Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Foam

Abstract

The invention relates to an alcohol-free cosmetic or pharmaceutical foam carrier comprising water, a hydrophobic solvent, a foam adjuvant agent, a surface-active agent and a water gelling agent. The cosmetic or pharmaceutical foam carrier does not contain aliphatic alcohols, making it non-irritating and non-drying. The alcohol-free foam carrier is suitable for inclusion of both water-soluble and oil soluble pharmaceutical and cosmetic agents.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A foamable pharmaceutical or cosmetic carrier suitable for topical or mucosal administration, comprising:
 (a) a foamable emulsion composition comprising:
 about 5% to about 75% by weight of the composition of a liquid, hydrophobic solvent comprising a volatile silicone oil and an emollient, wherein the volatile silicone oil is in an amount of at least 2% by weight of the composition; 
 about 25% to about 95% by weight of the composition of water; 
 about 0.1% to about 5% by weight of the composition of a foam adjuvant agent selected from the group consisting of cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, arachidyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, 1-triacontanol (C30), a fatty alcohol having a carbon chain comprising between 31 and 50 carbon atoms, a fatty alcohol derived from beeswax, erucyl alcohol, tetracosanol, hexacosanol, heptacosanol, octacosanol, triacontanol, hexadecanoic acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid, behenic acid, octacosanoic acid, a fatty acid having a carbon chain comprising between 30 and 50 carbon atoms, 12-hydroxy stearic acid, and mixtures of any two or more thereof; 
 about 0.1% to about 5% by weight of the composition of a surface active agent, wherein said surface active agent comprises a non-ionic surface active agent, or a mixture of a non-ionic surfactant and an ionic surfactant wherein the ratio of the non-ionic surface active agent to the ionic surface active agent is greater than 6:1; and 
 about 0.1% to about 5% by weight of the composition of a water gelling agent selected from the group consisting of a naturally-occurring polymeric material, a starch, a chemically modified starch, a cellulose ether, a guar gum, a chemically modified guar gum, soluble starch, a cationic cellulose, and mixtures of any two or more thereof; and 
   (b) a liquefied or compressed gas propellant selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon propellant, a fluorocarbon propellant, and mixtures thereof;
 wherein the emulsion composition includes less than about 7.5% by weight of short chain aliphatic alcohols; 
 wherein the carrier is housed in a container, and upon release from the container the carrier forms a breakable foam that collapses upon application of shear force; and 
 wherein the combined amount of foam adjuvant agent, surface active agent, and water gelling agent is less than about 8% (w/w). 
   
     
     
         3 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the composition is free of short chain aliphatic alcohols. 
     
     
         4 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the composition is an oil-in-water emulsion. 
     
     
         5 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the composition further comprises an active agent. 
     
     
         6 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the hydrophobic solvent comprises about 5% to about 10% by weight of the composition. 
     
     
         7 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the hydrophobic solvent comprises about 10% to about 20% by weight of the composition. 
     
     
         8 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the hydrophobic solvent comprises about 20% to about 75% by weight of the composition. 
     
     
         9 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the hydrophobic solvent further comprises a mineral oil, wherein the ratio of the mineral oil and the emollient is between 2:8 and 8:2 on a weight basis. 
     
     
         10 . The foamable carrier of  claim 9 , wherein the emollient is selected from the group consisting of isopropyl palmitate, lanolin oil, diisopropyl dimerate, diisopropyl adipate, dimethyl isosorbide, maleated soybean oil, octyl palmitate, isopropyl isostearate, cetyl lactate, cetyl ricinoleate, tocopheryl acetate, acetylated lanolin alcohol, cetyl acetate, phenyl trimethicone, glyceryl oleate, tocopheryl linoleate, wheat germ glycerides, arachidyl propionate, myristyl lactate, decyl oleate, propylene glycol ricinoleate, isopropyl lanolate, pentaerythrityl tetrastearate, neopentylglycol dicaprylate/dicaprate, hydrogenated coco-glycerides, isononyl isononanoate, isotridecyl isononanoate, myristyl myristate, triisocetyl citrate, octyl dodecanol, octyl hydroxystearate, and mixtures of any two or more thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein at least 2% by weight of the foamable composition is a silicone oil. 
     
     
         12 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the ratio of the non-ionic surface active agent to the ionic surface active agent is 100:1 to 6:1. 
     
     
         13 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the surface active agent consists essentially of one or more non-ionic surface active agents. 
     
     
         14 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the surface active agent has HLB value of more than 9. 
     
     
         15 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the non-ionic surface active agent comprises a sucrose ester. 
     
     
         16 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the combined amount of the foam adjuvant agent, the surface active agent and the water gelling agent is less than about 5% (w/w) of the foamable composition. 
     
     
         17 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the water gelling agent is selected from the group consisting of a naturally-occurring polymeric material, a cellulose ether, and mixtures of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         18 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the propellant comprises a hydrocarbon propellant. 
     
     
         19 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the composition is free of petrolatum. 
     
     
         20 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the water gelling agent is selected from the group consisting of a locust bean gum, sodium alginate, sodium caseinate, an egg albumin, a gelatin agar, a carrageenin gum, a xanthan gum, a quince seed extract, a tragacanth gum, a starch, a chemically modified starch, a cellulose ether, a hydroxyethyl cellulose, a methyl cellulose, a carboxymethyl cellulose, a hydroxy propylmethyl cellulose, a guar gum, a hydroxypropyl guar gum, a soluble starch, a cationic cellulose, a cationic guar gum, and mixtures of any two or more thereof. 
     
     
         21 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the specific gravity of the breakable foam is less than 0.1 g/mL. 
     
     
         22 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the liquefied propellant is 5% to about 25% by weight of the total composition. 
     
     
         23 . The foamable carrier of  claim 2 , wherein the surface active agent is a mixture of the non-ionic surface active agent and the ionic surface active agent wherein the ratio of the non-ionic surface active agent to the ionic surface active agent is greater than 14:1.