DEVICE FOR APPLYING A COSMETIC PRODUCT, IN PARTICULAR A COSMETIC PRODUCT STICK

Abstract

A device for applying a cosmetic product in stick form, aligned on a main axis. The device includes a cup, a guide, and a tubular sheath. The cup receives the stick and includes a radial lug. The guide includes a tubular body with an upper exit opening of the stick and a lower insertion opening for the cup. The cup is mounted to slide axially. The guide includes an axial slot extending upward from the bottom, traversed by the cup's lug. The axial slot is open at the level of the upper opening. The tubular body is rotatably mounted within the tubular sheath. The sheath includes an internal helical groove that receives the lug. Rotation of the guide relative to the sheath causes an axial movement of the cup between extreme extended and retracted positions. The helical groove is open at the upper end-of-stroke.

Claims

1. A device for applying a cosmetic product in form of a stick of the cosmetic product having a main axis, said device comprising: a cup configured to receive the stick and comprising at least one radial lug, at least one guide comprising a tubular body which comprises an upper exit opening for the exit of the stick and a lower insertion opening for the insertion of the cup, wherein the cup is mounted so as to be axially slidable, the guide comprising at least one axial slot extending from the bottom of the guide and which is traversed by the at least one associated lug of the cup, the at least one axial slot of the guide being open at the level of the upper opening; a tubular sheath in which the body is rotatably mounted, the sheath comprising internally at least one helical groove for receiving the at least one lug of the cup, the rotation of the guide relative to the sheath causing an axial movement of the cup between an extreme extended position and an extreme retracted position, the helical groove being open at an upper end-of-stroke.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one axial slot in the guide is extended at the level of the bottom of the guide by at least one lower ramp for guiding the lugs of the cup.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one axial slot in the guide is extended at the level of the top of the guide by at least one upper ramp for guiding the lugs of the cup.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the cup is removably mounted in the device, the cup being inserted into the device through the lower insertion opening of the guide and/or removed from the device through the upper opening of the guide.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the cup has a housing for receiving the stick of cosmetic product delimited radially by a cylindrical lateral wall, at least one tab formed in the lateral wall and having a connecting end for connection to the lateral wall and a free end, the at least one lug being located on a tab, each tab being flexible between: an unstressed position wherein each lug projects radially outwards from the lateral wall of the cup; a position for inserting the cup into the device wherein each tab is configured to be pushed by contact between a lug and the guide and to penetrate radially into the housing so that each lug is in alignment with the lateral wall of the cup.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein each tab extends axially downwards from its connecting end to its free end.

7. The device according to claim 5, having at least two opposing tabs each comprising a lug and distributed regularly around the main axis.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein each lug has a front surface inclined with respect to the lateral wall of the cup, a lower segment of the lug having a wider thickness than an upper segment of the lug.

9. The device according to claim 1, comprising a lower cap configured to close the lower insertion opening of the guide.

10. The device according to claim 1, comprising an upper cap configured to close an upper exit opening of the stick from the sheath.

11. The device according to claim 5, further comprising a stick of cosmetic product mounted on said cup, the stick having a flexible lower segment similar to the tabs.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the cup comprises an internal skirt for hooking the stick which projects axially into the housing.

13. A refill for a device for applying a cosmetic product in form of a stick of cosmetic product, said refill comprising: the stick of cosmetic product, a cup intended to receive the stick and comprising at least one radial lug intended to cooperate with at least one axial slot of a guide of the device and with at least one helical groove of a tubular sheath, said cup comprising at least one vertical tab extending upwards and configured to reversibly cooperate with an internal skirt of a lower cap of the device.

14. A Method for using a refill according to claim 13 with: at least one guide comprising a tubular body which comprises an upper opening for the exit of the stick and a lower opening for inserting of the cup, in which the cup is mounted so as to be axially slidable, the guide comprising at least one axial slot extending from the bottom of the guide and which is traversed by the at least one associated lug of the cup, the at least one axial slot of the guide being open at the level of the upper opening; and a tubular sheath in which the body is rotatably mounted, the sheath comprising internally at least one helical groove for receiving the at least one lug of the cup, the rotation of the guide relative to the sheath causing an axial movement of the cup between an extreme extended position and an extreme retracted position, the helical groove being open at an upper end-of-stroke, to form a device for applying a cosmetic product in the form of a stick of cosmetic product, said refill being inserted into the guide through the lower opening and removed from the guide through the upper opening for the exit of the stick.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0052] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, for the understanding of which reference is made to the attached drawings.

