WO1997038078A1

WO1997038078A1 - Shaped particulate scouring cleansers

Info

Publication number: WO1997038078A1
Application number: PCT/US1997/007073
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas W. Smoot
Original assignee: Havit Investment Associates, Inc.
Priority date: 1996-04-09
Filing date: 1997-04-09
Publication date: 1997-10-16
Also published as: AU2745897A

Abstract

A cleaning composition comprising a skin cleaning base; and finely divided particles having a density less than about 1.10 mg/cc, and an average sphericity between about .50 and about .70 wherein from about 50 % to about 100 % of said particles are of a size of from about -35 to about -80 mesh.

Description

SHAPED PARTICULATE SCOURING CLEANSERS

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to cleaning compositions of the type having finely divided organic polymeric particles incoφorated therein for scouring dirty hands, dishes, and other surfaces. This invention relates particularly to cleaning compositions of the lotion type, but it

has application to powdered, granular, and cream type compositions as well. The polymeric particulate materials contemplated herein are relatively soft and resilient at ambient temperature and pressure conditions, and of a density less than water.

The use of particulate abrasives in scouring cleansers is well known in the art, and

scouring cleansers that incorporate particulate abrasives are in wide use today, having many commercial, industrial, and residential applications. Many different materials can be used as particulates in these cleansers. Depending on the application, these particulates are of a multitude of sizes and shapes, each possessing features unique to the specific particulate. Many variables influence the performance and application of the different types of scouring cleansers, and the choice of particulate used in the cleanser.

U.S. Patent No. 662,096 to Schmidt relates to a granular skin soap containing pulverized pumice-stone, which is today widely acknowledged and used as an effective hand cleaning scouring agent.

U.S. Patent Nos. 2,210,286 to Gangwich and 3,092,111 to Saperstein, et l. disclose the

use of such well-known mineral-based materials as aluminum oxide, synthetic aluminum, Corundum, volcanic ash, and diatomaceous earth, among others, in hand cleansing solutions.

U.S. Patent No. 2,494,827 discloses abrasive detergent compositions containing water insoluble phosphates which act as scrubbing aides and to soften water. In addition to water insoluble phosphates, these detergent compositions may contain scrubbing aides such as corn meal, volcanic ash, pumice, diatomaceous earth and wood dust. U.S. Patent No. 2,610, 153 discloses an abrasive skin cleaning composition wherein the abrasive is a chemically treated residue obtained as a by-product from soybean processing. For skin cleaning compositions, particles of the residue are ground to pass through a 20 mesh screen or finer. It has been found that skin cleaners using nonresilient particles such as the mineral-based materials disclosed in the foregoing inventions are generally nonresilient. These abrasives are hard and commonly have sharp surfaces, so that their use can cause excessive wear, abrasion or scratches to surfaces in connection with which they are used. Mineral-based and other hard particulate-based cleansers may further irritate or harm the skin being cleansed therewith if used for that purpose. Polymers, resins, and organic substrates are recognized generally for their scouring properties. Plastic resin particles are also recognized as overcoming problems inherent to mineral-based particles by imparting moderate but persistent scrubbing aαion to the cleaner without imparting a coarse, unpleasant feel. U.S. Patent No. 3,645,904 discloses a skin cleaning composition having plastic synthetic resin particles in the size range of 74 to 420 microns incorporated therein as scrubbing aides. Examples of suitable plastic particles include "microballoons" made from phenolic resin urea formaldehyde or polystyrene.

U.S. Patent No. 4,537,604 to Dawson discloses a scouring cleaning composition having agglomerates of finely divided abrasive material in an organic binder.

U.S. Patent Nos. 4,481,126 and 4,693,840 to Trinh, et al. relate to substantially nonabrasive liquid car cleaners which are comprised of polymeric particulate materials.

U.S. Patent No. 3,645,904 to Beach describes a skin cleanser containing polyolefin particulates such as polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene.

U.S. Patent No. 4,508,635 to Clarke describes a liquid general purpose cleanser which contains 5% alcohol esterified resin copolymer. U.S. Patent No. 3,326,807 to Guest, et al. relates to detergent toilet preparations

containing innocuous dispersions of a polymer or copolymer of styrene.

