Tanned skin is viewed as healthy and vital, and the acquisition of a tan is seen by many as a part of an essential beauty regimen to achieve an attractive appearance. However, medical science has demonstrated the dangers of exposure to the sun, particularly UVA and UVB radiation exposure. A spike in the frequency of skin cancers (such as basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma) can be directly attributed to society's growing emphasis on sun-worshiping. It is also well established that sun exposure can accelerate the aging process of the skin, causing premature wrinkling, discoloration, and loss of tone.
In order to satisfy the public's desire for a healthy, tanned appearance, topical self-tanning preparations have been developed which give the skin a tanned appearance. The self-tanning preparations work by staining or coloring the skin, thus allowing one to impart a bronze color to human skin without exposing the skin to natural or artificial sunlight. Self-tanners are available in liquid, cream, mouse, or gel form which can be applied with the hands.
Self-tanning compositions usually contain one or more self-tanning agents, the most common of which is dihydroxyacetone (“DHA” 1,3-dihydroxy-2-propanone). DHA works through interactions between its hydroxy groups and the amino groups of amino acids and peptides naturally occurring in the skin. These reactions lead to the formation of brown pigments in the skin, thereby giving it an appearance similar to that of a naturally obtained tan. DHA is usually suspended in a water in oil emulsion.
Early self-tanning products were generally unsatisfactory because they tended to turn the skin an unnatural orange color. The self-tanning products currently commercially available are vastly improved over earlier versions in that they can deliver a natural-looking color that appears to be a genuine suntan. However, even with these improved products, uneven application will result in tell-tale streaks and discolorations. Since the color is designed to last for several days, mistakes in application cannot be readily corrected.
Self-tanning preparations which do not contain oil-color the skin more quickly, however such preparations do not spread evenly on, the skin. A water-based DHA solution is in many ways preferable to an oil-based, however such a solution has such a low viscosity that it often drips and causes streaks in the final result. An effective applicator means for aqueous DHA solutions having sufficient absorption properties to deliver an even application would therefore be highly desirable.
When applying self tanning preparations, it is important to shield the hands from the preparations, since darkened palms and fingers are unnatural and an undesirable result. This need is addressed in the prior art in Gueret, U.S. Pat. No. 6,723,306, which discloses a self-adhering lotion applicator device for adhesive attachment to the hand. The pad is mitten-shaped, and has an adhesive surface and a lotion applicator surface. The Gueret pad is effective for shielding the hand, however in use it would be cumbersome and would greatly limit the wearer's dexterity when applying lotion since the fingers cannot be independently moved.
It is known in the art to utilize plastic or rubber gloves when applying self-tanning compositions, however plastics and the like do not yield optimum results. Since the tanning product is usually unevenly distributed on the surface of the plastic or rubber glove, the application is uneven, and streaks can easily result. Therefore, what is needed is an easy to use application device of a suitably absorbent material which provides coverage quality superior to that provided by a plastic or rubber glove.
The present invention utilizes a novel tanning composition application article comprised of microfiber material. The unique properties of the microfiber material provide a self-tanning composition applicator having absorbent properties which make it superior to all prior art methods.
Microfibers are very fine fibers compared to more conventional textile fibers. For example, microfibers are half the diameter of a silk fiber, one-third the diameter of cotton, one quarter the diameter of fine wood, and one hundred times finer than human hair. Microfibers are finer than any fibers occurring in nature. In order to be called a “microfiber,” the fiber must be less than one denier. “Denier” is a weight per unit measure of any linear material defined as the number of unit weights of 0.05 grams per 450-meter length. This is numerically equal to the weight in grams of a 9000-meter length of fiber or yarn. The term defines the diameter or fineness of a continuous or filament fiber such as silk or man-made fibers, with low numbers representing finer sizes and the higher number coarser sizes.
The increasing popularity of self-tanning preparations has created a need for an improved means of applying self-tanning preparations to the skin, and the present invention addresses this need by utilizing microfiber materials in combination with spandex to create a novel one-size-fits-all applicator glove which has sufficient absorbency for even application of the self-tanning product.