[0053] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an application device produced according to the teachings of the invention, with a cup occupying an extreme retracted position.

[0054] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

[0055] FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

[0056] FIG. 4 is another longitudinal sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

[0057] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cup of the device shown in FIG. 1 according to a first example of embodiment.

[0058] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a guide for the device shown in FIG. 1.

[0059] FIG. 7 shows a longitudinal cross-section of the guide shown in FIG. 6.

[0060] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a sheath of the device shown in FIG. 1.

[0061] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a lower cap of the device shown in FIG. 1 in a first example of embodiment.

[0062] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a lower cap of the device according to a second example of embodiment.

[0063] FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of the guide adapted to the second example of embodiment of the lower cap shown in FIG. 10.

[0064] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a lower cap of the device according to a third example of embodiment.

[0065] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an application device made in accordance with the teachings of the invention comprising the lower cap of FIG. 12.

[0066] FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of a variant of the sheath shown in FIG. 8.

[0067] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a cup according to a second example of embodiment.

[0068] FIG. 16 is another perspective view of the cup in FIG. 15.

[0069] FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a lower cap of the device according to a fourth example of embodiment.

[0070] FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a cup adapted to the fourth example of embodiment of the lower cap of FIG. 17.

[0071] FIG. 19 is a longitudinal sectional view of the lower cap of FIG. 17 assembled to the cup of FIG. 18.

[0072] FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view of a refill comprising the cup of FIG. 18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0073] By convention, the axial or longitudinal direction in the figures corresponds to that of the main axis A of the cosmetic product application device 10, such as a cosmetic product stick 12, in particular a lipstick or deodorant stick, and the radial or transverse direction is directed orthogonally to the axial direction, radiating from the main axis A.

[0074] In the detailed description of the figures that follows, the terms upper and lower or top and bottom will be used without limitation with reference to the axial direction, the upper portion of the application device 10 corresponding to the portion through which the stick 12 of cosmetic product exits from the application device 10 for its application.

[0075] Similarly, the terms outer or external and inner or internal are used with reference to the radial direction, an outer element being radially further from the axis A than an inner element.

[0076] Subsequently, elements with an identical structure or similar functions will be designated by a same reference.

[0077] FIGS. 1 to 4 illustrate a device 10 for applying a cosmetic product in the form of a stick 12 of cosmetic product.

[0078] Preferably, the cosmetic product stick 12 (visible in FIGS. 1 and 2) is a stick of lipstick or a deodorant configured to be applied by rubbing, alternatively a lip balm.

[0079] The device 10 is designed to make the cosmetic product exit by at least one rotational movement.

[0080] The device 10 has an axis A, referred to as main axis.

[0081] The device 10 comprises: [0082] a cup 14 configured to receive the stick 12, [0083] at least one guide 16, and [0084] a tubular sheath 18.

[0085] The guide 16 is particularly visible in FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0086] The guide 16 mainly comprises a tubular body 20 which extends axially from a lower opening 22 for inserting the cup 14 to an upper exit opening 24 configured to be traversed by the stick 12 of cosmetic product.

[0087] Advantageously, the guide 16 also comprises a base 26 in line with the lower opening 22 of the tubular body 20.

[0088] The guide 16 comprises at least one axial slot 28 passing radially through the wall of the body 20. Each axial slot 28 forms a slide.

[0089] Here, the guide 16 comprises two axial slots 28. The axial slots 28 are arranged diametrically opposite each other.

[0090] The axial slots 28 extend axially into the body 20 of the guide 16 from the bottom of the guide 16.

[0091] Each of the axial slots 28 is open at the level of the upper opening 24. In other words, each axial slot 28 is axially open at its upper end 28a.

[0092] The axial slots 28 may include a protrusion (not visible) at their upper end 28a. The protrusion serves as a click indicating to the user that the cup 14 has reached the end of its upper end-of-stroke, and that it can be removed.

[0093] The axial slots 28 are closed at their lower end 28b located on the side of the base 26 but include a lower inlet. In particular, the body 20 of the guide 16 has a thinned thickness at the level of the lower end 28b of the axial slot 28 allowing the passage of the lugs 36 of the cup 14 when the latter is inserted into the guide 16.

[0094] The axial slots 28 each comprise straight, parallel edges.

