Composition for reducing natural hair fall-out

Abstract

A composition for reducing hair fall-out comprising a ubiquinone (coenzyme Q.sub.n) represented by the general formula: ##STR1## wherein n represents an integer of from 7 to 10. In addition to such a ubiquinone, the composition may contain a skin peripheral vasodilator drug, such as carpronium chloride, vitamin E nicotinate and benzyl nicotinate.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a composition for reducing hair fall-out, which comprises a ubiquinone, or a ubiquinone and a skin peripheral vasodilator drug.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Ubiquinones have been discovered from the mitochondria lipid of the heart of bovines by F. L. Crane in 1957. Presently, some ubiquinones are known, and they differ from each other only in the number (n) of isoprenoid side chains. Their action in vivo is not well known, but it is considered that they take part in an electron transport system to play a very important role in supplying energy required for cell activity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventors have discovered that ubiquinone-containing drugs exhibit an effect of reducing hair fall-out, and also that although even a ubiquinone alone has this effect, ubiquinone combined with a skin peripheral vasodilator drug such as carpronium chloride, vitamin E nicotinate, or benzyl nicotinate exhibits an even more excellent effect.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a composition for reducing hair fall-out, which comprises either a ubiquinone (coenzyme Q.sub.n) represented by the general formula: ##STR2## wherein n represents an integer of from 7 to 10, or such a ubiquinone and a skin peripheral vasodilator drug.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Ubiquinones used in the present invention are those having 7 to 10 isoprenoid side chains, and among them, ubiquinone having 10 isoprenoid side chains (which will be referred to as ubiquinone-10 hereinafter) is particularly excellent. Ubiquinones may be incorporated in the composition, preferably in an amount within a range of 0.01 to 2% by weight.

Skin peripheral vasodilator drugs used in this invention are carpronium chloride, vitamin E nicotinates, or benzyl nicotinates, and one or more of them can be optionally selected. They may be preferably incorporated in the composition in an amount within a range of 0.1 to 2% by weight.

The composition according to the present invention has an excellent effect of reducing hair fall-out, and is also safe to use.

The present invention will now be more particularly described by the following tests and examples, but it should be noted that they are not intended in any way to limit the scope of the invention. All amounts are by weight.

TEST

The following test was carried out for the purpose of demonstrating the excellent hair fall-out reducing effect of the composition according to the present invention.

(1) Three samples as given below were used. ______________________________________(a) Composition % by weight______________________________________95% ethanol 50Ubiquinone-10 0.5Panthotenyl ethyl ether 0.1Hardened castor oil-40 mole 2ethylene oxide adductIon-exchanged water 47.4______________________________________

A perfume and a coloring agent were incorporated in an appropriate amount.

______________________________________(b) Composition % by weight______________________________________95% ethanol 50Carpronium chloride 1Panthotenyl ethyl ether 0.1Hardened castor oil-40 mole 2ethylene oxide adductIon-exchanged water 46.9______________________________________

A perfume and a coloring agent were incorporated in an appropriate amount.

______________________________________(c) Composition % by weight______________________________________95% ethanol 50Ubiquinone-10 0.5Carpronium chloride 1Panthotenyl ethyl ether 0.1Hardened castor oil-40 mole 2ethylene oxide adductIon-exchanged water 46.4______________________________________

A perfume and a coloring agent were incorporated in an appropriate amount.

(2) In this test, the effect was evaluated in terms of variation of the number of hairs falling out during washing of the hair before and after the test compositions were used. Panels to be subjected to the test were ten in number for each of the above-mentioned samples. Hairs fallen out were collected once a week: 16 times in total for a period of four months. This period of four months was divided into the following two periods: a period of an initial two months for collecting hairs naturally fallen out, and a period of the latter two months for collecting hair fallen out after application of the above samples to examine the effects upon the application thereof. Each effect was evaluated by comparing the average number of hairs fallen out which were collected eight times for a period before use of the test compositions (which will be referred to as the non-applied period hereinafter) with that of hairs fallen out which were similarly collected eight times for a period after application of the test compositions (which will be referred to as the applied period). The hairs were washed at intervals of every two days.

(3) Effect

As shown in Table I, with the sample (a), in which ubiquinone-10 is incorporated, the following data were obtained: among ten panels, a remarkably good effect (++) was shown in one panel; a good effect (+) in five panels; a slightly good effect (.+-.) in two panels; and no effect (-) in two panels. This means that ubiquinone-10 has an excellent hair fall-out reducing effect.

As shown in Table II, with the sample (b), in which carpronium chloride is incorporated but ubiquinone is not incorporated, such good effects were not found, i.e., the following result was obtained: a remarkably good effect (++) was shown in none of the panels; a good effect (+) in two panels; a slightly good effect (.+-.) in four panels; and no effect (-) in four panels.

