Description of the Prior Art Today, there are on the market various kinds of cologne or per- fumed water, there difference lying in the kind of fragrance of combination of fragrance used. They have a drawback in common: rapid volatilization of the fragrance and the consequent reduced duration thereof on the user's skin.

This problem also occurs in other sectors. With a view to solve this problem, one has developed compositions comprising film formers that have such properties that will bring about longer retention of the fragrance in contact with the substrate to which it has been applied.

European Document EP 0, 384, 034 describes compositions con- taining a base for deodorant or antiperspirant, which comprise a film forming agent and an emulsifier. In this document one describes emulsions that may be used in some cosmetic forms. However, one does not foresee the use of a film forming agent without the presence of this emulsifying agent.

Document US 2001/0019718 describes the use of polymers of a barrier film, onto which a fragrance is applied. The concern here is to neutral- ize the odors of the skin and then to apply a fragrance, so as not to mix the odors of the skin with said fragrance. This use may be extended for applica- tions of insect repellants.

There are also perfume fixers such as those described in Docu- ment US 6,172, 037. Their function is to prolong the fragrance duration at the place to which it has been applied. These fixers are a combination of non- volatile oil, polyvinylpyrrolidone and hydroxypropylcellulose. Thus, it can be noticed that an increase in duration will only be achieved when these three components are included in the formulation. Therefore, the production cost of

these formulations is high, and their variations are restricted.

Documents US 6,063, 356 and US 6,426, 055 describe the appli- cation of a film forming agent for controlling volatilization of the fragrance.

One describes compositions that comprise water, fragrance, a polymer and a gelling agent. One foresees the use of this formulation in cologne and per- fumes. However, the amount of alcohol present in these compositions do not exceed 3% by weight of the total composition, and further there is a need for 30% by weight of the fragrance, in order to achieve a longer duration thereof on the place to which it has been applied. Therefore, the variable amount of alcohol in these compositions is always low, while it is necessary to use quite high amounts of fragrances.

Objectives of the Invention The present invention has the objective of providing a cosmetic composition comprising a fragrance, at least one film forming agent and one type of alcohol usually found in cologne or perfumes for application to the skin, in addition to optional components such as moistening agent, water.

Summary of the Invention The objective of the invention is to provide a cosmetic composi- tion comprising a fragrance, at least one film forming agent, from about 25% to about 50% by weight of alcohol and a cosmetically acceptable vehicle.

Detailed Description of the Invention The present invention relates to cosmetic compositions that are prepared by following traditional methods of preparing perfumery products, preferably in the form of perfumed water or hygienized water, comprising a fragrance and at least one film forming agent, in addition to water, alcohol and, optionally, other agents that have specific desired functions for each composition to be made.

It has been found that the presence of a film forming agent, to- gether with alcohol in a determined proportion provides in increase in the du- ration of the fragrance on the skin, since that component constitutes a film capable of retaining the fragrance molecules. This will also help to hydrate the skin.

The present invention has a number of advantages over the compositions of the prior art, some of them being listed below : - since the molecules of the composition remain longer in contact with the skin, due to the film formed on said molecules, the skin is then more hydrated and, as a result, a feeling of more durable hydration is provided; - the skins undergoes hydration brought about by the composi- tion of the present invention, even when it comprises high concentrations of alcohol ; - the above-described effects, provided by the composition of the present invention to the skin and to the sense of smell are equivalent to those provided by a perfume of the kinds"eau de toilette"or"eau de parfum", but they have a considerably lower manufacture cost than the latter ; the perception of fra- grance on the skin, when the cosmetic composition of the present invention is applied, it equivalent to that of an ordi- nary perfume containing a concentration 3 times higher of fragrance in its composition.

Greater details of the components that may be used in the pre- sent invention are given below.

Film Forming Agent This component of the cosmetic composition of the present in- vention provide the formation of a film over the other components thereof, being soluble in the alcohol and/or water present in the composition. Thus, the molecules having low molecular weight, which compose the fragrance will be retained on the skin. In this way, volatilization of these molecules will take longer to occur, which guarantees a longer duration of fragrance on the skin and further a greater feeling of skin hydration.