[0095] Each of the axial slots 28 in the guide 16 is extended at the level of the bottom of the guide 16 by at least one lower guide ramp 30, as shown in FIG. 7.

[0096] Each of the lower guide ramps 30 has a shoulder 30a extending from a low point located at the bottom of the base 26 towards a high point located at the level of the lower end 28b of an axial slot 28. Each of the shoulders 30a is extended by one of the straight edges forming the axial slots 28.

[0097] Each of the axial slots 28 in the guide 16 is extended at the level of the top of the guide 16 by at least one upper guide ramp 32.

[0098] Each of the upper guide ramps 32 is in the extension of one of the rectilinear edges forming the axial slot 28 and extend to a high point forming an upper edge 34 delimiting the upper exit opening 24 of the stick 12.

[0099] Each axial slot 28 comprises two upper guide ramps 32 and two lower guide ramps 30. The guide 16 therefore comprises four upper guide ramps 32 and four lower guide ramps 30.

[0100] The cup 14 is configured to slide axially in the guide 16 between an extreme retracted position, as shown in FIG. 1, and an extreme extended position, not shown.

[0101] The extreme retracted position corresponds to a position wherein the stick 12 is inside the device 10 for its protection and its storage and the cup 14 is in the low end-of-stroke position as shown in FIG. 1.

[0102] The extreme extended position corresponds to a position wherein the stick 12 is extended axially upwards so that its free end extends out of the device 10 through the opening and the cup 14 is in the high end-of-stroke position.

[0103] The cup 14 may also occupy intermediate positions between its two extreme retracted and extended positions, referred to as intermediate application positions.

[0104] Referring to FIG. 5, the cup 14 comprises at least one lug 36, preferably two lugs 36. Each lug 36 projects radially outwards, said lugs 36 each being engaged in one of the axial slots 28 of the guide 16 and passing through them to extend radially outwards beyond the external cylindrical surface of the body 20 of the guide 16.

[0105] Preferably, the lugs 36 are diametrically opposed.

[0106] The cup 14 has a housing 38 for receiving the stick 12 of cosmetic product, radially delimited by a cylindrical lateral wall 40. The housing 38 is open towards the top.

[0107] The housing 38 is delimited axially downwards by a bottom which extends radially inwards from the lateral wall. The bottom is pierced with an orifice.

[0108] The cup 14 has at least one tab 42 formed in the lateral wall and having a connecting end 42a to the lateral wall and a free end 42b, the at least one lug 36 being located on a tab 42. Each tab 42 extends axially downwards from its connecting end 42a to its free end 42b.

[0109] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the cup 14 comprises two diametrically opposed tabs 42 evenly spaced around the main axis A, the two tabs 42 each comprising one of the two lugs 36.

[0110] Preferably, each tab 42 is made from a single piece of material with the lateral wall 40. They are formed by a notch made in the lateral wall of the cup 14, for example, as shown here, by a U-shaped notch.

[0111] In a variant embodiment of the cup 14 shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the cup 14 differs in that it has no perforated tabs 42 but only lugs 36. The flexibility of movement of the lugs 36 may be achieved through the choice of material, for example.

[0112] Advantageously, the cup 14 comprises an internal skirt 44 for hooking the stick 12, which projects axially into the housing 38 from the bottom.

[0113] The internal skirt 44 comprises slits 46 to improve the grip of the stick 12 in the cup 14.

[0114] With reference to FIG. 8, the sheath 18 has a tubular wall 48 with a main axis A.

[0115] The sheath 18 comprises at least one internal helical groove 50 for receiving the at least one associated lug 36 of the cup 14. Each of the helical grooves 50 is open at the upper end-of-stroke.

[0116] The sheath 18 comprises two diametrically opposed helical grooves 50, with which the free ends of the lugs 36 on the cup 14 cooperate during operation.

[0117] In a complementary manner, as illustrated in FIG. 14, the helical groove 50 of the sheath 18 may comprise a primer 51 allowing the lugs 36 of the cup 14 to be positioned more easily in the helical groove 50 when the cup 14 is inserted into the device 10.

[0118] The wall 48 of the sheath 18 comprises an internal cylindrical face provided with said helical grooves 50.

[0119] The wall 48 of the sheath 18 also comprises an external cylindrical face comprising a screw thread 52 extending over an upper segment of the sheath 18. The rest of the external face is smooth.

