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The present invention relates to a process for producing lipsticks with special tridimensional surface effects, and to the thus obtainable lipstick types.

The normal lipsticks, i.e. those intended to be coupled to an appropriate supporting base which can be axially moved within a casing, usually have a lateral surface which is free of any particular visual effect.

Lipstick users would instead appreciate the possibility of having a lipstick worked on the outside which, in addition to attracting their attention at the time of purchase, could confer a different, more original cosmetic effect, not just of coloring, to the user’s lips.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a process adapted to produce a lipstick with special tridimensional surface effects capable of resulting, on the user’s lips, in a different, original and pleasant cosmetic effect, appreciated by the user and by the observer.

According to present invention, such an object is achieved by a process comprising the following succession of steps:

a) forming a metallic tap with a head part shaped as a lipstick with a rough external lateral surface;

b) mirror-polishing the external lateral surface of the head part of said metallic tap to obtain a head part with a polished external lateral surface; c) laser-working the polished external lateral surface of said head part to obtain a tap with laser-worked tap with external lateral surface on the head part worked according a desired tridimensional design;

d) forming, inside a molding space and on the outside of said tap with worked head, a hollow ogive of malleable plastic material with an internal cavity shaped so as to be complementary with said tridimensional design;

e) introducing the ogive with the shaped internal cavity facing upwards into a pouring space;

f) pouring hot fluid material adapted for lipsticks into said shaped cavity of the ogive;

g) cooling the poured material to obtain a solidified lipstick;

h) extracting the solidified lipstick from the internal cavity of the ogive.

A lipstick is thus obtained, which has an external lateral surface provided with any tridimensional design deriving from laser-working of the initial metal tap.

According to an embodiment of the process according to the present invention, the solidified lipstick extracted from the ogive may then be subjected to a step of spraying small pearls, or pearling, which is performed inside a chamber by a cyclone system which, without using solvents or the like, allows a desired number of tiny pearls to adhere in a uniform manner, without leaving gaps or overdoses, to the external lateral surface of the lipstick to confer a particularly bright and pleasant appearance thereto.

The characteristics of the process according to the present invention and of the lipstick which may derive therefrom will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments.

In the drawings:

figures 1 and 2 show different side views of a rough tap which can be used to implement the process according to the present invention;

figures 3 and 4 show the same tap after an operation of polishing a head portion thereof intended to define the shape of a lipstick;

figures 5 and 6 show the same tap (or laser-worked tap) with laser- worked head part at the end of an operation of laser-working the head part thereof;

figure 7 shows an enlarged detail of the external lateral surface of the laser-worked head portion of the tap after the laser-working operation;

figure 8 shows a section view of a machine for molding a hollow ogive of malleable plastic material using a tap with laser-machined head part; figure 9 shows the ogive after the extraction from the molding machine; figure 10 shows an enlarged detail of the lateral surface of the internal cavity of the ogive after the extraction from the mold and the separation from the tap with laser-worked head part;

figure 11 shows a section view of a casting machine for forming a lipstick inside the cavity of the ogive;

figures 12 and 13 show different side views of the lipstick extracted from the ogive;

figure 14 shows a diagrammatic view of a cyclone machine in which a possible final pearling of the lipstick is performed;

figures 15 and 16 show different side views of the lipstick in figures 12 and 13 after the pearling operation;

figures 17-32 show different further side views of examples of lipsticks with shaped lateral surface without or with pearling which can be obtained by the process of the present invention.

A metal tap 1 which can be used for the process according to the present invention is shown in figures 1 and 2, and comprises a head part 2, initially in rough state, which is shaped like a usual lipstick, i.e. has a cylindrical shape ending with a pointed end with oblique cut 3. A tang 4, which can be used to support and handle tap 1, axially extends from the base of head 2.

The process according to the present invention starts by mirror- polishing the head part 2, which is performed with any equipment of known type and allows obtaining a tap with polished head part 5, as shown in figures 3 and 4.

By using any equipment known per se, the polished head 5 of the tap is subjected to laser- working, which produces a laser- worked head 6, the external lateral surface of which has a desired tridimensional design, e.g. such as a velvet design or that of other fabric, as shown in figure 7.

The tap with laser- worked head 6 is then used to obtain a hollow ogive 9 made of malleable plastic material (shown with molding finished in figure 9) inside a molding cavity 7 of a molding machine 8 of known type (e.g. such as that described in EP 1 473 133 Al), shown in figure 8, the internal cavity 10, facing upwards, of the ogive having a design, shown in the enlarged detail in figure 10, which is complementary to that of the external lateral surface of the laser- worked head 6.

Once extracted from the molding machine, the hollow ogive 9 is inserted into a molding space 11 of a molding machine of any known type (e.g. such as that described in EP 1 437 062 Al), shown in figure 11, which receives by pouring a fluid product 12 adapted to form a lipstick.

After the operations of cooling, solidifying and extracting from the internal cavity 10 of the ogive 9, a lipstick 13 is obtained, such as that shown in figures 12 and 13, which has an external lateral surface corresponding to that of the laser-worked head 6 of the tap in figures 5 and 6, in this example with velvet or other fabric type design.

If desired, the lipstick 13 thus obtained can be subjected to spraying of pearls, or“pearling”, in a cyclone system, e.g. such as that diagrammatically shown and designated as a whole by reference numeral 14 in figure 14, where reference numeral 13 indicates a possible lipstick rotated inside a sealed chamber 31, reference numeral 32 indicates a spraying or pearling chamber, reference numerals 33 and 34 indicate the pearl dispensers 15 which make the pearls fluctuate peripherally to the lipstick 13; by virtue of a venturi effect inside the dispensers 33 and 34, the pearls in excess which do not stick to the lipstick fall inside the spraying chamber 32 to be then reintroduced for the next lipstick. So, the lipstick is coated with pearls 15 which stick thereto in a homogeneous manner without leaving gaps or excesses, and confer to the final lipstick 16, shown in figures 15 and 16, a super-iridescent effect, much more striking than otherwise obtainable by traditional pearl spraying mixed with solvents.

As explained above, the final lipstick, without or with pearling, may have any other design according to the design drawn by laser- working the head part of the initial tap. Figures 17-32 show only a few examples of lipsticks without or with pearling, which may be obtained by the process according to the present invention. In particular, figures 17-18 show a lipstick 17 with oblique un-pearled strips and figures 19-20 show a similar lipstick with oblique strips 18 with pearls 15, figures 21-22 show a lipstick with vertical un-pearled strips 19, and figures 23-24 show a similar lipstick with vertical strips 20 with pearls 15, figures 25-26 show a lipstick with an un- pearled star design 21, and figures 27-28 show a similar lipstick with star design 22 with pearls 15, figures 29-30 show a lipstick 23 with light and dark un-pearled triangles, and figures 31-32 show a similar lipstick 24 with light and dark triangles with pearls 15.