U.S. Patent No. 4,434,067 to Malone, et al. describes a cleanser for textile fabrics comprised of a particulate polymeric material prepared from synthetic organic polymers. U.S. Patent No. 4,855,067 to Jakubicki teaches the use of AMSAN, a glass poly thermoplastic polymeric resin, for use in cleaning compositions.

The prior art further discloses the function of particle shape in the cleansing process. Cleaning compositions containing solid and organic particles which have been "spherulitized" to reduce abrasion are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,038,653. U. S. Patent No. 4, 155,840 to Jorgensen similarly discloses a skin cleaning composition utilizing water insoluble glass bubbles as scouring particles. The bubbles are described as beneficial because their spherical shape allows the bubbles to rotate when rolled on the skin, thus rolling out stains from the cracks and crevices in the skin surface.

The foregoing inventions are directed principally at providing the most effective cleansing substance for the particular application at hand. With few exceptions, the inventions are not concerned with the disposal or drainage of the scouring agent following its use. Dense heavy particles such as pumice, silica, feldspar, kieselgubar, emery, or carborundum, that are widely used because of their hardness and scouring properties, have a tendency to settle very rapidly in drainage pipes which leads to clogging and severe maintenance problems. Such particulates are difficult to be flushed and washed away from surfaces upon which they have been deposited, or from plumbing in industrial wash drains into which they have been poured. Accordingly, many of the foregoing inventions have the disadvantage of clogging sewer lines, drain traps, and other drainage pipes during prolonged use. This clogging problem is recognized in the art. A partial solution taught by the prior art has been to use scouring particulates having a reduced density in the cleaning compositions, so that the particulates can float in water and be flushed or washed away by water more readily.

U.S. Patent No. 4,155,840 to Jorgensen, for instance, discloses the use of water insoluble glass bubbles that are less dense than water, and thus are easily rinsed away with water. Patent No. 4,786,369 to Kanfer similarly discloses the flushability and washability benefits realized from incorporating low density particles into scouring particulate cleansing solutions. These inventions teach that particulate densities between 0.1 and 0.5 g/cc are generally most effective to reduce the settling that leads to pipe clogging by particulate compositions.

Particles having the preferred densities taught by Jorgensen and Kanfer cause additional problems, however. Particles having density between 0.1 and 0.5 mg/cc, for instance, tend to float to the top of the cleansing substance when stored, unless the cleansing base is a highly viscous substance. Moreover, the type particles having densities between 0.1 and 0.5 mg/cc can be either too soft and resilient to function effectively as a scouring agent, or not hard enough to impart sufficient abrasion in the cleaning process. It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an effective scouring particulate material for use in cleansing solutions that disperses readily in flowing water. A further object of this invention is to reduce the clogging in pipes that results from the settling and agglomeration of these particulate scouring compositions. The agglomeration of particles that leads to the clogging of pipes also impacts the ease with which cleaning substances that incorporate scouring particles can be washed from sinks and other surfaces to which they are applied. Another object of this invention, therefore, is to improve the ease with which surfaces upon which cleaning substances come into contact can be washed free of the cleaning substance. A still further object of this invention is to provide a scouring particulate that satisfies the foregoing objects, but that also provides the level of scouring and cleansing that consumers expect and desire from cleaning substances of this type, at a scouring level that does not feel abrasive when applied to the skin, that does not unduly scour surfaces to which it is applied, and which in general is pleasant to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The shape and size distribution of the particles used in a particulate scouring cleansing solution has been discovered to have a tremendous bearing on the tendency of particles to agglomerate and clog pipes. Prior to the present invention no one had recognized this or developed a particle composition for use in cleansing solutions that relied on the shape and size distribution of the particles as described herein to effectively reduce particle agglomeration and pipe clogging, which the use of prior art particulates in cleansing solutions causes. In accordance with the present invention, a ground polymer is a preferred particulate material. The ground polymer is shaped in a manner to both reduce packing, and to increase the resistance of the individual particles when stationary to the flow of water. In this manner there is a greater tendency of the particles to become entrained in the flow of water and the agglomeration of the scouring particles is reduced. The use of a ground polymeric material, though not an essential material for this invention, is beneficial because it is less dense than water, and because of the ease with which polymeric particles shaped according to this invention can be produced. The present invention is a substantially nonabrasive liquid skin cleaning composition containing a ground polymer as a cleaning abrasive, the ground polymer being highly effective at scouring dirty surfaces.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DWENTION In accordance with the present invention there is provided a particulate containing cleansing composition comprising a conventional skin cleaning base having incoφorated therein by weight between about 1% and about 30% of finely divided particles having a density less than about 1.0 mg/cc, in the size range of from about -35 to about -80 mesh, said particles further having an average coefficient of sphericity generally in the range between about 0.50 and about 0.70