[0120] The rotation of the guide 16 relative to the sheath 18 causes an axial movement of the cup 14 between the extreme extended position and the extreme retracted position, and vice versa, i.e. the entry and/or the exit of the stick 12 of cosmetic product.

[0121] In the embodiment illustrated, the rotation is advantageously achieved by the user by gripping the base 26 and rotating the guide 16 relative to the sheath 18. The axial slots 28 in the guide 16, open at the level of the upper opening 24 of the guide, and the helical groove 50 open at the upper end-of-stroke, allow the total removal of the cup 14.

[0122] Indeed, typically, the axial slots are closed axially at their upper end, or even comprise an indentation, so as to block the cup at the upper end-of-stroke.

[0123] In the application device 10 according to the invention, there is nothing to block the cup 14 at the upper end-of-stroke, so it may be removed easily by a simple gesture, without the need for tools and without damaging the other elements, in particular the sheath 18 and the guide 16.

[0124] This removal method is also particularly interesting because it avoids the need for the user to lower the cup 14 all the way to the bottom in order to remove it, as is done in other known devices. The removal does not require any additional gestures on the part of the user, who may quickly remove the cup 14 without wasting time with tedious gestures.

[0125] The removal of the cup 14 may be useful, for example, when recycling the device 10, where each element may need to be dismantled to be recycled in its own channel depending on the material of which it is made.

[0126] The removable of the cup 14 may also allow it to be replaced, for example when the stick 12 of cosmetic product is finished or if the user wishes to change it.

[0127] Advantageously, the upper guide ramps 32 guide the lugs 36 of the cup 14 to its end-of-stroke, particularly in relation to the sheath 18 when the lugs 36 emerge from the axial slots 28 of the guide 16.

[0128] The cup 14 may thus reach its end-of-stroke, in particular the upper end-of-stroke of the helical groove 50 in the sheath 18, by means of its lugs 36 which are guided by the upper guide ramps 32. The cup 14 is then held in position all the way to the end without the risk of it coming loose or getting in the way.

[0129] On the other hand, the lower opening 22 of the guide 16 allows the cup 14 to be inserted from the bottom of the device 10.

[0130] In this way, the upper end of the stick 12 of cosmetic product is inserted first into the device 10 through the lower opening 22 of the guide 16, so that the stick 12 is immediately inside the device 10 and thus protected from any damage or contamination that might occur during assembly of the cup 14.

[0131] In addition, by inserting the cup 14 from the bottom of the device 10, it is directly in the extreme retracted position. The user therefore does not need to make any additional gestures, such as lowering the cup 14, to place it in the position where the stick 12 of cosmetic product is inside the device 10.

[0132] Inserting the cup 14 may be useful, for example, when assembling the device 10 or when changing the stick 12 of cosmetic product after it has been removed when it has been completely used up or if the user wishes to change it.

[0133] Advantageously, the lower guide ramps 30 guide the lugs 36 of the cup 14 to the axial slots 28 of the guide 16. Thus, when the user inserts the cup 14 through the lower opening 22 of the guide 16, the lugs 36 cooperate with the lower guide ramps 30 until they are in place in one of the two axial slots 28. The guide ramps thus make it easier to insert the cup 14 into the guide 16, preventing the stick 12 of cosmetic product from being damaged because the user has difficulty aligning the lugs 36 on the cup 14 with the axial slots 28 on the guide 16.

[0134] Advantageously, to facilitate the insertion of the cup 14 into the guide 16 and also to ensure that it is held therein, each tab 42 is flexible between: [0135] an unstressed position wherein each lug 36 projects radially outwards with respect to the lateral wall 40 of the cup 14; [0136] a position for inserting the cup 14 into the device 10 wherein each tab 42 is configured to be pushed by contact between a lug 36 and the guide 16 and to penetrate radially into the housing 38 so that each lug 36 is in alignment with the lateral wall 40.

[0137] Preferably, the tabs 42 extend axially downwards from its connecting end 42a to its free end 42b.

[0138] In addition, each lug 36 advantageously has a front surface 36a inclined with respect to the lateral wall 40, a lower segment 36b of the lug 36 having a wider thickness than an upper segment 36c of the lug 36 (see FIGS. 1 and 3).

[0139] In this way, the tabs 42 are radially displaced towards the inside of the device 10 when the user inserts the cup 14 and return to position when the cup 14 is correctly inserted.

[0140] Advantageously, the movement of the tabs 42 is facilitated by the particular shape of the lugs 36. This is because the thin upper segment 36c of the lug 36 fits more easily into the corresponding axial slot 28.

