Aluminum-containing high gloss coating for natural and artificial fingernails

Abstract

A decorative laminate for natural or artificial fingernails having at least one internal layer formed from a dried film former-free suspension of aluminum platelets.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A multi-layer cosmetic laminate for decorating natural or artificial human nails comprised of at least three layers, a UV cured coating as the first layer, a layer comprising aluminum platelets as the second layer, and another UV cured coating layer as the third layer, the second layer which comprises aluminum platelets being substantially free of film former. 
     
     
         2 . The laminate of  claim 1  comprised of one or more layers in addition to the first, second, and third layers, the one or more layers in addition being one or more enamel layers and/or one or more UV cured gel coat layers. 
     
     
         3 . The laminate of  claim 1  having a haze value greater than 950 HU. 
     
     
         4 . The laminate of  claim 1  wherein the UV cured coating layers are each formed by curing under UV radiation a composition comprising one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers, one or more ethylenically unsaturated oligomers, or mixtures said ethylenically unsaturated monomer or monomers and said ethylenically unsaturated oligomer or oligomers, and a photoinitiator. 
     
     
         5 . The laminate of  claim 4  wherein monomers and/or oligomers are selected from mono-, di-, tri-, and tetra-functional ethylenically unsaturated monomers and/or oligomers. 
     
     
         6 . The laminate of  claim 4  wherein monomers and/or oligomers are (meth)acrylic. 
     
     
         7 . The laminate of  claim 4  wherein comprising oligomers which are aliphatic polyester based urethane diacrylate oligomers. 
     
     
         8 . The laminate of  claim 1  wherein the second layer comprising aluminum platelets is formed subsequent to curing the first base coat layer by coating the cured first base coat layer with a suspension of aluminum platelets in solvent and then evaporating the solvent to form a dry coating of aluminum. 
     
     
         9 . The laminate of  claim 8  wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, acetone, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The laminate of  claim 1  wherein the third layer is free of pigment. 
     
     
         11 . The laminate of  claim 1  wherein a fourth layer is coated on top of the three layer laminate. 
     
     
         12 . The laminate of  claim 1  wherein second layer comprises a leafing agent. 
     
     
         13 . The laminate of  claim 1  wherein second layer comprises a leafing agent comprising a long chain phosphoric acid ester. 
     
     
         14 . The laminate of  claim 1  wherein aluminum platelets of the second layer are made by a method which comprises physical vapor deposition. 
     
     
         15 . The laminate of  claim 1  wherein aluminum platelets are multi-layered effect pigments created by physical vapor deposition having an aluminum core with MgF2 layers deposited thereon and a grating with a defined spacing between grating structures embossed on these low refracting layers which produces a prismatic rainbow-like diffraction effect when observed under visible light. 
     
     
         16 . A method of decorating natural or artificial human nails comprising
 a) applying a first layer comprising a UV curable gel coating composition comprising one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers, one or more ethylenically unsaturated oligomers, or mixtures of said ethylenically unsaturated monomer or monomers and said ethylenically unsaturated oligomer or oligomers, and a photoinitiator;   b) curing the first layer under UV radiation;   c) applying a second layer comprising aluminum platelets which is substantially free of film former;   d) applying a third layer comprising the UV curable gel coating composition; and   e) curing the third layer under UV radiation.