In order for the application of this product not to cause any irrita- tion on the skin, one should use compounds that are dermatologically inert, that is to say, they should not cause hypersensitiveness and should not be toxic and further should remain on the skin surface, thus skin penetrant.

Film forming agents that may be added to the composition of the

present invention are: acrylamide/sodium acrylate copolymer, ammonium acrylate copolymer, balsam of Peru, cellulose gum, maleic anhydride/ethyl- ene, hydroxyethylcellulose such as, for example, cationic hydroxyethylcellu- lose (Poliquaternio 10), polyacrylamide, hydroxypropylcellulose, polyethyl- ene, polyvinyl alcohol, copolymer of vinylmethyl ether and maleic acid (PVM/MA), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), dimeticone copolyol, variants and derivatives thereof and mixtures thereof.

In the preferred embodiment of the composition of the present invention, one adds from 0.1 to 10% by weight of a film forming agent, pref- erably from about 0. 1% to about 7. 0% by weight and more preferably from about 0. 5% to about 5.0% by weight, based on the total weight of the compo- sition.

Alcohol By preference, one uses ethanol as alcohol of the present inven- tion. Ethanol or a variant thereof like modified ethanol and cereal alcohol, when added to cosmetic compositions, such as cologne, has some effects as for example adstrigency, cleaning, sterilizing and solubilizing effects. One may also use other types of alcohol intended for cosmetic compositions and known from the prior art in this branch. The minimum amount of alcohol indi- cated for this invention is of 25%, since compositions comprising amounts of alcohol lower than this are more viscous, exhibiting stickiness when applied to the skin.

This amount of this component in the composition of the present invention ranges from about 25. 0% to about 50. 0% by weight, preferably from about 27. 0% to about 50. 0% by weight and more preferably from about 30. % to about 50. 0% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition.

Therefore, the invention enables the use of a high concentration of alcohol, without causing damages such as drying of the skin, further pro- viding, together with the film former, a means that will interact so as to pro- long the release of fragrance.

Fragrance There are a number of fragrance types that may be used in this

invention. One should opt for fragrances suitable for the desired products, depending upon the final use for which they are intended. Preferably, one uses fragrances containing natural or synthetic essential oils and natural or synthetic aromatic oils.

In the preferred embodiment of the composition of the present invention, one uses a fragrance in an amount of from about 0. 1% to about 20.0% by weight, preferably from about 0. 1% to about 15.0% by weight and more preferably about 0. 1% to 10% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition.

It is recommendable to use an essence solubilizing agent such as hydrogenated castor oil and/or ethoxylated propoxy cetyl alcohol in an amount ranging from about 2.0% to about 3.0% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition, to solubilize essence before it is added to the cosmetic composition. Other essence solubilizing agents known from the prior art may be used.

Vehicle One may add to the cosmetic composition of the present inven- tion any vehicle commonly used in perfume compositions or cologne. Pref- erably, the vehicle selected for being added to the present invention is water in an amount suitable for reaching 100% (q. s. p. ) of the formula, cased on the total weight. Preferably, the amount of water in this composition rages from about 30.0% to about 70.0% by weight, preferably from about 355 to about 60% by weight and more preferably from about 35% to about 50% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition.

Optional components of the composition include, for example, the groups of compounds indicated below.

Moistening Agents Optionally, the invention may contain a moistening agent, the function of which is to promote retention of water on the surface of the human body, in the present case the skin, that is to say, it is capable of providing the skin with water and also of preventing the skin from losing water. The mois- tening agent further helps with the feeling of skin hydration.

Examples of moistening agents that may be used in the present invention are: polyhydroxyl alcohols such as polyalkylene glycols, alkylene polyols and derivatives thereof such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, butylenes glycol, hexylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, isopreny glycol, 1, 3-butylen glycol, 1,2, 6-hexanetriol, hexanetrial, dietylene glycol, glycerol, ethoxylated glycerol, propoxylated glycerol, sorbitol, hydroxypropyl sorbitol, Aloe Vera; sugars and starches and derivatives thereof such as, for example, alkoxylated glucose, hyaluronic acid, sodium hyaluronate, lactamide monoetanolamine, acetamide mono- etanolamine, glycolic acid, lactic acid, glycólica acid, salicylic acid, clycerin, pantenol, urea, natural oils, oils and waxes, glucose ethers such as methyl- glycose ether (PPG-10, PPG-20), methyl glucose ether disesterate (PPG-2), chitosan solutions and derivatives thereof, chitosan lactate and quaternized chitosan (Poliquaternion 29) and mixtures thereof.