[0141] In contrast, the wider lower segment 36b of the lug 36 comes into abutment with the guide 16 when the cup 14 is lowered, blocking its descent and its exit from the guide 16 through the lower opening 22.

[0142] Advantageously, the cup 14 is removably mounted in the device 10. The cup 14 may be easily inserted into the device 10 through the lower insertion opening 22 of the guide 16 and/or removed from the device 10 through the upper opening 24 of the guide 16 as explained above.

[0143] In this way, the cup 14 can be part of a refill 53 as illustrated in FIG. 20.

[0144] The refill 53 comprises at least the cup 14 and the stick 12.

[0145] Advantageously, the stick 12 of cosmetic product mounted on the cup 14 has a flexible lower segment similar to the tabs 42. The insertion of the cup 14 is facilitated and the movement of the tabs 42 towards the inside of the device 10 is not hindered.

[0146] Preferably, the device 10 comprises a lower cap 54 configured to close the lower opening 22 for inserting the guide 16. The lower cap 54 is in particular a removable cap.

[0147] Referring to FIG. 9, the lower cap 54 is clipped to the guide 16. It is held axially on the lower opening 22 of the guide 16 by the cooperation of two external annular beads 56 of the lower cap 54 with two internal annular recesses 58 located at the bottom of the guide 16 (visible in FIG. 7). The beads 56 and the recesses 58 are diametrically opposed.

[0148] The lower cap 54 has a first annular housing 60 delimited by two circular axial internal skirts 62 into which a lower edge 64 of the cylindrical lateral wall 40 of the cup 14 is inserted when it is in the extreme retracted position (visible in FIGS. 3 and 4).

[0149] The lower cap 54 also comprises a circular axial external skirt 66 having an external surface on which the beads 56 mentioned above are located. This external skirt 66 is inserted inside the guide 16 at the level of the lower opening 22.

[0150] The internal 62 and external 66 skirts extend from a closed transverse bottom 68 towards respective upper edges.

[0151] The upper edge 70 of the external skirt 66 has a shape complementary to the shape delimited by the lower ramps 30 of the guide 16, on which it abuts when inserted.

[0152] This complementarity of shape may be seen, for example, by comparing FIGS. 7 and 11, which illustrate two variants of embodiments of the guide 16 depending of the design of the upper edge 70 of the lower cap 54, the guide 16 in FIG. 7 being the associated guide of the lower cap 54 in FIG. 9 and the guide 16 in FIG. 11 being the associated guide of the lower cap 54 in FIG. 10.

[0153] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the device 10 may also comprise an upper cap 72 configured to close an upper exit opening of the stick 12 from the sheath 18.

[0154] The upper cap 72 is in particular a removable cap.

[0155] The upper cap 72 comprises a tubular skirt closed at its upper end by a solid transverse wall.

[0156] It is preferable to be able to close the device 10 by means of the upper cap 72 so as to avoid polluting or damaging the stick 12 of cosmetic product. In this respect, the upper cap 72 is configured to be attached directly to the external wall of the sheath 18 when the device 10 is not in use, covering at least an upper segment of the external face of the sheath 18.

[0157] Advantageously, the upper cap 72 is screwed to the sheath 18. In this way, the upper segment of the external face of the sheath 18 cooperates with an internal screw thread 74 located on the internal face of the tubular skirt of the upper cap 72.

[0158] Advantageously, at least one of the cup 14, the guide 16, the sheath 18, the lower cap 54 and the upper cap 72 is made of a plastic material, such as recycled or non-recycled polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or of a metallic material, such as aluminum.

[0159] Advantageously, at least one of the cup 14, the guide 16, the sheath 18, the lower cap 54 and the upper cap 72 are made from the same material, for example plastic.

[0160] Furthermore, the use of plastic materials, in particular similar plastic materials for the entire device 10 allows to facilitate the recycling. In particular, the polypropylene and the polyethylene terephthalate are two plastic materials whose recycling cycle is well known.

[0161] Preferably, at least one of the cup 14, the guide 16, the sheath 18, the lower cap 54 and the upper cap 72 is made by molding.

[0162] The invention is not limited to the description just given, and other variants of embodiments may fall within the scope of the invention.

[0163] For example, FIGS. 10 and 12 illustrate a second and a third alternative embodiments of the lower cap 54, alternatively comprising different connection means.

