There are provided compositions which include a retinoid and preferably retinol; an acid; and an acid neutralizing effective amount of ammonium hydroxide. There are also provided compositions which include a retinoid and a neutralized ammonium salt of an acid. Further provided are methods for reducing fine lines and wrinkles and for increasing the clarity of a skin surface, cellular turnover, skin radiance, skin smoothness, skin permeation or collagen synthesis in a mammal in need thereof. Compositions as described above are administered topically to the skin of the animal.

Description

11 parts

›This patent application claims the priority of U.S…

This patent application claims the priority of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/107,956 filed Nov. 12, 1998 which is incorporated herein by reference.

›FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to skin care compositions which include, in a single formulation, the beneficial ingredients for aging or photodamaged skin, retinol and an acid.

›BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Retinol or vitamin A alcohol is useful in the reduction of fine lines, wrinkles, and mottled hyperpigmentation in skin. Hydroxy acids, and particularly alpha-hydroxy acids, are useful in increasing the clarity of the skin surface, increasing cellular turnover, and increasing skin radiance and smoothness. Ascorbic acid has skin permeation and collagen synthesis activity.

However, retinol is physically unstable and rapidly degrades when stored at a pH below about 5. Acids such as hydroxy acids, and particularly alpha-hydroxy acids and ascorbic acid, on the other hand, are not active in increasing skin cell turnover, exfoliation, skin permeation, and/or collagen synthesis at pHs above about 5, however.

Consequently, retinol and hydroxy acids and/or ascorbic acid have generally been packaged separately. Retinol typically is packaged in a vehicle at a pH above about 5, while alpha-hydroxy acids and ascorbic acid are packaged at a pH of about 4 or below. Therefore, one must apply two separate products in order to achieve the benefit of both of these ingredients.

The present inventors have discovered a single composition which include both of these ingredients, in which both of these ingredients are stable, and in which both of these ingredients are active upon application to the skin.

›BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a graphic illustration of skin pH over time after treatment.

FIG. 2 is a graphic illustration of cell proliferation measured as slope of fluorescence after treatment.

FIG. 3 is a graphic illustration comparing the activity of ammonium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide neutralized alpha-hydroxy acids in combination with retinol.

›SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one embodiment of the present invention there are provided compositions which include:

(A) a retinoid and preferably retinol;

(B) an acid selected from the group consisting of a hydroxy acid, ascorbic acid, or a combination thereof; and

According to an alternate embodiment of the present invention, there are provided compositions which include:

(A) retinol; and

(B) a neutralized ammonium salt of an acid selected from the group consisting of a hydroxy acid, ascorbic acid, or a combination thereof.

Further provided are methods for reducing fine lines and wrinkles and for increasing the clarity of a skin surface, cellular turnover, skin radiance and skin smoothness in an animal in need thereof. Compositions as described above are administered topically to the skin of the animal.

›DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present formulations provide compositions which have a storage pH of about 5 or higher. This provides storage stability for the retinol compound. However, the pH of these compositions drops to below 5 when applied to the skin. This allows the hydroxy acid(s) therein to become active upon application of the composition to the skin.

Retinoids suitable for use in the present invention preferably are unstable or pH sensitive in that they are chemically and physically unstable at relatively low pH such as, for example a pH below about 5. Such retinoids include, but are not limited to retinol, retinoic acid, retinaldehyde, and like compounds that bind to retinoid receptors.

Retinol is also known as vitamin A alcohol. Retinol is chemically and physically unstable at a pH below about 5. It is useful in reducing fine lines at wrinkles in skin. It is also useful in reducing mottled hyperpigmentation of skin. Other retinoids having pH dependent stability may also be used in combination with or in place of retinol in the present invention.

Hydroxy acids useful in the present invention are either alpha- or beta-hydroxy acids, poly-hydroxy acids, poly alpha-hydroxy acids or any combinations of any of the foregoing. Preferably, the hydroxy acid is an alpha-hydroxy acid. Examples of alpha hydroxy acids include, but are not limited to, glycolic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, pyuric acid, or any combination of any of the foregoing. Special mention is made of glycolic acid.

Beta-hydroxy acids include, but are not limited to, salicylic acid.

Other acids suitable for use in the present invention include, but are not limited to, ascorbic acid.

Ammonium hydroxide is typically added as a solution of a pH of about 6 and containing from about 27 to about 31 percent by weight of ammonium hydroxide based upon 100 percent by weight of total ammonium hydroxide solution.

