Hair cleansing compositions

Abstract

A hair cleansing composition comprises the following ingredients (A) to (C): (A) a hydroxymonocarboxylic acid, or a salt thereof, (B) an organic solvent, and (C) an anionic surfactant having a sulfate group; and has a pH of from 1 to 4 when diluted 20-fold by weight with water and a buffer capacity not lower than 0.005 gram equivalent/L but lower than 0.2 gram equivalent/L. The hair cleansing composition has a good foamability and a highly lubricious foam quality during washing, and are excellent in the luster, softness and manageability of hair after drying and also superb in stability.

What we claim is: 
     
         1 : A hair cleansing composition comprising the following ingredients (A) to (C):
 (A) 0.5 to 2.0 wt % of a hydroxymonocarboxylic acid and a salt thereof, wherein said hydroxymonocarboxylic acid is lactic acid or glycolic acid,   (B) 0.5 to 10 wt % of a polypropylene glycol having a molecular weight of from 200 to 1,000, and   (C) from 1 wt. % to 50 wt. % of an anionic surfactant having a sulfate group represented by the following formula (5) or (6):
   R 6 O(CH 2 CH 2 O) m SO 3 M  (5)
 
   R 7 OSO 3 M  (6)
 
   wherein R 6  represents an alkyl group or alkenyl group having 10 to 18 carbon atoms,   R 7  represents an alkyl group having 10 to 18 carbon atoms, M represents an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, ammonium, alkanolamine or basic amino acid, and m is a number of from 1 to 5   wherein said hair cleansing composition has a pH of from 1 to 4 when diluted 20-fold by weight with water, and also a buffer capacity not lower than 0.005 gram equivalent/L but lower than 0.2 gram equivalent/L, and wherein said wt % is based on the total weight of the hair cleansing composition.   
     
     
         2 : A hair cleansing composition according to  claim 1 , further comprising as an ingredient (D) at least one conditioning ingredient selected from cationic polymers, cationic surfactants, silicones and oils. 
     
     
         3 : The hair cleansing composition according to  claim 1 , further comprising an organic solvent represented by formula (b1): 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         wherein R 1  represents a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group, Y and Z each independently represents a hydrogen atom or a hydroxyl group, and p, q and r each independently denotes an integer of from 0 to 5, with a proviso that, when p=q=0, both Z and R 1  are not a hydrogen atom. 
       
     
     
         4 : The hair cleansing composition according to  claim 1 , further comprising an N-alkylpyrrolidone with an alkyl group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms attached to said nitrogen atom. 
     
     
         5 : The hair cleansing composition according to  claim 1 , further comprising an alkylene carbonate having 1 to 4 carbon atoms. 
     
     
         6 : The hair cleansing composition according to  claim 1 , further comprising a lactone or cyclic ketone represented by the following formula (2), (3) or (4): 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         wherein X represents a methylene group or an oxygen atom, R 4  and R 5  represent different substituent groups and a and b each independently represents 0 or 1. 
       
     
     
         7 : The hair cleansing composition according to  claim 6 , wherein said lactone or cyclic ketone is represented by formula (2). 
     
     
         8 : The hair cleansing composition according to  claim 6 , wherein said lactone or cyclic ketone is represented by formula (3). 
     
     
         9 : The hair cleansing composition according to  claim 6 , wherein said lactone or cyclic ketone is represented by formula (4). 
     
     
         10 : The hair cleansing composition according to  claim 1 , wherein said hydroxymonocarboxylic acid is glycolic acid. 
     
     
         11 : The hair cleansing composition according to  claim 1 , wherein said hydroxymonocarboxylic acid salt is a salt selected from the group consisting of a sodium salt, a potassium salt and an ammonium salt. 
     
     
         12 : The hair cleansing composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the content of said anionic surfactant having a sulfate group ranges from 8 wt. % to 30 wt. % based on the total weight of the hair cleansing composition. 
     
     
         13 : The hair cleansing composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the content of said anionic surfactant having a sulfate group ranges from 8 to 22 wt % based on the total weight of the hair cleansing composition. 
     
     
         14 : The hair cleansing composition according to  claim 2 , wherein the content of said at least one conditioning ingredient ranges from 0.05 wt. % to 10 wt. % based on the total weight of the hair cleansing composition. 
     
     
         15 : In a method of cleansing hair comprising a step of contacting hair with a cleansing composition, the improvement comprising said cleansing composition is the hair cleansing composition according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         16 : The hair cleansing composition according to  claim 1 , wherein said hydroxymonocarboxylic acid is lactic acid. 
     
     
         17 : The hair cleansing composition according to  claim 1 , wherein (C) is a mixture of R 6 CO(CH 2 CH 2 O) m SO 3 M and R 7 OSO 3 M, wherein R 6  represents an alkyl group having 10 to 18 carbon atoms, R 7  represent an alkyl group having 10 to 18 carbon atoms, M represents an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, ammonium, alkanolamine or a basic amino acid, and m stands for a number of from 1 to 5. 
     
     
         18 : The hair cleansing composition according to  claim 1 , wherein (C) is a mixture of R 6 CO(CH 2 CH 2 O) m SO 3 M and R 7 OSO 3 M, wherein R 6  represents an alkyl group having 12 carbon atoms, R 7  represent an alkyl group having 12 carbon atoms, M represents an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, ammonium, alkanolamine or a basic amino acid, and m stands for a number of from 1 to 5. 
     
     
         19 : The hair cleansing composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the content of said anionic surfactant having a sulfate group ranges from 10 to 22 wt % based on the total weight of the hair cleansing composition.