Lever Brothers Company, Division of Conopco, Inc.

Lever Brothers Company

Unilever Home & Personal Care Usa, a Division of Conopco, Inc.

Geoffrey Irlam

John George Chambers

Bryan Stuart Joy

Michael R Lowry

Robert Stanley Lee

Richard Michael Twemlow

Craig D Adam

Ian J Smith

A soap bar comprises 40-85% soap, 1-40% water immiscible benefit agent 1-40% solid water soluble carrier and 5-25% water. The carrier is initially mixed with the benefits agent to form a premix which is subsequently dispersed into the soap. Suitable benefit agents are oils and humectants whereas suitable carriers are starches, modified starches and water soluble solid polymers.

Process for producing soap bars

Soap bar

The invention relates to mild toilet soap bars, comprising blends of soap with one or more coactives. There is a need for mild bars which do not have the processing problems associated with the use of superfatting agents and co-actives, which can be made without difficulty on conventional soap production lines without substantial modification of the lines and yet provide a product with reduced harshness while maintaining lathering and structural properties. Moreover, it is desirable that soap bars should not suffer from the defect of grittiness and also have a composition which contains relatively low levels of the significantly more expensive lauric fats. We have determined that in soap bars which comprise at least 25% wt. on total actives of lauric acid soaps; as the balance of the soaps, non-lauric soaps having an iodine value of less than 45; at least 5% wt. on total actives of one or more synergistic mildness active, and, 2-10% on total actives of free fatty acids and are substantially free of cationic polymer skin mildness aids, there is a significant reduction in bar stickiness while maintaining hardness within acceptable limits. Moreover, the lather volume of the bars is increased without the addition of lauric fats and they do not suffer from grittiness.

Toilet soap bars

A cleaning composition for example in the form of a bar comprises at least 10 wt % fatty acid soap and at least 5 wt % non-soap detergent active wherein at least some of the said soap is in the delta phase. The non-soap detergent can for example be acyl isethionate. The presence of delta phase soap improves the properties of for example the bar comprising the composition. The composition can be made by subjecting to high shear energy a mixture maintained at a temperature of less than 40.degree. C. and containing at least 10 wt % fatty acid soap, at least 5 wt % non-soap detergent active and sufficient moisture to ensure the generation of at least some soap in the delta phase.

Delta phase soap and non-soap detergent composition

The present invention provides a process for mixing water soluble salts of long chain (C.sub.8 to C.sub.22) monocarboxylic acids and water soluble acyl (C.sub.8 to C.sub.22) isethionates whrein the two materials are mixed and subjected to temperatures in the range from about 55.degree. C. up to about 90.degree. C. under conditions of shear. Preferably the materials are mixed in particulate form. The weight ratio of monocarboxylic acid salts to isethionates is preferably in the range of from 10:90 to 95:5. Suitably the present process is performed by use of a cavity transfer mixer. The product of the present process can have a smooth feel both initially and during use.

Process for preparing detergent bars

The presence of iron in a detergent bar originating from sheet aluminosilicates, e.g. kaolins, may lead to color and odor degradation. However sheet alumino-silicates containing a relatively high amount of total iron are suitable for inclusion provided their free iron content is not more than 50 ppm.

Growing community of inventors

Merseyside, United Kingdom

Geoffrey Irlam