The compositions of the present invention may also include, for example, vehicles including, but not limited to, water or alcohol; humectants, including, but not limited to, glycerin; buffering agents including, but not limited to, citric acid and sodium citrate; viscosity adjusters, including, but not limited to, carbomer gelling agents, gum derivatives, and the like; preservatives including, but not limited to, methylparaben, propylparaben, and phenoxyethanol; emulsifiers including, but not limited to, polysorbitate 80, glyceryl distearate, POE 10 stearyl ether, ceateareth 20 and stearyl alcohol, and ceteareth 20 and cetearyl alcohol; conditioning agents including, but not limited to, octyl hydroxystearate; emollients including, but not limited to, cholesterol NF, petrolatum, mineral oils and esters including, but not limited to, isopropyl myristate, isopropyl palmitate, 1-decene polymer (hydrogenated), and C 12 -C 15 alcohol benzoates; thickness, including, but not limited to, polyacrylamide, C 13 -C 14 isoparafin, and laureth-7; antioxidants, including, but not limited to ascorbic acid, (BHT), tocopheryl acetate, and the like; UV stabilizers; UV radiation absorbers (sunscreen filters); fragrances; colorants; or any combinations of any of the foregoing.

These compositions can be formulated as creams, gels, or liquids, and preferably are prepared as lotions. Compositions can be prepared as multi-lamellar vesicles, liposomes, nanospheres, microsponges, or any combination of any of the foregoing by methods known to those skilled in the art.

The neutralized ammonium salt of the acid is typically neutralized to a pH above about 4.5, preferably ranging from about 4.5 to about 8 and most preferably from about 5 to about 6. The amount of ammonium hydroxide useful herein in that amount sufficient to adjust the pH of the acid to the above pH ranges.

The amount of retinol in these compositions is typically a fine line-, wrinkle-, or mottled pigmentation-reducing effective amount. Preferably, the amount of retinol is at least about 0.01 percent by weight, and most preferably, is at least about 0.15 percent by weight, based upon 100 percent by weight of total composition.

The amount of acid or ammonium salt of acid is typically a skin surface clarity, cellular turnover-, skin radiance-, skin smoothness-, skin permeation-, or collagen synthesis-increasing effective amount. Preferably, this amount ranges from about 0.1 to about 12 percent by weight based, upon 100 percent by weight of total composition. Most preferably, this amount is about 4 percent by weight, based upon 100 percent by weight of total composition.

Without being bound by any theory, applicants believe that by using the ammonium salt of the acid, the storage pH of the present composition can remain above 5, thereby providing a stable atmosphere for the retinol or any other pH sensitive ingredient. However, when applied to the skin, the pH of the ammonium salt of the acid changes by volatilization of the ammonium. The pH drops to a range in which the acid can cause beneficial changes.

The compositions can be applied topically to a mammal, and preferably a human, in need of a retinoid, acids, or a combination thereof. Typically, the amount applied will be that amount effective to accomplish the purpose of application.

›DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following examples illustrate the invention without limitation. All amounts are given as weight percentages based upon 100 percent by weight of total composition unless noted otherwise.

›Examples4

›EXAMPLE 1

A retinol/alpha-hydroxy acid containing composition having the formulation of Table 1 and a pH of about 6 was prepared in the form of multi-lamellar vesicles.

The formulation was applied to the skin, and the pH of the skin was measured over time. Results are illustrated in FIG. 1 . The pH of the preparation dropped to about 4.1 within 15 minutes of the application. This reduced the skin pH to about 4.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1A

A retinol/alpha-hydroxy acid containing composition having the formulation of Table 2 and a pH of about 4 was prepared in the form of multi-lamellar vesicles.

The formulation was applied to skin, and the pH of the skin was measured over time. Results are illustrated in FIG. 1 .

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1B

A retinol/alpha-hydroxy acid containing composition is prepared as in Example 1, substituting sodium hydroxide for the ammonium hydroxide.

The formulation was applied to skin, and the pH of the skin was measured over time. Results are illustrated in FIG. 1 .

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1C

An alpha-hydroxy acid containing composition having 8 percent by weight sodium glycolate at a pH of 3.5 and no retinol.

The formulation was applied to skin, and the pH of the skin was measured over time. Results are illustrated in FIG. 1 .

›EXAMPLE 2

A composition containing 0.15 percent by weight of retinol and 4 percent by weight of glycolic acid, neutralized with ammonium hydroxide to a pH of 6 was prepared.

An in vivo study of proliferative activity on skin was conducted. The marker of proliferative activity is an increase in fluorescent signal in the ultraviolet portion of the light spectrum. Over the course of 11 days of application, the fluorescence of the epidermis (exciting with 296 nm radiation, monitoring fluorescence at 340 nm) increases with increased proliferation activity. This fluorescence marker also increases after another proliferation inducing treatment such as tape-stripping, and has been shown to correlate with increased cell turnover-rate as measured by increased loss of epidermal stain, dansyl chloride.