Process for removing the water soluble materials from a keratin structure and cosmetic or pharmaceutical product formed therefrom

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF PREPARING A COSEMTIC OR PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCT HAVING THE ABILITY TO ABSORB AND RETAIN MOISTURE, COMPRISING SUBJECTING A KERATIN MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ANIMAL STRAATUM CORNEUM, ANIMAL HORNS, ANIMAL HOOFS, ANIMAL NAILS AND ANIMAL HAIR SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SEBACEOUS FAT TO THE ACTION OF A SOLVENT SELECTED FROM THE GRAOUP CONSISTING OF WATER AND AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A POLAR SOLVENT FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO EXTRACT THE WATER SOLUBLE CONSTITUENTS FROM THE KERATIN MATERIAL IN A SOLUTION OF SAID SOLVENT AND AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW 60*C. TO PREVENT HYDROLZATION AND DECOMPOSITION OF THE KERATIN MATERIAL, SEPARATING THE SOLUTION FROM THE REMAINING KERATIN MATERIAL, SUBJECTING THE SOLUTION TO THE ACTION OF A NON-POLAR WAX AND FAT SOLVENT TO EXTRACT THE FAT AND WAX MATERIALS FROM THE SOLUTION, RAISING THE PH OF THE SOLUTION TO A VALUE SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN 7.5 BY THE ADDITION OF A ALKALINE MATERIAL TO SAID SOLUTION, LOWERING THE PH OF THE SOLUTION TO A VALUE IN THE RANGE OF 7.0 TO 7.5 BY THE ADDITION OF AN ACIDIC MATERIAL TO SAID SOLUTION, SEPARATING THE WATAER SOLUBLE CONSTITUENTS IN SAID SOLUTION FROM SAID FIRST NAMED SOLVENT, AND MIXING THE WATER SOLUBLE CONSTITUENTS WITH A COSMETIC BASED IN THE AMOUNT OF 1% TO 95% BY WEIGHT OF SAID BASE.