Absorbent tissues providing skin barrier enhancement

Abstract

A skin barrier-enhancing tissue product, such as facial tissue, bath tissue or paper towels and the like, can be made by applying, on the surface(s) of the tissue, a lipid-enriched melted oil based-hydrophobic composition comprising a natural fat or oil, a sterol or sterol derivative, an emulsifying surfactant having an HLB range from about 3 to about 6, a humectant, an emollient, a wax, and a viscosity enhancer, and thereafter resolidifying the composition to form a distribution of solid composition on the surface(s) of the tissue.

1 . A tissue or towel product having two outer surfaces, wherein one or both outer surfaces of said product have a composition that enhances skin barrier comprising: 
 from about 0.1 to about 95 weight percent of natural fats or oils;    from about 0.1 to about 10 weight percent of sterols or sterol derivatives;    from about 1 to about 20 weight percent of water-in-oil emulsifying surfactant having an HLB range from about 3 to about 6;    from about 0.5 to about 20 weight percent of humectant;    from about 5 to about 95 weight percent of emollient;    from about 5 to about 95 weight percent of wax; and, from about 0 to about 25 weight percent of viscosity enhancer.    
     
     
         2 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said composition has a melting point from about 30 ° C. to about 100° C.  
     
     
         3 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said composition has a penetration hardness of from about 5 millimeters to about 360 millimeters.  
     
     
         4 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the add-on amount of said composition is from about 0.5 to about 30 weight percent based on the weight of said product.  
     
     
         5 . The material of  claim 1 , wherein the add-on amount of said composition is from about 0.1 grams per meter squared (g/m 2 ) to about 30 g/m 2  of said material.  
     
     
         6 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said natural fat or oil is sunflower oil.  
     
     
         7 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said natural fat or oil is borage oil.  
     
     
         8 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said natural fat or oil is avocado oil.  
     
     
         9 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said sterol or sterol derivative is soy sterol.  
     
     
         10 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said sterol or sterol derivative is cholesterol.  
     
     
         11 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said sterol or sterol derivative is lanasterol.  
     
     
         12 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said humectant is glycerin.  
     
     
         13 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said humectant is sorbitol.  
     
     
         14 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said humectant is hydrogenated starch hydrolysate.  
     
     
         15 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said emulsifying surfactant is sorbitan oleate.  
     
     
         16 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said emulsifying surfactant is glyceryl stearate.  
     
     
         17 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said emulsifying surfactant is sorbitan stearate.  
     
     
         18 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said emollient is petrolatum.  
     
     
         19 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said emollient is mineral oil.  
     
     
         20 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said emollient is stearyl alcohol.  
     
     
         21 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said wax is cerasin.  
     
     
         22 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said wax is ozokerite.  
     
     
         23 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said wax is microcrystalline wax.  
     
     
         24 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said viscosity enhancer is ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer.  
     
     
         25 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein said viscosity enhancer is polyethylene.  
     
     
         26 . A method of making a tissue or towel product having two outer surfaces comprising: (a) heating a composition that enhances skin barrier comprising a natural fat or oil, sterol or sterol derivative, a humectant, an emulsifying surfactant having an HLB range from about 3 to about 6, an emollient, a wax, and viscosity enhancer, to a temperature above the melting point of said composition, causing said composition to melt; (b) applying said melted composition to one or both surfaces of a tissue or towel web; and, (c) resolidifying said melted composition.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein said has a melting point of from about 30° C. to about 100° C.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein said resolidified composition has a penetration hardness of from about 5 to about 360 millimeters.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein said melted composition is applied by printing.  
     
     
         30 . A skin barrier enhancing composition comprising from about 0.1 to about 95 weight percent of natural fats or oils, from about 0.1 to about 10 weight percent of sterol or sterol derivative, from about 1 to about 20 weight percent of water-in-oil emulsifying surfactant with an HLB range from about 3 to about 6, from about 0.5 to about 20 weight percent of humectant, from about 5 to about 95 weight percent of emollient, from about 5 to about 95 weight percent of wax, and from about 0 to about 25 weight percent of viscosity enhancer.  
     
     
         31 . The composition of  claim 30 , wherein said composition has a melting point from about 30° C. to about 100° C.  
     
     
         32 . The composition of  claim 30 , wherein said resolidified composition has a penetration hardness of from about 5 millimeters to about 360 millimeters.  
     
