Liquidia Technologies, Inc. (Research Triangle Park, NC) nano-particles for cosmetic applications are detailed in U.S. Patent Application 20100003291. Micro and/or nano-particles are fabricated in micro and/or nano-scale cavities of replicate molds for cosmetic applications. Inventor Ginger Denison Rothrock says the micro and/or nano-particles can be fabricated for inclusion in cosmetic composition or fabricated from cosmetic ingredients.
It is estimated that there were approximately 100,000 personal care products on the market in 2006. Of these 100,000 personal care products roughly 10,000 products include nano-scale ingredients such as micronized particles, fullerenes, quantum dots, liposomes and other commercially available in nano sized chemicals.
The cosmetics industry uses nano-scale ingredients routinely. Some reasons that nano-scale ingredients are becoming more and more popular in the cosmetic industry is that due to their small size and extremely high ratio of surface area to volume, nanotechnology materials often have chemical or physical properties that may different from those of their larger counterparts including increased chemical and biological activity. Some typical products relying on nano-sized components include sunscreen, make-up, hair care products, lotions, gels, and the like.
Currently, however, the nano-scale ingredients used by the cosmetic industry have drawbacks in that the precise size, uniformity of the size, shape, and uniformity of the shape are not controllable parameters beyond naturally occurring nano-scale systems such as liposomes. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a system and ingredients that can offer nano-scale ingredients of virtually any shape and have high uniformity among the shapes of a given sample. Rothrock uses micro and nano molds to produce nanoparticles with high uniformity to solve the problem.
The cosmetics industry uses nano-scale ingredients routinely. Some reasons that nano-scale ingredients are becoming more and more popular in the cosmetic industry is that due to their small size and extremely high ratio of surface area to volume, nanotechnology materials often have chemical or physical properties that may different from those of their larger counterparts including increased chemical and biological activity. Some typical products relying on nano-sized components include sunscreen, make-up, hair care products, lotions, gels, and the like.
Currently, however, the nano-scale ingredients used by the cosmetic industry have drawbacks in that the precise size, uniformity of the size, shape, and uniformity of the shape are not controllable parameters beyond naturally occurring nano-scale systems such as liposomes. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a system and ingredients that can offer nano-scale ingredients of virtually any shape and have high uniformity among the shapes of a given sample. Rothrock uses micro and nano molds to produce nanoparticles with high uniformity to solve the problem.
Rothrock’s method for forming cosmetic particles includes the steps of providing a replica mold defining cavities having substantially uniform three dimensional geometric shapes, introducing a cosmetic substance into the cavities of the replica mold, hardening the substance in the cavities of the replica mold such that a particle of the cosmetic substance is formed in the cavity, and removing the particle from the cavity of the replica mold.
Figures 2, 11 and 16 from Liquidia’s patent application shows nanoscale cosmetic products made from molds and which show uniform shape and size.
FIG. 2 shows 200 nm trapezoidal particles made from various matrix materials
FIG. 11 shows SEM images of oligonucleotides in positively charged particles
FIG. 16 shows SEM images of patterned TiO2 xerogel
