Cleansing agents containing biosurfactants and having prebiotic activity

摘要

A cosmetic cleansing agent containing a first biosurfactant in combination with a second, anionic surfactant have a prebiotic effect on the skin. The prebiotic effect pertains to the promotion of growth of skin-friendly microorganisms, such as Staphylococcus epidermidis and S. warneri, and the concurrent inhibition of growth of pathogenic bacteria, such as Propionibacterium acnes. The cleansing agent may contain 1-20% wt, preferably 1-10% wt, of a biosurfactant and 1-10% wt, preferably 3-10% wt, of an anionic surfactant. The biosurfactant may be a glycolipid preferably selected from rhamnolipids, sophorolipids or mannosylerythritol lipids a lipopeptide preferably selected from surfactins, fatty acyl glutamates or fatty acyl glycinates or a combination thereof. The anionic surfactant may be a linear alkyl sulfate or an ethylene oxide addition product thereof, such as lauryl ether (2-4 EO) sulfate. The cleansing agent preferably contains no free fatty acids and only a small amount of preservative which does not disrupt the skins microflora balance, e.g. 0.2-0.7% wt. It may be formulated as a body or face cleansing agent and is suitable for treating acne. The use of biosurfactants, alone or combined with anionic surfactants, in cosmetic cleansing agents to provide a prebiotic effect on the skin is also claimed.