The term "conventional skin cleaning base" as used herein means both bases substantially free of water, and water based cleaning solutions. The preferred conventional skin cleaning bases for use in the invention are those of the so-called "waterless" type, such as creams or lotions which clean without the use of water. Bar soap compositions are also preferred. Dry or granulated soap compositions are also suitable conventional skin cleaning bases according to the invention. The essential particulate scouring ingredient of the cleaning composition of the instant invention is any polymer having a density equal to or less than that of water. For instance, commercial grade polyethylene and polypropylene, among other organic polymers, have properties that enable their preferred use according to the present invention. Recycled plastics of this type that have been ground to specification have proven particularly useful to this application.

The skin cleaning compositions of the present invention are nonabrasive feeling and pleasant to use. The use of plastic resin material for formation of the scouring particles is advantageous due to the physical form of the individual particles. Polyethylene and polypropylene are generally classified as "mild" abrasives, defined as those abrasives having a Mohs value of about 6 or less. The plastic resin particles appear to be amoφhous and have relatively fewer of the plain faces and shaφ points and edges usually associated with crystals such as found in the abrasive particles of mineral or inorganic origin presently in use. While the polymeric scouring particles utilized in the present invention are relatively nonuniform in shape, a large amount of the shaφ points are fused and blunted by the attrition of the grinding process. The result is polymeric particles which impart a moderate but persistent scrubbing aαion when placed in the cleaner without having or imparting a coarse, unpleasant feel to the cleaner itself. The skin cleaning compositions of the present invention are effective in removing grease, inks, dyes, paint, varnishes and other "hard to remove" substances from skin and other surfaces. The particle size and distribution ranges of the polymeric particulates are important to this invention. However, because the size of the particles does not appear to influence materially the agglomeration of particles or clogging of drain pipes, particle size is principally a fiinαion of the desired use of the cleansing product. Generally, for skin cleaning compositions, over about 50% of the polymeric particulates should pass through a -35 mesh screen. Advantageously about 75% or more of the particles should pass through a -35 mesh screen. Preferably from about 75% to about 80% of the particles should pass through a -35 mesh screen. Mesh is defined as the number of openings within a one square inch mesh screen, or U.S. Standard Sieve, with reference to U.S. Sieve Series, ASTM specification E- 11-61. Particles that pass through -80 mesh screens are generally ineffective scouring agents and, although they do not materially affeα the performance of the properly sized scouring particles in solution, should be eliminated or reduced from the cleansing solution where praαical. It should be pointed out that this size particulate has general application with regard to personal skin care cleansers, in which the average particulate size is generally finer, so that the mesh is generally higher than in other cleansing applications. With regard to harder surfaces that can withstand a higher degree of scouring without undesirable abrasion, in order to clean more effeαively the average particulate size is generally larger than particles used for personal skin care, and it is desirable to increase the particle size in some applications to below the -35 mesh level.

It should be understood that the foregoing range represents generally a range of average sizes for particles used in this composition. Naturally, due to variations in particulate /US97/07073

manufacturing processes, such as raw material grinding, larger and smaller particles will likely be produced, and due to cohesion among particles, improperly sized particles will not be separated from properly sized particulates during sizing operations and will accordingly exist in the particulate composition. The variation in particulate sizes within the referenced parameters has not been found to affect the funαion of the composition in hand cleansing applications to any significant degree. Those versed in the art will understand that h is desirable to incoφorate into the cleansing solution particles of as uniform a size as is practicable, in order to improve the texture of the cleansing solution, and the dispersability of the particles in the cleansing solution.

