A method for treating skin itch in an individual in need of such treatment, by topically administering an amount effective for relieving said itch of an additive selected from the group consisting of (a) aluminum chlorohydrates; (b) aluminum zirconium chlorohydrates; (c) chlorohydrates of aluminum and aluminum zirconium, each complexed with polyalkylene glycol; (d) chlorohydrates of aluminum and aluminum zirconium, wherein in each of said chlorohydrates some of the water of hydration has been replaced by glycine; (e) aluminum chloride hydrate; and mixtures thereof. In particular, a spray comprising aluminum chlorohydrate aqueous composition is applied to the affected surface area of the skin to effect relief from itching.

Description of the Invention

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other objects are achieved by treating skin itch in an individual in need of such treatment, comprising topically administering an itch relieving agent or additive in a carrier. Typically, the agent is present in an amount effective for relieving the itch and is selected from the group consisting of (a) aluminum chlorohydrates; (b) aluminum zirconium chlorohydrates; (c) chlorohydrates of aluminum and aluminum zirconium, each complexed with polyalkylene glycol; (d) chlorohydrates of aluminum and aluminum zirconium, wherein in each of said chlorohydrates some of the water of hydration has been replaced by glycine; (e) aluminum chloride hydrate; and mixtures thereof. Specifically, this invention relates to a method of treating skin itch due to various causes which comprises the topical application to exposed skin of an efficacious amount of aluminum chlorohydrate compound in an appropriate carrier.

In another embodiment, this invention relates to a method of treating skin itch which comprises the application of an efficacious amount of an additive such as aluminum chlorohydrate, or equivalent compound, to the skin using a spray, lotion or cream in which the additive is present.

In a still further embodiment, this invention relates to a method of treating skin itch which comprises the application of an efficacious amount of an additive such as aluminum chlorohydrate, or equivalent compound, to the skin using a wipe or cloth on or in which the additive is present.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method of treating skin itch in persons or animals due to various causes, such causes being identified or not. Specifically, this invention is directed to the use of an efficacious amount of an aluminum chlorohydrate-containing compound to treat skin itch. For purposes of the present invention, reference to aluminum chlorohydrate and aluminum chlorhydrate is equivalent. Typically, the aluminum chlorohydrate is commercially available or can be prepared by art-recognized procedures from known compounds or intermediates readily available or prepared by known reaction schemes. Aluminum chlorohydrate is a common ingredient in antiperspirant compositions, but its mechanism of action has not been fully established. The following are aluminum chlorohydrate-containing compounds and equivalents thereto suitable for use in the present invention: aluminum chlorohydrates including aluminum chlorohydrate, aluminum sesquicholorhydrate and aluminum dichlorohydrate; aluminum zirconium chlorohydrates including aluminum zirconium octachlorohydrate, aluminum zirconium pentachlorohydrate, aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrate and aluminum zirconium trichlorohydrate; aluminum chloride hydrate; and other aluminum salts, provided that such other salts are not skin irritants at concentrations suitable for use in the present invention and do not cause other adverse side effects. Also useful in the present invention are partially dehydrated derivatives of the chlorohydrates of aluminum and aluminum zirconium, each complexed with polyalkylene glycol, for example polyethylene glycol or propylene glycol, or in which some of the water of hydration has been replaced by glycine. Furthermore, in the aluminum zirconium chlorohydrates the aluminum to zirconium ratio can be variable. For convenience of reference herein these compounds are referred to as chlorohydrates. Preferably, the chlorohydrate compound or active ingredient is aluminum chlorohydrate.

It is contemplated that the compound of the present invention can be applied topically to the skin where itch is experienced. The active ingredient is generally applied to the skin as a composition in combination with any of the described carriers in a suitable form for topical application. Topical application can be either in non-sprayable or sprayable form.

