Personal care compositions, particularly hair care products, include a polymer mixture made from (A) a derivatized polymer of maleic anhydride having defined repeat units of a monomer (e.g. .alpha.-olefin) maleic anhydride alkyl half-ester or full acid, maleamic acid and maleimide, and (B) a compound or polymer having a carboxylic acid functionality. These compositions exhibit excellent high humidity curl retention properties, as well as an advantageous blend of toughness and cohesiveness, and a strong affinity to natural fibers such as keratin-based fibers, e.g. hair, skin, or textiles, such as cotton or wool; and they are also water-soluble and water-resistant.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED U.S. PATENTS
This application is based upon provisional application Ser. No. 60/449,248, filed Feb. 20, 2003 and U.S. Ser. No. 10/353,390, filed Jan. 29, 2003, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 10/233,838, filed Aug. 30, 2002, and assigned to the same assignee, and related to U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,869,695; 5,886,194; 5,959,122; 5,994,385; and 6,025,501, also assigned to the same assignee as herein.