This invention concerns not only the effeαiveness of the cleansing solution that in∞φorates the particulate scouring agent disclosed herein, but also the tendency of particulate scouring agents to clog pipes, and the difficulty of rinsing particulate scouring agents from the surfaces to which they are applied. The present invention overcomes this problem in the prior art by providing the desired shape of scouring particles used in cleansing solutions.

In accordance with the present invention, it has been found that the likelihood of particles to clog in pipes or seemingly stick to surfaces to which they come in contaα is a funαion of variables that can be manipulated by altering the shape of the particles, each relating to the amount of energy imparted by a flow of water to an agglomeration. The ability of flowing water to break up agglomerated particles, and to unclog drains or rinse away scouring particulates, is a direct function of the energy applied by the water flow to the agglomeration. The energy applied to the agglomeration, in turn, is a funαion principally of the surface area opposed to the flow of water, and whether the surface area is directly opposed to the water flow. The surface area from an agglomeration of particles available to resist the flow of water is a funαion of the degree of packing in the agglomeration, and the resistance of individual particles to water flow. Packing substantially reduces the level of energy applied by a flow of water to an agglomeration because it reduces the volume of the agglomeration. This reduction in volume results in a corresponding reduction in the surface area of the totality of particulates in the agglomeration available to resist water flow, thereby decreasing the resistance of the agglomeration to water flow, and the level of energy applied by the water flow against the agglomeration. The shape of particles used in a cleansing solution has a tremendous bearing on their tendency to pack. For instance, flat particles generally pack much denser than spherical particles. Accordingly, for minimal packing and increased resistance to water flow spherical particles are more desirable than flat particles. Packing is not the only variable which affects the level of energy imparted by a flow of water past a stationary agglomeration. The shape of the particles in the agglomeration and the positions of the particles in the agglomeration in relation to the flow of water also has a tremendous bearing on the energy level imparted by the water flow to the agglomeration. A spherical surface, for instance, because it merely defleαs water flow rather than stopping water flow, provides minimal surficial resistance to the flow of water. In contrast, a flat surface projeαed with maximum surface area in opposition to the flow of water, stops the flow of water in its path and provides maximum surficial resistance to the flow of water.

What is needed by way of particle shape, therefore, is a particle with miriimal packing tendency, yet maximum flat surface area available to oppose the flow of water. At opposite extremes in this equation are flat particles which maximize surface area resistance to water flow but tend readily to pack, and spheres, which minimize packing but provide rrtinimal surficial resistance to water flow. Particles in an agglomeration having a certain "sphericity", that is, the relative relationship between those of a sphere and a flat surface, are most effeαive at receiving energy from water flows, and dispersing upon the application of water flows. It has been found that the desired particle shape for use in scouring cleansers according to this invention should have a coefficient of sphericity, or projeαion sphericity, in the range between about 0.5 and about 0.7. Preferably the coefficient of sphericity is from about 0.55 to about 0.67. In the present invention particles having such shapes have been shown to process the desired balance between packing and surficial resistance, and to maximize the likelihood that agglomerated particles will disperse upon application of water flow.

Sphericity measures given herein were determined by generally accepted measures of sphericity, as is given, for instance, by Pettigolen in his treatise Sedimentary Rocks (Haφer 1948). For the reader's benefit a chart for determining visually the projeαion sphericity of sands and other particulate materials is contained in Fig. 1.

The preferred embodiment of this invention consists of the addition of finely comminuted plastic synthetic resin scouring particles to (1) skin cleansing creams of soap and non-soap nature, (2) those of the so-called waterless type and (3) skin cleaners of liquid or lotion consistency. The plastic synthetic resin scrubber particles are added in amounts and particle sizes suitable to impart a moderate but persistent degree of scrubbing aαion during use.

The preferred embodiment of the invention utilizes plastic synthetic resins which are seleαed from among those known to be neither a primary irritant nor an allergic sensitizer when in contaα with the skin. Criteria used in the seleαion of a suitable plastic resin for forming the plastic resin scrubber particles are primarily (1) safety to the skin (inertness), (2) compatibility with ingredients, to produαs considered, and (3) low abrasion properties. Additional criteria utilized in selecting suitable plastic resin materials are (1) density, and (2) cost. The most suitable plastics found were the relatively soft and inert plastics of the polyolefin family. More particularly, they are polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene. However, any plastic resins having the same general overall characteristics would be suitable, provided that the size and configuration of the particles are as described herein.