Carrier materials suitable for use in the instant compositions include those well-known for use in the cosmetic art as bases for ointments, lotions, salves, gels, aerosols, and the like. Suitable carriers include, for example, water, and various organic liquids such as alcohols, glycols, polyalkylene glycols, esters, amides, liquid lanolin and lanolin derivatives, and like materials commonly employed in cosmetic compositions; a comprehensive list of carriers can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,096,298, incorporated herein by reference to the extent permitted. Examples of carriers useful herein include alcohols, including both monohydric and polyhydric alcohols, e.g., ethanol, isopropanol, glycerol, sorbitol, 2-methoxyethanol, various glycols including ethylene and polyethylene glycols, propylene and polypropylene glycols, hexylene glycol, and mannitol; ethers such as diethyl or dipropyl ether; higher molecular weight compounds including polyethylene glycols and methoxypolyoxyethylenes (referred to as carbowax and having molecular weights ranging from about 200 to about 20,000); polyoxyethylene glycerols, polyoxyethylene sorbitols, and stearoyl diacetin. Emulsions such as cold cream bases can also be used.

The carrier for spray or direct liquid application can include a skin compatible, cosmetically acceptable liquid alcohol containing from about 2 to about 6 carbon atoms. Mixtures comprising from about 0% to 80% by weight or more of water and about 20% to 100% by weight of said C.sub.2 to C.sub.6 alcohols are also suitable. Suitable alcohols include ethanol, isopropanol, hexanol, and the like and mixtures thereof. An especially preferred carrier is water. Alternative carriers for the present application include those in which the additive, e.g., aluminum chlorohydrate, is soluble and/or dispersible, for example, water-ethanol (ethyl alcohol) mixtures at a weight ratio range of from about 1:20 to about 5:1.

Non-sprayable forms can be semi-solid or fluid forms comprising a carrier typical of such topical applications. Suitable formulations include, but are not limited to, solutions, suspensions, dispersions, emulsions, creams, ointments, liniments, salves and the like. If desired, these may be sterilized or mixed with auxiliary agents, e.g., preservatives, stabilizers, antioxidants, wetting agents, buffers or salts and the like. Preferred vehicles for non-sprayable topical preparations include ointment bases, e.g., polyethylene glycol-1000 (PEG-1000); creams, e.g., HEB cream (Barnes-Hind Co.); and gels, e.g., K-Y gel (Johnson & Johnson) and the like. HEB Cream is a combination of mineral oil, white petrolatum, stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, sodium laurylsulfate, methylparaben and propylparaben. K-Y gel is a combination of carboxymethylcellulose, sodium alginate and a small amount of EDTA in water. Topical preparations may also contain emollients and/or humectants to enhance their performance and acceptability.

Also suitable for topical application are sprayable preparations, including aerosol sprays, wherein the chlorohydrate compound, preferably in combination with a liquid inert carrier material, is packaged in a squeeze bottle, a pump bottle or in admixture with a pressurized volatile, typically gaseous, propellant, e.g., a halogenated hydrocarbon, a C.sub.1 to about C.sub.4 alkane chlorofluorocarbon or any other environmentally acceptable volatile propellant. Suitable halogenated hydrocarbons include 1,1-difluoroethane, mixtures of trichlorofluoroethane and dichlorodifluoromethane and mixtures thereof. Suitable volatile alkanes useful as propellants include methane, propane, butane and mixtures thereof; incorporation of a suitable amount of methyl chloride can reduce their fire risk. Also useful is dimethyl ether, alone or in admixture with water. Alternatively, carbon dioxide generated in situ can be used as a propellant. The aerosol or spray preparations can contain stabilizers, preservatives, buffers, surfactants, perfumes and/or antioxidants in addition to the chlorohydrate compounds of the invention, with the same proviso as noted above with regard to limited use of such additional additives.

An alternative method of applying the composition of the present invention is the utilization of a "wet wipe." Such an applicator has the added convenience of portability since such wipes are typically provided in a tear-open foil or pouch container. The container can include a single wipe or multiple wipes for added convenience, particularly if, in the latter case, the container can be closed or resealed. Wet wipes are well known in the art and are used to provide various ingredients for application to the skin, for example, sun screens, moisturizers, insect repellants, lotions for dry skin, lubricants for shaving, etc. The wipes are typically treated cloths and comprise materials such as cellulosic fibrous sheet, non-woven fabric or porous sheet that is wetted with an aqueous composition of water soluble or water dispersible ingredients. Useful materials include paper, air-laid and non-woven webs, melt blown, spun-bonded and spun-lace webs as well as foam sheets. Fibers can be natural or synthetic and combinations thereof depending on the attributes needed and the method of forming the web or wipe. Techniques for moistening the wipes and packaging them in moisture impervious packages are well known in the art and need not be described herein.