     
         33 . The composition of  claim 30 , wherein said natural fat or oil is selected from the group consisting of: avocado oil, apricot oil, babassu oil, borage oil, camellia oil, canola oil, castor oil, chamomile, coconut oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, evening primrose oil, hemp seed, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, hydrogenated palm kernal oil, maleated soybean oil, meadowfoam oil, palm kernal oil, phospholipids, rapeseed oil, palmitic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, rose hip oil, safflower, sunflower oil, soybean oil, sweet almond, or derivatives of natural fats or oils such as stearyl alcohol, lauryl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, and benenyl alcohol, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         34 . The composition of  claim 30 , wherein said sterol or sterol derivative is selected from the group consisting of: cholesterol, sitosterol, stigmasterol, ergosterol, lanasterol, soy sterol, avocado sterols, sterol esters, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         35 . The composition of  claim 30  wherein said sterol is selected from natural extracts that contain sterols or sterol derivatives selected from the group consisting of: lanolin, avocadin, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         36 . The composition of  claim 30 , wherein said emulsifying surfactant is selected from the group consisting of: sorbitan oleate, sorbitan sesquioleate, glyceryl stearate, sorbitan stearate, sorbitan tristerate, sorbitan trioleate, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         37 . The composition of  claim 30 , wherein said humectant is selected from the group consisting of: glycerin, hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, propylene glycol, sodium PCA, sodium lactate, sorbitol, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         38 . The composition of  claim 30 , wherein said emollient is selected from the group consisting of: mineral oil, petrolatum, stearyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, octyldodecanol, cosmetic esters, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         39 . The composition of  claim 30 , wherein said wax is selected from the group consisting of: carnuba, cerasin, cetyl esters, microcrystalline wax, montan wax, ozokerite, synthetic wax, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         40 . The composition of  claim 30 , wherein said viscosity enhancer is selected from the group consisting of: polyolefins resins, polyolefin polymers, ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers, polyethylene, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         41 . The composition of  claim 30 , wherein the amount of said natural fats or oils is from about 0.1 to about 95 weight percent.  
     
     
         42 . The composition of  claim 30 , wherein the amount of said sterol or sterol derivative is from about 0.1 to about 10 percent.  
     
     
         43 . The composition of  claim 30 , wherein the amount of said emulsifying surfactant is from about 1 to about 20 weight percent.  
     
     
         44 . The composition of  claim 30 , wherein the amount of said humectant is from about 0.5 to about 20 weight percent.  
     
     
         45 . The composition of  claim 30 , wherein the amount of said emollient is from about 5 to about 95 weight percent.  
     
     
         46 . The composition of  claim 30 , wherein the amount of said wax is from about 5 to about 95 weight percent.  
     
     
         47 . The composition of  claim 30 , wherein the amount of said viscosity enhancer is from about 0 to about 25 weight percent.  
     
     
         48 . A method for enhancing/restoring/maintaining skin barrier function skin of a user, comprising the steps of: 
 a) contacting a tissue or towel product on said skin of said user wherein said product comprises a skin barrier enhancing/restoring/maintaining composition that provides a skin barrier enhancing/restoring/maintaining benefit upon transfer of said composition to said user's skin;    b) transferring at least a portion of said composition during use of said tissue or towel product; and, c) repeating steps a) and b) with one or more additional tissue or towel product with sufficient frequency to enhance/restore/maintain said skin barrier in an area of skin contacted by said liner or tissue material, relative to skin contacted by an equivalent tissue or towel product that does not comprise said skin barrier enhancing/restoring/maintaining composition, wherein said skin barrier enhancing/restoring/maintaining composition comprises: from about 0.1 to about 95 weight percent of natural fats or oils, from about 0.1 to about 10 weight percent of sterols and sterol derivatives, from about I to about 20 weight percent of water-in-oil emulsifying surfactant having an HLB range from about 3 to about 6, from about 0.5 to about 10 weight percent of humectant, from about 5 to about 95 weight percent of emollient, from about 5 to about 95 weight percent of wax, and from about 0 to about 25 weight percent of viscosity enhancer.    
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein said composition having a melting point from about 30° C. to about 100° C.  
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein said resolidified composition has a process viscosity greater than about 50 centipoise.  
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein said resolidified composition has a penetration hardness of from about 5 to about 360 millimeters.  
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein said tissue or towel product comprising said skin-barrier enhancing/restoring/maintaining composition are used by said user on each use occasion.  
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein said tissue or towel product which do not comprise a skin-barrier enhancing/restoring/maintaining composition are used by said user intermittently.  
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein said tissue or towel product comprising said skin-barrier enhancing/restoring/maintaining composition are used by a user whose skin is compromised and are used with sufficient frequency to improve skin-barrier function.