Absorbent article comprising an agent able to convey a perception to the wearer, without the need to create the external condition perceived

Abstract

The present invention relates to absorbent articles, such as sanitary napkins, panty-liners, nursing pads, baby diapers and the like. The absorbent articles include an agent able to convey a perception to the wearer, without the need to create the external condition perceived by the wearer. Such absorbent articles are able to improve comfort, by, for example, conveying to the wearer thereof a long lasting freshness sensation upon prolonged wearing time of such articles.

1 . An absorbent article comprising an agent able to convey a perception to the wearer, without the need to create the external condition perceived by the wearer, wherein said article is selected from the group consisting of panty liners, sanitary napkins, incontinent pads, interlabial pads, and breast pads.  
     
     
         2 . The article according to  claim 1 , wherein the agent is a cooling agent able to stimulate thermo-receptors of the skin and/or mucosal surface of the wearer of the article, to convey a freshness sensation to the wearer, without the need to change the temperature on the skin and/or mucosal surface.  
     
     
         3 . The article according to  claim 2  wherein the cooling agent is selected from the group consisting of ketals, carboxamides, cyclohexyl derivatives, cyclohexanol derivatives, camphor, borneol, eucalyptol, methyl salicylate, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         4 . The article according to  claim 2 , wherein the cooling agent is selected from the group consisting of: 
 ketal according to the following formula:                          in which R 1  represents a C 2 -C 6 -alkylene radical having at least 1, but not more than 3, hydroxyl group(s), preferably I hydroxyl group, and either R 2  and R 3  independently of one another represent C 1 -C 10 -alkyl which is optionally substituted by about 1 to about 3 radicals selected from the group comprising hydroxyl, amino and halogen, C 5 -C 7 -cycloalkyl, preferably cyclohexyl, C 6 -C 12 -aryl, preferably phenyl, with the proviso that the total of the C atoms of R 2  and R 3  is not less than 3, or R 2  and R 3  together represent an alkylene radical which, together with the carbon atom which carries the radicals R 2  and R 3 , forms a 5-7-membered ring, it being possible for this alkylene radical, in turn, to be substituted by C 1 -C 6 -aklyl groups, or mixtures thereof;    or a carboxamide of the following formula:                          wherein R′, when taken separately, is hydrogen or an aliphatic radical containing up to about 25 carbon atoms; R″ when taken separately is hydroxy, or an aliphatic radical containing up to about 25 carbon atoms, with the proviso that when R′ is hydrogen, R″ may also be an aryl radical of up to about 10 carbon atoms and selected from the group consisting of substituted phenyl, phenalkyl or substituted phenalkyl, naphthyl and substituted naphthyl, pyridyl; and R′ and R″, when taken together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached, represent a cyclic or heterocyclic group of up to about 25 carbon atoms,                          wherein R′ and R″, when taken separately, are each hydrogen, C 1 -C 5  alkyl or C 1 -C 8  hydroxyalkyl and provide a total of no more than about 8 carbon atoms, with the proviso that when R′ is hydrogen, R″ may also be alkylcarboxyalkyl of up to about 6 carbon atoms; R′ and R″, when taken together, represent an alkylene group of up to 6 carbon atoms, the opposite ends of which group are attached to the amide nitrogen atom thereby to form a nitrogen heterocycle, the carbon chain of which may optionally be interrupted by oxygen; R 1  is hydrogen or C 1 -C 5  alkyl; and R 2  and R 3  are each C 1 -C 5  alkyl; with the provisos that (i) R 1 , R 2  and R 3  together provide a total of at least about 5 carbon atoms, preferably from about 5-10 carbon atoms; and (ii) when R 1  is hydrogen, R 2  is C 2 -C 5  alkyl and R 3  is C 3 -C 5  alkyl and at least one of R 2  and R 3  is branched, preferably in an alpha or beta position relative to the carbon atom marked (*) in the formula, or a mixture thereof;    or a cyclohexanol derivative according to the following general formulae:                          wherein R represents a linear or branched alkyl group having about 1 to about 5 carbon atoms,                          wherein R 1  and R 2  are independently hydrogen, or a linear or branched alkyl group having about 1 to about 5 carbon atoms, or mixtures thereof;    or a cyclohexyl derivative according to the following general formula                          wherein R represents —H, a C 1 -C 5  linear or branched alkyl group, a C 1 -C 5  alkenyl group, a C 1 -C 5  alkoxy group or a C 1 -C 5  acyloxy group, R 1  represents —H, or a linear or branched alkyl group having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, or mixtures thereof,    or a mixture thereof.    
     
