Cosmetic agents based on polycationic polymers, and their use in cosmetic compositions

Claim 1

A hair-shaping cosmetic composition comprising a solution in an aqueous, alcoholic or hydroalcoholic carrier of a hair-shaping amount of a quaternized polymer containing units of the formula ##STR34## wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 each independently represent a hydrocarbon group, or at least one of the pairs R 1 , R 2 and R 3 , R 4 represent together with the nitrogen atom to which it is attached a heterocycle optionally containing an oxygen or sulfur heteroatom; A 1 and A 2 , each independently, represent linear or branched alkylene or arylene, substituted or not, containing up to 20 carbon atoms; X represents a bivalent group of the formula ##STR35## wherein y is equal to 0 or 1, R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 and R 10 represent hydrogen or lower alkyl, X 1 represents alkylene, alkylene including an --S--S-- group, alkenylene, arylene, diaminoalkylene, diaminoarylene, dioxyyalkylene, dioxyarylene or polyoxyalkylene, or X 1 represents a direct covalent bond, X 2 represents diaminoalkylene, dioxylkylene or polyoxyalkylene bivalent group, X 2 ' represents dithioalkylene, X 3 represents alkylene, cycloalkylene, arylene, diaminoalkylene, diaminocycloalkylene or diaminoarylene, A 3 represents --B 1 --Y--B 2 --, wherein B 1 and B 2 represent alkylene or arylene and Y has the same meaning as X above, or Y represents ##STR36## or A 3 represents linear or branched alkylene, substituted by one or more ═O groups, or linear or branched alkylene interrupted by at least one heteroatom selected from oxygen, sulfur or nitrogen, or arylene, or A 3 represents ##STR37## wherein B 3 and B 4 represent arylene and Y 1 represents linear or branched alkylene, or linear or branched alkylene substituted by at least one --OH or ═O group, or Y 1 represents a heteroatom selected from oxygen, sulfur or nitrogen, or A 3 represents (a) --E--O--D) z' O--E-- or (b) --E--O--G--O--E--, wherein z' is a number ranging from 2 to 600, E represents alkylene having 1-4 carbon atoms or --CH 2 --CHOH--CH 2 --, D represents a bivalent hydrocarbon group containing 1-5 carbon atoms, and G represents alkylene, cycloalkylene, arylene or aralkylene, or when X is other than --CO--X 2 --CO--, A 3 represents linear or branched alkylene or hydroxyalkylene, alkenylene or hydroxyalkenylene, cycloalkylene, or cycloalkenylene, containing up to 20 carbon atoms; and z.sup.⊖ represents a halide anion; with the proviso that when X represents --NH--CO--NH, A 3 represents --E--(O--D) z --O--E-- or --B 1 --Y--B 2 , wherein Y has the meaning given for X above except for the value --NH--CO--NH, or A 3 represents --E--O--G--O--E-- wherein E and G have the meanings given above with the proviso that E and G are not simultaneously alkylene.