In the preferred embodiment of the composition of the present invention, one adds moistening agent in an amount ranging from about 0. 1% to about 15.0% by weight, preferably from 0.5% to about 8.0% and more pre- ferably from about 1.0% to about 6.0% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition.

Antifriction Agents When present, these components have the function of reducing and even eliminating stickiness of the composition when it is applied to the skin.

As examples of antifriction agents, the following may be cited: water-soluble fatty metals having melting point higher than 20°C, as for ex- ample, (volatile and non-volatile) silicones.

Non-volatile silicones that may be added to the composition of the present invention are those that have a boiling point of about 260°C, be- ing preferably about 275°C and more preferably about 300°C. These com- pounds exhibit a vapor pressure value at room temperature very low or not very significant.

On the other hand, volatiles silicones exhibit a boiling point rang-

ing from about 99°C to about 260°C and viscosity values below 10 cP, meas- ured at room temperature. Examples of volatile silicones that may be added to the compositions of the present invention are: cyclometicone, silicone se- rum, dimeticone copolyols, phenyl trimeticone, dimeticone, dimeticonols, amodimeticone.

Variations of silicone feasible in the present invention are silicone resins, phenylated silicone, silicone polymers, silicone esters and copolymers containing polysiloxane chains.

Other examples of antifriction agents that may be added to the present composition are some types of moistening agents such as fructose, glucose, glycereth-7, glycereth-12, glycereth-20, glycereth-26 (composed of glycerin and ethylene oxide), honey glycereth, manitol, urea, hydrolyzed lecitin, cocobetaine, cystein hydrochlorate, glutamin, sodium gluconate, po- tassium aspartate, oleyl betaine, sodium sulfate lauryl ether, amino functional silicones, ethoxylated clycerin, derivatives of water-soluble fatty oils, lactic acid, glycolic acid, sorbitol, coco-triglycerides, glucuronic acid, glueamine, glutamic acid, histidine, hydrogenated honey, honey lactose, xylytol, sucrose, MEA acetamide, hydrolyzed hydrogenated starch, hydrolyzed maize starch, derivatives thereof and combinations thereof.

In the preferred embodiment of the composition of the present invention, one preferably uses volatile silicone in an amount ranging from about 0. 1% to about 10. % by weight, preferably from about 0. 1% to about 6.0% by weight and more preferably from about 0.5% to about 3. 0°C by weight, based on the total weight of the composition.

Thickening Agent The function of the thickening agent in cosmetic compositions is to maintain suspended other components present therein, besides imparting consistency thereto.

Some examples of thickening agents that may be used in the present invention are: polymeric materials such as polyvinylpyrrolidone, poly- vinylic alcohol, gum types such as: acacia gum, agar, tara gum, gum Arabic, algin, alginic acid, ammonium alginate, amilopectin, calcium alginate, sodium

alginate, calcium carrageenin, camitin, carrageenin, dextrin, gelatin, gelan gum, guar gum, hydroxypropyltrimmonium chloride, sodium hyalurionate, hydroxypropyl chitosan, hydroxypropyl guar, Karaya gum, carob bean gum, natto gum, potassium alginate, potassium carregeenin, propylene glycol algi- nate, sclerotium gum, sodium carboxylmethyl dextran, sodium carrageenin, gomme adragante, xanthan gum and derivatives thereof, hydroxypropyl phosphate, cellulose and derivative such as cationic cellulose, methylcellu- lose, propylmethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, carboxymethyl hydroxy- lethylcellulose, hydroxyethylmethylcellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hy- droxypropyl methylcellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium sulfate cellu- lose, and mixtures thereof.

In the preferred embodiment of the composition of the present invention, one uses thickening agent in an amount of about 0. 01% to about 10.00% by weight, preferably from about 0.05% to about 8.00% by weight and more preferably from about 0. 1% to about 5.0% by weight, cased on the total weight of the composition.