As shown in Table III, with the sample (c), in which ubiquinone-10 and carpronium chloride are incorported, the following result was obtained: among ten panels, a remarkably good effect (++) was shown in five panels; a good effect (+) in three panels; a slightly good effect (.+-.) in two panels. This means that while no effect is shown with skin peripheral vasodilator drugs, the addition of ubiquinone-10 thereto increases synergically the effect of ubiquinone-10. The criteria used in evaluation of the effects in the Tables are as follows:

______________________________________Reduction in numbers of hairsfallen out______________________________________more than 70 remarkably good effect (++)more than 30 and good effect (+)less than 70more than 10 and slightly good effect (.+-.)less than 30less than 10 no effect (-)______________________________________

EXAMPLE 1

______________________________________Composition(of a lotion type) % by weight______________________________________95% ethanol 85Ubiquinone-10 0.01Biotin 0.01Hinokitiol 0.01l-menthol 0.2Ion-exchanged water 14.77______________________________________

In addition, a perfume and a coloring agent are incorported in an appropriate amount.

Preparation

Ubiquinone-10, biotin, hinokitiol, l-menthol, a perfume and a coloring agent are added to ethanol and dissolved therein by stirring, followed by adding ion-exchanged water to mix them, thereby to provide a clear liquid composition.

EXAMPLE 2

______________________________________Composition(of a lotion type) % by weight______________________________________95% ethanol 50Ubiquinone-10 0.7Ubiquinone-7 0.3Carpronium chloride 0.5Panthotenyl ethyl ether 0.1Hardened castor oil-40 mole 20ethylene oxide adductIon-exchanged water 46.4______________________________________

In addition, a perfume and a coloring agent are incorporated in an appropriate amount, respectively.

Preparation

The procedure was repeated as in Example 1.

EXAMPLE 3

______________________________________Composition(of a cream type) % by weight______________________________________A: Liquid paraffin 38 Stearic acid 2 White vaseline 10 Ubiquinone-10 1 Vitamin E nicotinate 0.1 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan 3.8 mono-stearate Sorbitan mono-stearate 4.2 Ethyl paraben traceB: Triethanolamine 1 Polyethylene glycol 1500 2 Ion-exchanged water 37.9 Perfume appropriate amount______________________________________

Preparation

The above oil phase (A) and aqueous phase (B) were heated to a temperature of 80.degree. C., respectively, and mixed together for emulsification at the same temperature, followed by cooling the emulsified mass to ambient temperature with stirring, thereby to provide the composition.

EXAMPLE 4

______________________________________Composition(of a milky lotion type) % by weight______________________________________A: Purified jojoba oil 10 Ubiquinone-10 2 Panthotenyl ethyl ether 0.01 Benzyl nicotinate 2 Lanolin 2 Iso-propyl myristate 2.5 Polyoxyethylene cetyl alcohol 1.8 Sorbitan mono-stearate 0.8 Ethyl paraben traceB: Triethanolamine 1 Glycerine 4 Ion-exchanged water 73.89 Perfume appropriate amount______________________________________

Preparation

The above oil phase (A) and aqueous phase (B) were heated to a temperature of 80.degree. C., respectively, and mixed together for emulsification at the same temperature, followed by cooling the emulsified mass to ambient temperature with stirring, thereby to provide the composition.

TABLE I______________________________________Panel No. Non-applied period Applied period Effect______________________________________1 226 .+-. 51 203 .+-. 37 .+-.2 193 .+-. 33 150 .+-. 29 +3 343 .+-. 34 291 .+-. 61 +4 234 .+-. 28 196 .+-. 31 +5 156 .+-. 29 171 .+-. 41 -6 369 .+-. 81 281 .+-. 74 ++7 403 .+-. 61 351 .+-. 45 +8 311 .+-. 75 289 .+-. 61 .+-.9 231 .+-. 29 179 .+-. 44 +10 199 .+-. 61 196 .+-. 49 -______________________________________ TABLE II______________________________________Panel No. Non-applied period Applied period Effect______________________________________11 231 .+-. 61 232 .+-. 48 -12 310 .+-. 89 303 .+-. 71 -13 249 .+-. 54 226 .+-. 63 .+-.14 199 .+-. 29 151 .+-. 28 +15 333 .+-. 70 339 .+-. 61 -16 401 .+-. 51 363 .+-. 49 +17 267 .+-. 29 239 .+-. 51 .+-.18 181 .+-. 38 163 .+-. 29 .+-.19 280 .+-. 49 282 .+-. 61 -20 232 .+-. 63 210 .+-. 56 .+-.______________________________________ TABLE III______________________________________Panel No. Non-applied period Applied period Effect______________________________________21 345 .+-. 81 260 .+-. 72 ++22 299 .+-. 71 212 .+-. 39 ++23 197 .+-. 29 151 .+-. 37 +24 331 .+-. 61 283 .+-. 32 +25 431 .+-. 101 403 .+-. 111 .+-.26 312 .+-. 81 230 .+-. 62 ++27 228 .+-. 51 153 .+-. 42 ++28 233 .+-. 39 191 .+-. 27 +29 342 .+-. 60 258 .+-. 44 ++30 293 .+-. 51 261 .+-. 70 .+-.______________________________________

Claims

1. A method of reducing natural fall-out of hair on a human, which comprises topically applying to the human an effective amount of a ubiquinone of the formula: ##STR3## wherein n represents an integer of from 7 to 10.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the ubiquinone is ubiquinone-10.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the ubiquinone is applied as a composition which contains the ubiquinone and a skin peripheral vasodilator drug in a proportion of the ubiquinone to the skin peripheral vasodilator drug of 0.01-2:0.1-2 by weight.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the skin peripheral vasodilator drug is selected from the group consisting of carpronium chloride, vitamin E nicotinate and benzyl nicotinate.