CATIONIC CASSIA POLYMERS AS EFFICIENT NATURALLY-DERIVED POLYMERS FOR PROVIDING ENHANCED DEPOSITION FROM SHAMPOO SYSTEMS

New opportunities to improve hair conditioning are emerging due to the increased frequency of hair damage resulting from various grooming techniques, demographic changes in age and ethnicity and affluence in both developed and emerging markets. Silicones are commonly used in conditioning shampoos to improve wet and dry combing, hair feel, shine and manageability. Cationic conditioning polymers are used in combination with silicone in high performance formulations to enhance hair conditioning. One of the primary functions of cationic conditioning polymers is to increase the amount of silicone deposited on hair during the shampoo cycle via the formation of coacervates. Coacervates formed during shampoo dilution can effectively deposit silicone and other ingredients onto hair fibers.[1] Polysaccharide derivatives have a long history of use in personal care applications as thickeners, conditioning polymers, deposition aids and film formers. Cationic derivatives of guar gum, a galactomannan, are used in conditioning shampoos in combination with silicones to impart improved combing and sensory properties. Novel cationic cassia polymers are introduced here as new and efficient silicone deposition aids. Cassia gum is a natural, vegetable-based carbohydrate extracted from the endosperm of the seed of Cassia tora and Cassia obtusifolia. It is a member of the galactomannan family of polysaccharides with a ratio of mannose to galactose content of at least 5. Cassia plants grow wild in tropical zones around the world. Cassia gum can be modified to generate cationic polymers with various levels of cationic substitution.[2] That modification produces two novel cationic cassia conditioning polymers, with the INCI classification of Cassia Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride having cationic charge density levels of 3.0 meq/g and 1.9 meq/g detailed below as Cat Cassia 3.0 and Cat Cassia 1.9, respectively. The chemical structures of Cat Cassia 3.0 and Cat Cassia 1.9 are represented in Figure 1. Figure 1: Chemical Structure of Cationic Cassia Polymers The performance of cationic polymers varies with respect to silicone and cationic polymer deposition efficiency, sensory and build-up potential. Efficacy also varies by hair type. In this study, European brown hair was treated twice with a surfactant formulation based on SLES-2 and CAPB, with varying levels of small particle size silicone emulsion and cationic polymer.