Although nearly any material that can be produced or isolated from other particles at the desired level of sphericity can be used in cleansing solutions according to this invention, the density of the material chosen is a significant factor in the prevention of clogging of pipes and the enhanced washability of particulates of the present invention. Particles having densities at or below that of water are preferred for use according to this invention, because of their tendency to float in water, which leads to the dispersion and nonagglomeration of particles in aqueous solution. The density of polyethylene makes it especially desirable for application in the cleaning solutions of the present invention. A density of 0.910 g/ml for low density polyethylene (LDPE), and 0.955 g ml for high density polyethylene (HDPE) and 1 g/ml for water indicates that both

HDPE and LDPE will float on water.

The difference in densities between these polymers and water is not so great that immediate separation of the two would occur if a solution of the polymers and water were allowed to sit. This property of polyethylene has not been appreciated by cleanser manufacturers, and is in contrast to other lower density particulates often used that float promptly to the top of low viscosity cleaning solutions. Indeed, Patent No. 4,786,369 to Kanfer et al. proposes using particulate material preferably having a maximum density of 0.5 grams/ml to overcome the clogging problem. These low density particulates have the undesired drawback of separating in solution, especially less viscous aqueous cleansing solutions. Patent No.

4, 155,840 to Jorgensen recommends an identical maximum density.

The higher density of polyethylene has several drawbacks, however. Polyethylene particles are more likely to travel along the bottom of a drainage structure during turbid flow conditions, where they are more likely to become enmeshed in any materials that may be present on the bottom side of the piping structure, thus promoting the undesirable clogging with which this invention is concerned. Moreover, once particles of this higher density are enmeshed in any substrate on the bottom side of the structure, it becomes more difficult to dislodge these particles because of their reduced tendency to float toward the top, which further exacerbates the clogging problem. It has been found, however, that the shape of the polyethylene particles used in the cleansing solutions according to this invention more than offsets the higher density of the particles. Thus what is provided is a scouring particulate that is highly resistant to pipe clogging, that is readily rinsed by water, and that is capable of incoφoration into a cleansing solution without significant separation of the components thereof.

Polyethylene and other polyolefinic compounds have other properties, regardless of their shape, that also reduce agglomeration, and that further offset the higher level of clogging caused by their density which is higher than other materials used in comparable applications to reduce clogging. One such property is the receptivity of polyethylene to surfactants that improve the dispersability of particles in cleansing solution. Other inert substances, such as pumice and other inorganic materials employed as scouring particles, do not enjoy this benefit to the degree enjoyed by polyethylene. Dispersing agents are used heavily in low viscosity liquid compositions to disperse the plastic resin particles throughout the cleaning compositions. Such dispersing agents are not generally as necessary in the heavier viscosity compositions such as creams. The stability of the dispersion can also be enhanced by addition of a thickening agent to increase the viscosity of the suspending medium.

It has been found that these dispersion agents also work effectively in wash water to reduce the agglomeration of particles when rinsed away with water. Accordingly, this invention further reduces agglomeration of particles by the addition of suitable surfactants to prevent flocculation of the individual particles into agglomerates. Nonionic surfaαants and anionic surfactants are particularly useful dispersion agents that can be used with polyethylene scouring particulates in cleansing solutions. Preferably the nonionic surfaαant is a linear nonphenolic

