Cosmetic composition

Claim 1

A composition suitable for topical application to skin, hair or nails, which comprises: (i) an amount of from 0.0001 to 20% by weight of a pseudoceramide having the structure (2): ##STR13## where R represents a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, hydroxylated or non-hydroxylated, phosphorylated or non-phosphorylated, sulphated or non-sulphated aliphatic hydrocarbon group having from 1 from 49 carbon atoms or the sub-group Y--O--(C a H b )--; R 1 represents a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, hydroxylated or non-hydroxylated, phosphorylated or non-phosphorylated, sulphated or non-sulphated aliphatic hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 28 carbon atoms; R 2 represents H, a sugar residue, a sulphate residue or a phosphate residue P i ; P i represents the group: ##STR14## R 3 represents H, or the sub group (3): ##STR15## X 1 , X 2 and X 3 each individually represent H, C 1-5 alkyl or C 1-5 hydroxyalkyl; Y represents H or a residue of a C 14-22 fatty acid having the structure (4): ##STR16## z represents --OH --OP i , --OSO 3 .sup.⊖ or an epoxy oxygen, a is an integer of from 7 to 49 b is an integer of from 10 to 98 c is 0 or an integer of from 1 to 4 d is 0 or 1 x is an integer of from 12 to 20 y is an integer of from 20 to 40 z is 0 or an integer of from 1 to 4 n is 0 or 1 m is 1 provided that when the R group has from 9 to 49 carbon atoms, then n+m is 1 or 2; and (ii) a cosmetically acceptable vehicle for the pseudoceramide.