The present invention concerns a procedure for the provision of variedly
coloured incisions on compact or poured cosmetic products.
By the term "compact cosmetic products" those powder cosmetic products
are herein meant which have been transformed into a compact powder by means of a
process of pressing into an appropriate container.
By the term "poured cosmetic products" those products are instead
meant which, after a melting process, get poured and metered into a container.
For many years there have been on the market make-up products that
have surface relieves or incisions that can be provided by several methods so as
to generate relieves or incisions having very variable shape, sizes and depths.
JP-A-62164610 discloses a process for the provision of marks on solid
powdery cosmetic products, which utilises a laser beam directed towards the surface
of the cosmetic product. It is possible to provide marks such as letters, figures,
symbols, patterns, etc., to the surface.
DE-A-19730887 discloses a similar process for food products.
Now it has been noticed that the aesthetic effect resulting from such
process of incision can be additionally improved up to creating incisions having
very pleasant coloration, colour gradient and chromatic contrasts.
This is obtained, according to the present invention, by superimposing
a thin coloured surface layer onto the cosmetic product and by incising both said
layer and the cosmetic product underneath according to desired lines and depths.
In this way, by varying the colour and/or the colour gradient and/or
the distribution of the colours of the surface layer and by incising the aforesaid
layer and the cosmetic products below, that are variedly coloured too, according
to variable lines and patterns and also with variable depths of incising, it is
possible to obtain extremely variable and pleasant designs and chromatic effects.
The incising process according to the invention is schematically exemplified
in the enclosed drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 schematically shows a laser source controlled by a computer during
the incising stage of the surface of a cosmetic product provided with a coloured
thin surface layer;
- Figures 2 and 3 show in top plan possible surface incision designs that can
be made with the process according to the invention.
In Figure a 1 cosmetic product 1 of any colour, housed inside a container
2 and provided with a thin surface layer 8, in its turn coloured in a uniform or
variable way from one zone to the other, is located under a laser source 3, which
a computer 4 controls in order to have it emit a laser beam 5 with angle variable
according to the design of the incision to be realised, with any desired depth,
on the surface of the cosmetic product.
Figure 2 shows as an example a cosmetic product with incision realised
as marks 6, 6 ' and 6'' separate from each other. These marks can have different
design and different depth, and above all various colour depending on the colour
of the cosmetic product 1, of the colour of surface layer 8 and the depth of incision
itself.
Figure 3 shows as an example a cosmetic product with incision realised
as lines 7, 7 ' and 7'' that cross one another. Also for these lines the previous
considerations regarding the variability of the design, depth and colour hold true.
Naturally many other, even more complex designs and with the most different chromatic
effects, can be realised with the same technique.
To the purpose of the desired incision it is indifferent that the
cosmetic product is a compact or poured type.