High DS cationic polygalactomannan for hair conditioner products

1 . A hair conditioner composition consisting essentially of:

a) from about 1 to about 99 wt % of water;

b) a lower limit amount of 0.05 wt % of a cationic polymer that has

i) a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of from about 2,000 to about 10,000,000 Dalton, and

ii) a cationic degree of substitution (DS) with a lower limit of 0.25 and an upper limit of 3.0; and

c) at least one hair conditioner active ingredient,

wherein the hair conditioner composition is substantially surfactant-free.

2 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the active hair conditioner ingredient is selected from the group consisting of perfumes, emollients, moisturizing agents, humectants, sunscreen actives, beauty aids, anti-oxidant agent, antimicrobial agent, additional conditioning agent, depositing agent, tanning agent, rejuvenating agent, medicaments, colorant, anti-static agent, and mixtures thereof.

3 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the cationic polymer is present in the composition with the lower limit amount of 0.1 wt %.

4 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the cationic polymer is present in the composition with the lower limit amount of 0.5 wt %.

5 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the cationic polymer is present in the composition with the lower limit amount of 1.0 wt %.

6 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the cationic polymer is present in the composition with the upper limit amount of 10.0 wt %.

7 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the cationic polymer is present in the composition with the upper limit amount of 5.0 wt %.

8 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the cationic polymer is present in the composition with the upper limit amount of 3.0 wt %.

9 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition has a cationic degree of substitution (DS) lower limit of 0.4.

10 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the cationic degree of substitution (DS) has a lower limit amount of 0.8.

11 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the cationic degree of substitution (DS) has an upper limit amount of 2.0.

12 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the cationic degree of substitution (DS) has an upper limit amount of 1.0.

13 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the cationic polymer is at least one cationic polygalactomannan or cationic derivatized polygalactomannan.

14 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 13 , wherein the derivative moiety on the cationic derivatized polygalactomannan is selected from the group consisting of alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, alkylhydroxyalkyl, and carboxymethyl wherein the alkyl has a carbon chain containing from 1 to 30 carbons and the hydroxyalkyl is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyethyl, hydroxypropyl, hydroxybutyl and mixtures thereof.

15 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 13 , wherein the polygalactomannan is selected from the group consisting of guar, locust bean, honey locus, and flame tree.

16 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 13 , wherein the cationic moiety is selected from quaternary ammonium compounds.

17 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 16 , wherein the quaternary ammonium compound is selected from the group consisting of 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride, 2,3-epoxy-propyltrimethylammonium chloride, 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium bromide, 2,3-epoxy-propyltrimethylammonium bromide; glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride, glycidyltriethylammonium chloride, gylcidyltripropylammonium chloride, glycidylethyldimethylammonium chloride, glycidyldiethylmethylammonium chloride, and their corresponding bromides and iodides; 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride, 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltriethylammonium chloride, 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltripropylammonium chloride, 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropylethyldimethylammonium chloride, and their corresponding bromides and iodides; and halides of imidazoline ring containing compounds.

18 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the Mw has a lower limit of 10,000 Dalton.

19 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the Mw has a lower limit of 50,000 Dalton.

20 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the Mw has a lower limit of 100,000 Dalton.

21 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the Mw has a lower limit of 400,000 Dalton.

22 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the Mw has an upper limit of 5,000,000 Dalton.

23 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the Mw has an upper limit of 2,000,000 Dalton.

24 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the Mw has an upper limit of 1,000,000 Dalton.

25 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , further consisting essentially of a member selected from the group consisting of colorant, preservative, antioxidant, activity enhancer, emulsifier, functional polymer, viscosifying agent, alcohol, fat or fatty compound, antimicrobial compound, silicone material, hydrocarbon polymer, oil, vitamins, suspending agents, stabilizing biocide, pH modifier, flavor, fragrance, salt, and mixtures thereof.