surfactant. Most anionic detergents can be broadly described as the water soluble salts, particularly the alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, ammonium and amine salts, of organic sulfuric reaαion products having in their molecular structure an alkyl radical containing from about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms and a radical selerted from the group consisting of sulfonic acid and sulfuric acid ester radicals. Included in the term alkyl is the alkyl portion of high acyl radicals. Examples of the anionic synthetic detergents which can form the surfaαant component of the compositions of the present invention are the sodium, ammonium or potassium alkyl sulfates, especially those obtained by sulfating the higher alcohols (C_t-C_lt carbon atoms) sodium or potassium alkyl benzene or alkyl toluene sulfonates, in which the alkyl group contains from about 9 to about 15 carbon atoms, the alkyl radical being either a straight or branched aliphatic chain; sodium or potassium paraffin sulfonates and olefin sulfonates in which the alkyl or alkenyl group contains from about .10 to about 20 carbon atoms; sodium alkyl glyceryl ether sulfonates, especially those ethers of the higher alcohols derived from tallow and coconut oil; sodium coconut oil fatty acid monoglyceride sulfates and sulfonates; sodium or potassium salts of alkyl phenol ethylene oxide ether sulfates with about 1 to about 30 units of ethylene oxide per molecule and in which the alkyl radicals contain from 8 to about 12 carbon atoms; the reaction products of fatty acids esterified with isethionic acid and neutralized with sodium hydroxide where, for example, the fatty acids are derived from coconut oil; sodium or potassium salts of fatty acid amides of a methyl tauride in which the fatty acids, for example, are derived from coconut oil and sodium or potassium beta-acetoxy- or beta-aceta idoalkanesulfonates where the

alkane has from 8 to 22 carbon atoms.

Nonionic surfactants operable in the instant compositions are of three basic types ~ the ethylene oxide condensates, the amides, and the amine oxide semi-polar nonionics. The ethylene oxide condensates are broadly defined as compounds produced by the

condensation of ethylene oxide groups (hydrophilic in nature) with an organic hydrophobic compound, which can be aliphatic or alkyl aromatic in nature. The length of the hydrophilic or polyoxyalkylene radical which is condensed with any particular hydrophobic group can be readily adjusted to yield a water soluble compound having the desired degree of balance between hydrophilic and hydrophobic elements.

Examples of the amide type of nonionic surface aαive agent include the ammonia,

monoethanol and diethanol amides of fatty acids having an acyl moiety of from about 8 to about 18 carbon atoms. These acyl moieties may be derived from naturally occurring glycerides, e.g., coconut oil, palm oil, soybean oil and tallow, but can be derived synthetically, e.g., by the oxidation of petroleum, or by hydrogenation of carbon monoxide by the Fischer-Tropsch process. The monoethanol amides and diethanolamides of C_n._u fatty acids are preferred.

Amine oxide semi-polar nonionic surface aαive agents comprise compounds and

mixtures of compounds having the formula:

R,(C₂H₄O).N >O

wherein R_t is an alkyl, 2-hydroxyalkyl, 3 -hydroxyalkyl, or 3-alkoxy-2-hydroxypropyl radical in which the alkyl and alkoxy, respeαively, contain from about 8 to about 18 carbon atoms, R_? and R₃ are methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, 2-hydroxyethyl, 2-hydroxypropyl, or 3-hydroxy- propyl and n is from 0 to about 10. Particularly preferred are amine oxides of the formula:

R₂

R, N >O R₃

wherein R, is a C_1(M4 alkyl and R₂ and R₃ are methyl or ethyl.

Polyethylene can be desirably used in the present invention as the scouring particles used

in cleaning compositions. The use of polyethylene is desirable because of its availability from recycling sources, and because of its low cost. Both HDPE and LDPE advantageously have application to the present invention. Both HDPE and LDPE can be used together in single packages of cleansing solution, therefore manufacturers can make use of many of the lower

grade recycled plastics batches available in which the plastics are mterrningled and have not been sorted by type. The presence of other plastic resins such as polypropylene and polyurethane in a batch should not significantly affeα the properties of scouring agents used in the present invention.

Another desirable feature to polyethylene, and a feature that makes it preferable for application to this invention, is a manufacturer's ability to manipulate its shape during the grinding process. Recycled polyethylene can be readily ground to the desired measure of sphericity by using gaseous nitrogen to cool the polyethylene during grinding, to reduce particle

deformation from heat otherwise caused by the grinding process.

Polyethylene is also desirable because particles formed from polyethylene are resilient, and when used in a cleansing application are accordingly less likely to abrade surfaces subjeα to abrasion. This feature of polyethylene has particular benefit to hand cleansing solutions, from

which consumers generally desire a more gentle feel. In accordance with the present invention cleansing compositions of the liquid, lotion, semi-solid cream, and cream types are provided utilizing between about 1% and about 30% of finely divided polymeric particles therein. These percentages may vary depending on the particle size and density of the polymeric material used to form the particles. Thus, this invention provides a cleansing composition having scouring aαion through the use of abrasive particles of a size between about -35 and about -80 mesh, and of a sphericity between about 0.50 and about 0.70.