Other Optional Components In order to provide the composition of the present invention with some desirable characteristic, one may add optional components that exhibit physico-chemical properties compatible with its properties. Some of these components that may be added to the composition are: - antiseptic agents such as bacteriostatics such as Triclosan, in addition to bactericidal and antimicrobial ones; - sunscreen agent like Benzofenone-2; - emollient like capric caprylic triglyceride ; -cheating agents like EDTA, EGTA and derivatives thereof such as disodium EDTA salt ; - pH adjusting agents such as sodium hydroxide, calcium car- bonate, citric acid and phosphoric acid; - viscosity adjusting agents such as sodium chloride; - preservative agents such as benzyl alcohol, methyl paraben, propyl paraben, derivatives of imidazolinyl and of isothiazoli-

none; - opacifier such as titanium dioxide and antara; - antioxidizing agent like BHT; - dyestuff (s) and - natural extract (s).

Tests of the cosmetic compositions of the present invention 1. Evaluation of the fragrance intensity as a function of the time, as well as its substantivity The cosmetic composition of the present invention, used in all the tests reported below is composed by 0.05% of BHT, 0.05% of Triclosan, 0.05% of benzophenone-2, 1% of dimeticone copolyol, 50% of ethyl alcohol 2% of hydrogenated castor oil, 2% of proxy ethxylated cetyl alcohol., 5% of essence, 3% of glycereth-26, 1% of glycerin, 0. 1% of preservative agent, dyeing solution and demineralized water. In the tables below, the cosmetic composition is called P1.

A. First Test The cosmetic composition P1 was compared with the product P2, the composition of which is 0.05% of Triclosan, 0.05% of BHT, 15% of essence, 8% of demineralized water, dyeing solution and alcohol.

Table 1: analysis of the fragrance intensity as a function of the time Fragrance/Oh 1.5h 3. Oh 4.5h 6. Oh time P1 8. 9 6. 4 4. 6 3. 3 1. 8 P2 8. 2 6. 3 4. 2 2. 9 1. 7 Table 2: analysis of the fragrance substantivity Fragrance/time Lower limit Average Upper limit P1 7. 9 8. 5 9. 1 P2 7. 7 8. 2 8. 8 One can see that the performance of the cosmetic composition of the present invention is better than that exhibited by the product P2, which

comprises a significantly larger amount of fragrance in its composition. b. Second Text The cosmetic composition P1 was compared with the products: P2, the composition of which is: 0.05% of sunscreen, 18% of essence, 10% of demineralized water, 0.2% of hydroxypropyl cellulose, 3% of cyclometi- cone, sun, dyestuff and alcohol, and P3 with composition equal to 0.05% of Triclosan, 0.05% of BHT, 15% of essence, 8% of demineralized water, dye- ing solution.

Table 3: analysis of the fragrance intensity as a function of the time Fragrance Oh 1.5h 3. Oh 4.5h 6. Oh /time PI8. 86. 54. 83. 42. 0 P2 8. 5 6. 6 4. 8 3. 3 2. 2 P3 8. 5 7. 0 5. 4 3. 9 2. 5 Table 4: analysis of the fragrance substantivity Fragrance/time Lower limit Average Upper limit Pi 7. 6 8. 4 9. 5 P2 8. 5 9. 4 10. 4 P3 9. 5 10. 4 11. 6 As can be seen in the tables, no significant difference was found between the values of intensity and substantivity of the cosmetic composition of the present invention with respect to the evaluated products of the prior art, which comprise much larger amounts of fragrance. c. Third Test The cosmetic composition P1 was compared with the products P2 and P3, the composition of which is 16% of essence, 10% of demineral-

ized water, 0.05% of Triclosan and alcohol.

Table 5: analysis of the fragrance intensity as a function of the time Fragrance Oh 1.5h 3. Oh 4.5h 6. Oh /time P1 11. 6 9. 3 6. 2 4. 1 2. 6 P2 11. 3 7. 8 4. 6 3. 0 2. 6 P3 12. 3. 8. 65. 63. 51. 9 Table 6: analysis of the fragrance substantivity Fragrance / time Lower limit Average Upper limit P1 8.6 9.4 10.4 P2 6. 5 7. 2 8. 2 P3 6.3 7.1 8. 2 In this test, the superior performance of the cosmetic composition of the present invention is easily noticed, mainly with respect to the time of 3 hours. In a comparison with perfumes of the prior art, which comprise much higher fragrance concentrations, one can conclude that the present invention is superior.

