end of which is coated with 15 milligrams of hydrophilic cottom fibers. The absorbent end of the stick is dipped for at least one second in a lip rouge formulation corresponding to the following specification, liquefied at a temperature of 70.degree.C. The formulation includes perfume and coloring agents in addition to the listed ingredients.

______________________________________ Ceresin 30 % Candelilla wax 12 % Microcrystalline wax 10 % Anhydrous lanolin 22.99% Isopropyl lanolate 10 % Vaseline oil 10 % Oleic alcohol 5 % Hydroxy-butyl-toluene 0.01% ______________________________________

The impregnated end of the stick is an excellent means for applying rouge to the lips. The rough utilized is of the hard type which does not crack on the end of the stick.

EXAMPLE 2

A wooden stick is used, the end of which is coated with 15 milligrams of hydrophylic cotton fiber. The absorbent end of the stick is dipped for less than one second in a lip rouge formula corresponding to the following specification, heated to a temperature of 75.degree.C. Perfume and coloring agents are also included in this formula.

______________________________________ Cersin 22 % Vaseline oil 33.99% Ricin oil 20 % Oleic alcohol 10 % Liquid lanolin 14 % Hydroxy-butyl-toluene 0.01% ______________________________________

The impregnated end of the stick provides an excellent means for applying rouge to the lips. The lip rouge used is of the normal type and does not crack on the end of the stick.

EXAMPLE 3

A stick is used which is of the type shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and hereinbefore described in detail. The end 30a is dipped in a bath of hard wax heated to about 95.degree.C. This wax has a melting point of about 85.degree.C. The dipping lasts for about 1 second. After cooling, the end 30a is then dipped in a lip rouge formula liquefied by heating to a temperature of 89.degree.C. The dipping lasts for about one second. The lip rouge formula comprises perfume and coloring agents in addition to the following constituents:

______________________________________ Ceresin 10 % Oleic alcohol 15 % Ricin oil 59.99% Isopropyl lanolate 10 % Liquid lanolin 5 % Hydroxy-butyl-toluene 0.01% ______________________________________

The impregnated end of the stick is well adapted to cosmetically treat the lips. The lip rouge used is of the soft type, but it is perfectly retained on the stick by the fibers of the layer 31 and on the wax which covers the layer. When the user has exhausted the quantity of lip rouge on the end 30, her lips come in contact with the hard wax so that no disagreeable impression occurs.

EXAMPLE 4

A wooden stick is used having an end coated with 15 milligrams of hydrophilic fiber. The absorbent end of the stick is dipped for less than one second in a lip rouge formula corresponding to the specification given below and heated to a temperature of 80.degree.C. In addition to the listed constituents this formula includes perfume and coloring agents.

______________________________________ Hydrogenated lanolin 10 % Vaseline oil 40 % Oleic alcohol 19.99% Lanolin 10 % Hydrogenated palm oil 10 % Ricinoleate 10 % Hydroxy-butyl-toluene 0.01% ______________________________________

The impregnated end of the stick is well adapted to the application of rouge to the lips. The rouge used is of the fluid type but it is perfectly retained on the stick by the cotton fibers.

EXAMPLE 5

A wooden stick is used, the end of which is coated with 15 milligrams of hydrophilic cotton fibers. The absorbent end of the stick is dipped for less than one second into a lip rouge formula corresponding to the following specification, heated to a temperature of 75.degree.C. This formula includes perfume and coloring agents in addition to those specified below:

Copolymer of vinyl acetate and allyl stearate 24 % Hydrogenated vegetable oil 6 % Lanolin 8 % Soy bean Lecithin 10 % Cocoa butter 5 % Vaseline oil 46.99% Hydroxy-butyl-toluene 0.01%

The impregnated end of the stick is well adapted to the application of rouge to the lips. The rouge used is of the fluid type but is prefectly retained on the stick by the cotton fibers.

EXAMPLE 6

The stick consists of a wooden stick, one end of which is covered with a layer of folded polyurethane foam (50 milligrams of foam). The absorbent end of the stick is dipped in a liquid suspension containing 35% of preparation A below and 65% of preparation B below. Perfume and coloring agents are also included in these preparations.

PREPARATION A ______________________________________ Talc 55% Magnesium carbonate 10% Kaolin 4% Wheat starch 20% Zinc stearate 5% Zinc oxide 5% Titanium oxide 1% ______________________________________

PREPARATION B ______________________________________ Demineralized water 99.7% polyvinyl alcohol 0.1% Methyl paraoxybenzoate 0.2% ______________________________________

This results in a stick which may be advantageously used for applying cosmetics, the end of the stick being, after drying, a support for a make-up powder. The powder is perfectly retained on the absorbent end of the stick.

It will, of course, be appreciated that the embodiments which have been described have been given purely by way of illustration and example and can be modified as to detail without thereby departing from the basic principles of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. Cosmetic applicator comprising a flat strip of stiff material, one end of which is encircled by a thin layer of absorbent material adhesively secured thereto and having a substantially constant thickness, said layer being covered by a hard coating of lip rouge,

and comprising a thin coating of wax between said absorbent material and said lip rouge.