     
         5 . The article according to  claim 2 , wherein the cooling agent is menthyl lactate.  
     
     
         6 . The article according to  claim 2 , which comprises menthol as a first cooling agent in combination with a second cooling agent, preferably selected from the group consisting of ketals, carboxamides, cyclohexyl derivatives other than menthol, cyclohexanol derivatives and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         7 . The article according to  claim 2 , which comprises on at least a portion of the article from about 0.01 gm 2  to about 300 gm 2  of a cooling agent or a mixture thereof.  
     
     
         8 . The article according to  claim 1 , comprising a delivery system for containing and delivering the agent to at least a portion of the skin and/or mucosal surface of mammal wearing the article.  
     
     
         9 . The article according to  claim 8 , wherein the delivery system is an emollient-containing composition comprising from about 0.1% to about 99.9%, by weight of the agent or mixture thereof, and from about 99.9% to about 0.1%, by weight of the emollient or mixture thereof.  
     
     
         10 . The article according to  claim 9 , wherein the delivery system comprises an emollient typically selected from the group consisting of petroleum-based; fatty acids, particularly those having from about 8 to about 28 carbon atoms in their fatty chain; sucrose ester fatty acids; polyethylene glycol and derivatives thereof; fatty acid ester type; alkyl ethoxylate type; fatty acid ester ethoxylates; fatty alcohol type; 
 polysiloxane type; propylene glycol and derivatives thereof; glycerine and derivatives thereof, including glyceride, acetoglycerides, and ethoxylated glycerides of C 8 -C 28  fatty acids; spermaceti and other waxes; fatty alcohol ethers, particularly those having from about 8 to about 28 carbon atoms in their fatty chain, propoxylated fatty alcohols; other fatty esters of polyhydroxy alcohols; lanolin and its derivatives; kaolin and its derivatives; sorbitol and its derivative; trihydroxy stearin; ester derivatives and mixtures thereof.    
     
     
         11 . The article according to  claim 8 , wherein the delivery system comprises triethyl citrate, acetyl tributyl citrate, triacetyl citrate, O acetyl triethyl citrate, polyethylene glycol and/or propylene glycol.  
     
     
         12 . The article according to  claim 1 , wherein the article comprises a wearer-facing surface, wherein at least a portion of the wearer-facing surface comprises the agent.  
     
     
         13 . The article according to  claim 1 , wherein said article is a hygienic absorbent article comprising a topsheet as a wearer facing surface, a backsheet as a garment facing surface and an absorbent core sandwiched between the topsheet and backsheet.  
     
     
         14 . The absorbent article according to  claim 13 , wherein said backsheet comprises at least one layer selected from an apertured polymeric film or a 2-dimensional planar apertured film.  
     
     
         15 . The absorbent article according to  claim 14 , wherein said layer is a 2-dimensional planar apertured layer, wherein said apertures have an average diameter of from about 150 micrometers to about 1 micrometers.  
     
     
         16 . The absorbent article according to  claim 14 , wherein said layer is an apertured polymeric film, wherein said apertures have an average diameter of from about 100 micrometers to about 500 micrometers.  
     
     
         17 . The absorbent article according to  claim 14 , wherein said breathable backsheet comprises at least two layers, a first layer comprising an apertured layer and a second layer comprising a fibrous layer.  
     
     
         18 . The article according to  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the article is provided in a color that further contributes to the perception conveyed to the wearer of the article.