The cosmetic composition P1 was compared with the products: P2 and P3, the composition of which is 16% of essence, 10% of demineral- ized water, 0.05% of Triclosan and alcohol.

Table 7: analysis of the fragrance intensity as a function of the time Fragrance Oh 1.5h 3. Oh 4.5h 6. Oh /time P1 9.6 6.9 4.0 2.7 1. 7 P2 10. 4 6. 9 4. 3 2. 5 1. 7 P3 9.4 6.8 4.1 2.8 1.8 Table 8: analysis of the fragrance substantivity Fragrance/time Lower limit Average Upper limit P1 6. 2 7. 0 8. 0 P2 5. 4 6. 2 7. 4 P3 6. 4 7. 1 8. 2

As can be seen from the data of the tables, no significant differ- ences were found between the values of intensity and substantivity of the cosmetic composition of the present invention with respect to the evaluated products of the prior art, which comprise higher fragrance concentrations.

2. Evaluation of hydration provided to the skin One has evaluated : the cosmetic composition P1, the product P2, the composition of which is 0.05% of Triclosan, 0.3% of sunscreen, 6% of essence, 23.59% of demineralized water, dyeing solution and alcohol and the product P3, which is a hydration standard.

Table 9: analysis of hydration potential Product Time : 2 hours Si. Psi 29 0. 000 P2 2 0. 715 P3 41 0. 000 One can see that the hydration potential of the cosmetic compo- sition of the present invention is quite high if compared with a product (co- logne) of the prior art and with a hydration standard (hydrating cosmetic pro- duct). The values of the column Sig. indicate the values of significance of the statistic test. Since the value of Sig. for the cosmetic composition of the present invention is zero, it follows that its hydration potential is substantially equivalent to the potential of a hydrating cosmetic product.

Preferred Compositions Some of the possible compositions liable to be carried out in the present invention are included in the table below. Components Mass amount range (%) Alcohol 25.0 to 50.00 Water 35. 0 to 70.0 Film forming agent 0. 1 to 10.0 Moistening agent 0. 1 to 15 Fragrance 5 Other components 5

Examples of composition Hereinafter we present illustrative examples, only with a view to describe the present invention in a better way, the values indicating the weight percentage of each phase in the final product.

However, the illustrated data merely refer to some embodiments of the cosmetic composition of the present invention and should not be re- garded as being limitative of the scope thereof. The scope of the present in- vention embraces other possible variations, being limited only by the con- tents of the accompanying claims, which include the possible equivalents. Components Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Demineralized qsp 100 qsp 100 qsp 100 qsp 100 water BHT 0. 05 0. 05 0. 01 Triclosan-0. 05- Benzofenone--0. 05 2 Dimeticone 1.00 1.00 2.00 2.00 copolyol Ethyl alcohol 40. 00 50. 00 30. 00 60. 00 Hydrogenated 3.00 2.00 3. 00 castor oil Components Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Propoxylated 3.00 2.00 5.00 5.00 cetyl alcohol Essence 5. 00 5. 00 5. 00 5. 00 Glycereth-26 5. 00 5. 00 5. 00 5. 00 Glycerin 3. 00 3. 00 3. 00- Preservative 1.00 1.00 1. 00 agent Dyeing solu- qs qs qs qs tion Caprylic ca- - - - 2.00 pric triglyc- eride The components added to the compositions exemplified above exert the functions described ion the following table : Components Function Demineralized water Vehicle BHT Anti-oxidizing agent Triclosan Deo agent Benzofenone-2 Suncreen agent Dimeticone copolyol Film forming agent Ethyl alcohol Alcohol Hydrogenated castor oil Essence solubilizing agent Propoxy ethoxylated cetyl alcohol Essence solubilizing agent Essence Fragrance Glycereth-26 Antifriction agent Glycerine Moistening agent Dyeing solution Caprylic capric triglyceride Emollient agent