Alternatively, treated sheets, tissues, cloths or articles comprising the composition of the present invention can be delivered from a sequential dispenser, in which articles are provided as individual interleaved or separably connected sheets and can pop-up from the dispenser when the preceding article is removed. Suitable containers preferable include a closure or lid for the sheet dispenser opening in order to reduce the loss of liquid by evaporation or otherwise. Dispensers for such articles typically have a box-like shape. The dispenser has an opening, typically at the top, through which individual articles or sheets are removed by the user. The desire for increased convenience has led to development of sequential or "pop-up" dispensers. In a pop-up dispenser, a sheet usually extends through an opening to an elevation above that of the dispenser. The user grasps the exposed portion of the sheet, without the necessity of inserting fingers through the opening. In pop-up dispensing, each sheet has a leading portion that is first to pass through the opening, and a trailing portion that later passes through the opening. In an interleaved arrangement, the trailing portion of a first sheet to be dispensed overlaps the leading portion of the next sheet to be dispensed. As the first sheet is withdrawn by the user, the leading portion of the next tissue is pulled through the opening for later dispensing. The sheets are folded against one another in a variety of configurations so that the friction of the trailing portion of the withdrawn sheet against the succeeding sheet pulls the leading portion of the succeeding sheet through the opening. Such constructions and dispensers are well known in the art and are typically used in connection with dry or liquid treated sheets, including, for example, tissues. Such dispensers are suitable for use herein and, in view of their well-known characteristics, need not be described in further detail; see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,626 to R. Julius, incorporated herein by reference to the extent permitted.

The use of an effective amount of at least one aluminum chlorohydrate containing compound or aluminum salt as described above will relieve itching of the skin. The concentration of chlorohydrate compound, for example, aluminum chlorohydrate, employed herein from about 1 wt. % to about 50 wt. % of the topical composition and can range from about 2% wt. to about 40 wt. %; preferably from about 5 wt. % to about 30 wt. %; more preferably from about 10 wt. % to about 25 wt. %; for example, from about 15 wt. % to about to about 20 wt. % of the topical composition.

The compositions herein can also include various agents and ingredients commonly employed in dermatological and cosmetic ointments and lotions. For example, thickening agents such as carboxymethylcellulose and clays, coloring agents and the like can be present in the compositions to provide a more pleasing aesthetic aspect. However, since the cause of the skin itch may be unidentified, it is preferred to use the fewest number of additives in addition to the active chlorohydrate compound in order to avoid unintended allergic or irritating effects.

In view of the considerable convenience, ease of application and lack of adverse side effects associated with the composition of the present invention, an individual experiencing skin itch can continue application of the composition to the skin on a periodic or continual basis in order to maintain an acceptable level of relief.

Any range of numbers recited in the specification or paragraphs describing various aspects of the invention, such as that representing a particular set of properties, units of measure, conditions, physical states or percentages, is intended literally to incorporate expressly herein by reference or otherwise, any number falling within such range, including any subset of numbers or ranges subsumed within any range so recited. Furthermore, the term "about" when used as a modifier for, or in conjunction with, a variable, is intended to convey that the numbers and ranges disclosed herein are flexible and that practice of the present invention by those skilled in the art using temperatures, concentrations, amounts, contents, carbon numbers, properties such as particle size, surface area, diameter, volume, bulk density, etc., that are outside of the range or different from a single value, will achieve the desired result, namely, the relief of itch. Alternatively stated, the term "about" encompasses greater and lesser values than those recited provided that the value of the relevant property or condition facilitates reasonably meeting the technologic objective(s) of the present invention, namely the relief of itch.
 

Claim 1 of 22 Claims

1. A method of treating skin itch in an individual in need of such treatment, consisting essentially of topically administering an amount effective for relieving said itch of an additive selected from the group consisting of (a) aluminum chlorohydrates; (b) aluminum zirconium chlorohydrates; (c) chlorohydrates of aluminum and aluminum zirconium, each complexed with polyalkylene glycol; (d) chlorohydrates of aluminum and aluminum zirconium, wherein in each of said chlorohydrates some of the water of hydration has been replaced by glycine; (e) aluminum chloride hydrate; and mixtures thereof; provided said itch is not caused by urushiol oil.

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