Skin treatment composition

Claim 1

An antiperspirant composition having a solid phase and a liquid phase, the solid phase comprising (i) from 0.1 to 30% by weight of the composition of a moisture-absorbent water-insoluble polymer which is substantially dry-to-the-touch when swollen with water and which has a water absorption value of at least 2 and which is selected from the group consisting of (a) a cross-linked gelatinised starch in which the degree of substitution of the cross-linking groups is 0.001 to 0.04; (b) an ionic complex of a water-soluble anionic polyelectrolyte and a polyvalent metal cation having a valency of at least three, the cation being present in the amount of from 0.01 to 5 milliequivalents per g polyelectrolyte; (c) a covalently cross-linked anionic olyelectrolyte wherein the anionic polyelectrolyte is selected from the group consisting of water-soluble derivatives of starch, water-soluble derivatives of cellulose, carboxylic homopolymers and copolymers containing at least 20 mole percent carboxylic acid units; and (d) mixtures thereof; and the liquid phase comprising: (ii) from 0.1 to 15% by weight of the composition of a substantially water-insoluble surfactant having a melting point of from 30° to 75° C.; and (iii) from 1 to 99.8% by weight of the composition of an organic solvent in which the polymer is substantially insoluble.