26 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 25 , wherein the functional polymer is selected from the group consisting of anionic, hydrophobically-modified, and amphoteric acrylic acid copolymers, vinylpyrrolidone homopolymers and copolymers, cationic vinylpyrrolidone copolymers, nonionic, cationic, anionic, and amphoteric cellulosic polymers, acrylamide homopolymers, cationic, anionic, amphoteric, and hydrophobically-modified acrylamide copolymer, polyethylene glycol polymer and copolymer, hydrophobically-modified polyether, hydrophobically-modified polyetheracetal, hydrophobically-modified polyetherurethane, an associative polymer, hydrophobically-modified cellulosic polymer, polyethyleneoxide-propylene oxide copolymer, and a nonionic, anionic, hydrophobically-modified, amphoteric, and cationic polysaccharides, chitosan, and mixtures thereof.

27 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 26 , wherein the nonionic, cationic, anionic, and amphoteric cellulosic polymers are selected from the group consisting of hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, hydrophobically-modified carboxymethylcellulose, carboxymethyl hydroxyethylcellulose, cationic hydroxyethylcellulose, ethylhydoxyethylcellulose, cationic hydrophobically-modified hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydrophobically modified hydroxyethylcellulose, hydrophobically-modified hydroxypropylcellulose, cationic hydrophobically-modified hydroxypropyl cellulose, cationic carboxymethylhydroxyethylcellulose, and cationic hydroxypropylcellulose.

28 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 26 , wherein the nonionic, anionic, hydrophobically modified, amphoteric, and cationic polysaccharides are selected from the group consisting of carboxymethyl guar, alginates, hydroxypropyl guar, hydrophobically-modified guar, carboxymethyl guar, hydroxypropyl carboxymethyl guar, hydroxyethyl guar, hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride, guar hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride, and hydroxypropyl guar hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride.

29 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 25 , wherein the viscosifying agent is selected from the group consisting of NaCl, NH 4 Cl, KCl, Na 2 SO 4 , fatty alcohols, fatty acid esters, fatty acid amides, fatty alcohol polyethyleneglycol ethers, sorbitol polyethyleneglycol ethers, cocamidopropyl betaine, clays, silicas, cellulosic polymers, xanthan, and mixtures thereof.

30 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 25 , wherein the silicone material is selected from the group consisting of cyclosiloxane, linear siloxane, siloxane structure with polyol, amino, or other functional groups in the siloxane structure, and mixtures thereof.

31 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 30 , wherein the other functional groups are selected from the group consisting of polyethyleneoxy and/or polypropyleneoxy groups optionally containing C 6 -C 24 alkyl groups, substituted or unsubstituted amine groups, thiol groups, alkoxylated groups, hydroxyl groups, acyloxyalkyl groups.

32 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 25 , wherein the silicone material is selected from the group consisting of polyalkylsiloxanes, polyarylsiloxanes, polyalkylarylsiloxanes, and mixtures thereof.

33 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 32 , wherein the polyalkylsiloxanes are selected from the group consisting of polydimethylsiloxane, polydimethylsiloxane hydroxylated at the end of the chain, and mixtures thereof.

34 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the hair conditioner composition is selected from the group consisting of leave-on hair conditioner, leave-in conditioner, rejuvenating conditioner, creme rinse, oil-free hair conditioners, rinse-off hair conditioner, conditioning rinse, foaming conditioner, conditioning styling gel, conditioning mousse, spay-on conditioner, hair dressing crème, hair repair spray, and mixtures thereof.

35 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 2 , wherein additional conditioning agent is selected from the group consisting of silicone materials, hydrocarbon oils, vegetable oils, vegetable fats, animal oils, animal fats, fatty acid, fatty alcohol, fatty esters, panthenol and derivatives thereof, pantothenic acid and derivatives thereof, and mixtures thereof.

36 . The hair conditioner composition of claim 1 , wherein the hair conditioner composition is an oil-in-water or water-in-oil emulsion or solution or dispersion or suspension.