CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national phase of International Application No. PCT/EP2018/060945, filed on Apr. 27, 2018, which claims priority to Argentina Application No. P20170101140, filed on May 3, 2017, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of accessories, means or arrangements used in the personal care industry, more specifically to sample cosmetics, and more particularly to an applicator for pasty cosmetic products, such as a deodorant or antiperspirant, which, unlike conventional applicators, allows a better handling of the applicator to significantly improve the distribution of the cosmetic product during its application, and in turn, avoids “getting dirty” and/or “stained” with the cosmetic product or contaminating the same during handling.

Even though the present disclosure refers to an applicator for pasty cosmetic products such as antiperspirants, deodorants and/or fragrances, it should be understood that the applicator of the present invention can be used to contain and dispense various pasty and/or flowable products used in other fields.

Background Art

Samples of cosmetic products are well known in many stores and cosmetics businesses where customers usually try these products before buying them. In this way, you can try lipsticks, of different colors, personal care creams and powders to color the skin. To this end, for example, a skin powder can be presented as a small sample on a paper support, covered by a removable cover that when removed leaves the powder sample accessible so that the user can extract it with the yolk of one of her fingers and spread it on the skin to see the effect as applied.

There are other container devices for cosmetic samples that are basically comprised of the same components as the devices mentioned above but are designed to directly apply, with the device, the sample product on the body part where it is desired to be tested. These sample carriers, unlike those mentioned above, can be identified as sample applicators.

These sample applicators are well known and, in addition to being able to be employed in cosmetics stores and businesses, to test different products, they are also useful as courtesy or gift products in hotels, sports institutions, gyms, etc. Among the sample applicators of this type, there is known a lipstick applicator device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,782 comprising two sheets folded and adhered on themselves and provided with parallel sectors separated by breakable punched lines. Between the folded sheets are disposed, in said sectors, accessible lipstick samples once a sheet of sample coating has been removed, in the selected sector, exposing the sample of lipstick placed on the other of the sheets initially adhered. The product samples are contained only between the folded sheets, on interleaved sectors while the rest of the sectors, interspersed between such sectors with samples, are only intended to be taken by the user's hand to place the sample against her lips and so deposit it in her lips. Therefore, the cover sheet, protecting the sample, only extends over the sample.

EP 109166 B1 discloses a personal deodorant applicator that can be considered a sample or a personal dose that can be used in cosmetics stores for testing as well as a gift, in sports institutions, gyms, and similar places. The applicator comprises a substrate of impervious material having an end with a grip area to be taken by the fingers of a user, and an opposite end having a sector provided with cavities inside which a liquid deodorant or antiperspirant is housed. The cavity sector with liquid deodorant is covered by a cover sheet which is peelable and impervious and is perimetrally sealed on the bottom substrate and has a pull ear. To use the device, the user takes the same from the grip area, with one hand, and with the other hand pulls the ear to remove the cover sheet. Once exposed, the deodorant can be applied to the armpit/s. The substrate or sheet containing the deodorant is an EVA/polyethylene foam, which fails to meet the requirements of waterproofing and insulation of the deodorant product, that must be kept intact for months. In addition, if the product is liquid, said substrate can not be tilted or turned over once the cover sheet has been removed because the deodorant product would be spilled. Finally, the fixing of the cover sheet must be done by some type of adhesive, which is generally not suitable for the skin, because the thermal welding of the sheet material is usually not effective between the material of the cover sheet and the foam of the substrate. In addition, the grip area is permanently uncovered and exposed to the continuous action of people who only manipulate the applicator out of curiosity without using it. Whoever finally uses will find an applicator, though sealed in the container portion of the sample, already damaged and dirty by the handling of curious persons.

Another cosmetic product sample applicator is the one disclosed in EP 2594154 A1 consisting of a molded plastic laminate substrate where two areas are defined, a grip area intended to be taken by the user's fingers, and a container portion of a sample of lipstick, intended to be interposed between the lips of the user to apply the lipstick sample on the lips and thus test the product. The area containing the lipstick has a series of channels embedded in the plastic material and a series of peaks formed when embedding said channels, the area being limited by a projecting edge intended to contain the mass of lipstick within the area preventing, as a perimeter barrier, the product spreading beyond the boundaries. This same pattern of grip and lipstick containment areas is repeated on the other side of the substrate, so that when it is interposed between the lips, each lip receives its sample from each side of the substrate. It is explained that the lipstick mass is loaded into the channels under temperature so that said mass flows into the channels leaving the protruding peaks so that the container wherein the device is housed is in contact with said peaks without touching the mass of cosmetic product. Nothing is said about that said lipstick container contains a removable cover sheet.

Therefore there is no cosmetic product sample or dose personal applicator that is entirely covered by a peelable cover sheet having a sealed coating area for the sample and a coating area with free pull edges, allowing an isolated conservation, both of the sample and the grip surfaces, especially when the applicator is handled by several people only out of curiosity whether in stores or sports institutions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an applicator for pasty cosmetic products which avoids contamination of the handling portion by third parties.

It is also another object of the present invention to provide an applicator for pasty cosmetic products that safeguards and protects the product in a safe and reliable manner.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a more hygienic and safer applicator of pasty cosmetic products.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a removable laminar cover that protects the entire extension of the applicator, so that it can also have a free portion from which it can be removed to access the retained cosmetic product to be applied.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an applicator for pasty cosmetic products comprising a laminar substrate of polyolefin foam having a lower face and an upper face, a polyester film adhered to said upper face of said laminar substrate, wherein said polyester film and said laminar substrate have a sealing closed perimeter enclosing a container portion, a removable laminar cover extended over the entire extension of said polyester film and said laminar substrate, and adhered to said polyester film and said laminar substrate at said sealing closed perimeter, a first roughness formed inside said container portion, and comprising a deformation of said polyester film and said upper face of the laminar substrate, and said pasty cosmetic product is retained in said first roughness inside the container portion, a second roughness formed by at least one handling portion outwardly of said sealing closed perimeter, and comprising a deformation of said polyester film and said upper face of the laminar substrate, wherein said handling portion is covered by a portion free from said removable laminar cover, and said free portion has at least an edge adhered to said sealing closed perimeter and at least a free edge not adhered to said polyester film and said upper face of the laminar substrate.