In the selection of ingredients in the makeup of the final cleansing produα, it is contemplated that materials will be utilized that are compatible, both chemically and physically, with the above-mentioned polymeric scouring particles.

The following examples of formulations provide cleansers in which the polymeric scouring particulates are utilized so as to enhance cleansing by offering a scouring aαion. The formulas in the following examples are merely used to illustrate the teachings of this invention.

EXAMPLE I A waterless skin cleaner which has the following compositions:

Ingredients Earj£ Fjjjuϋ ji

(Include examples to hand cleaning of dirt, oil, tar, grease, paint, rust, varnish, «c. and use slightly different formulations to cover the ranges set forth in claims.) The preceding description and example serve to teach how this invention is praαiced and applied. Modifications and equivalents will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A cleaning composition comprising: a. A skin cleansing base, and b. Finely divided particles having a density less than about 1.10 mg/cc, and an average sphericity between about .50 and about .70 wherein from about 50% to about 100% of said particles are of a size of from about -35 to about -80 mesh.

2. The cleaning composition of claim 1 wherein the finely divided particles are present in an amount of from about 1% to about 30% by weight.

3. The cleaning composition of claim 1 wherein said finely divided particles are comprised of polymeric materials.

4. The cleaning composition of claim 3 wherein said polymeric material is seleαed from the group consisting of polyolefins, polystyrenes, and polyacrylates.

5. The cleaning composition of claim 4 wherein the polymeric material is a polyolefin.

6. The cleaning composition of claim 5 wherein the polyolefin is polyethylene.

7. The cleaning composition of claim 1 including a surfaαant.

8. The cleaning composition of claim 7 wherein the surfaαant is a nonionic surfactant.

9. The cleaning composition of claim 7 wherein the surfaαant is an anionic surfaαant.

10. The cleaning composition of claim 7 wherein the surfaαant is a mixture of nonionic and anionic surfaαants.

11. The cleaning composition of claim 4 wherein the polymeric material is recycled material.

12. The cleaning composition of claim 1 wherein the finely divided particles have a density of less that about 1.00 mg/cc.

13. The cleaning composition of claim 1 wherein the finely divided particles have an average sphericity of between about 0.55 and about 0.67.

14. The cleaning composition of claim 1 wherein the size of the particles are from about -35 mesh to about -50 mesh.

15. The cleaning composition of claim 1 wherein from about 75% to about 80% of the particles will pass through a -35 mesh screen.

AMENDED CLAIMS

[received by the International Bureau on 22 September 1997 (22.09.97) ; original claims 4 and 12 amended ; original claims 1 -3 replaced by amended claim 1 remaining claims unchanged ( 1 page)]

1. A cleaning composition comprising: a. A skin cleansing base; and b Finely divided polymeric particles present in an amount of from about 1% to about 30% by weight having a density less than about 1.10 mg/cc, and an average sphericity between about .50 and about .70 wherein from about 50% to about 100% of said particles are of a size of from about -35 to about -80 mesh.

4. The cleaning composition of claim 1 wherein said polymeric material is seleαed from the group consisting of polyolefins, polystyrenes, and polyacrylates.

6. The cleaning composition of claim 5 wherein the polyolefin is polyethylene.

7. The cleaning composition of claim 1 including a surfactant.

8. The cleaning composition of claim 7 wherein the surfactant is a nonionic surfactant.

9. The cleaning composition of claim 7 wherein the surfaαant is an anionic surfactant.

10. The cleaning composition of claim 7 wherein the surfactant is a mixture of nonionic and anionic surfaαants.

12. The cleaning composition of claim 1 wherein the finely divided particles have a density of less than about 1.00 mg cc.

1 . The cleaning composition of claim 1 wherein the finely divided particles have an average sphericity of between about 0.55 and about 0.67.

15_. The cleaning composition of claim 1 wherein from about 75% to about 80% of the particles will pass through a -35 mesh screen.