[0164] By way of illustration, and as shown in FIG. 10, in a second variant of embodiment, the lower cap 54 comprises two locking clips 75 in the form of an elastically deformable hook. The two clips 75 cooperate with the recesses 58 located in the bottom of the guide 16 shown in FIG. 11. In this way, the insertion is facilitated by the shape and the elasticity of the hooks, and the removal of the lower cap 54, whether intentional or unintentional, is limited since simultaneous pressure must be exerted on the area of the hooks to disengage and therefore release them.

[0165] Another alternative to the technical embodiment of the lower cap 54, shown in FIG. 12, is a bayonet lock, a design well known to the person skilled in the art. The lower cap 54 comprises two diametrically opposed L-shaped recesses 76, each of which cooperates with a rib 78 located at the bottom of the guide 16, as shown in FIG. 13.

[0166] FIG. 17 illustrates a fourth example of embodiment of a lower cap 54. This third example of a lower cap 54 is configured, on the one hand, as mentioned previously, to cooperate with the lower opening 22 of the guide 16 but also with the cup 14 illustrated in FIG. 18.

[0167] The external skirt 66 of the lower cap 54 is provided with four tabs, each provided with a bead and forming elastically deformable hooked tabs 80. The hooked tabs 80 cooperate with a recess 58 of the guide 16 to allow the lower cap 54 to be held on the guide 16. This may be a single annular recess. Thus, insertion is facilitated by the shape and elasticity of the hooked tabs 80, and the removal of the lower cap 54, whether intentional or unintentional, is limited since simultaneous pressure must be exerted on the area of the hooked tabs 80 to disengage them and thus release them.

[0168] The internal skirt 62 of the lower cap 54 also comprises four vertical tabs 84 extending upwards and each comprising an internal groove 86.

[0169] Each of the internal grooves 86 cooperates with an external annular bead 88 located on a lower skirt 90 of the cup 14. The lower skirt 90 extends downwards and has a diameter smaller than a diameter of the cylinder formed by the side wall 40.

[0170] The shape and elasticity of the vertical tabs 84 allow the lower cap 54 to be clipped onto the cup 14 and held together until the latter is inserted into the guide 16. They must also facilitate the disassembly of the lower cap 54 and the cup 14 to allow the cup 14 to be raised and lowered when the mechanism is activated.

[0171] To facilitate disassembly, the annular bead 88 is not continuous and further comprises at least one flat portion 91 allowing the release of the vertical tabs 84 with the bead 88.

[0172] The refill 53 illustrated in FIG. 20 comprises the cup 14 of FIG. 18 on which the stick 12 is mounted.

[0173] In addition to the cup 14 and the stick 12, advantageously, the refill 53 may also comprise an outer casing 92 and an inner casing 94.

[0174] For greater visibility, the stick 12 is not shown in the refill 53 of FIG. 20.

[0175] The outer casing 92 has the shape of a cylindrical sleeve, here of circular cross-section. It extends between two opposite open ends, upper 92a and lower 92b. Advantageously, before the first insertion of the refill 53 into the outer sheath 18, each of the upper 92a and lower 92b ends is closed by a sealed lid 96.

[0176] The lower lid 96 protects the stick 12 at the cup 14.

[0177] The upper lid 96 protects the stick 12. Its removal facilitates the exit of the stick 12 from below by creating an air intake.

[0178] The lids 96 are removable, i.e., they can be removed by a user before inserting the refill 53 into the outer sheath 18.

[0179] The inner casing 94 is cylindrical in shape and comprises a side wall extending from a lower opening 94a to an upper transverse wall 94b defining a cavity in which the stick 12 is housed. Advantageously, the inner casing 94 also serves as a mold for molding and forming the stick 12. The cosmetic product in liquid form is then poured through the slits 46 of the cup 14 into the cavity and, after hardening, forms the stick 12.

[0180] The lower edge of the side wall has two diametrically opposed notches 98 to receive the two lugs 36 of the cup 14.

[0181] The upper transverse wall is surmounted by a circular platform 100 for closing the upper opening of the outer casing 92. Thus, the diameter of the platform 100 is substantially equal to the diameter of the upper opening of the outer casing 92.

[0182] The platform 100 may include a vent 102 connected to the cavity delimited by the inner casing 94 to facilitate the demolding of the stick 12.

[0183] During the first use, the user removes the two lids 96 and the outer casing 92. Afterwards, the user clips the lower cap 54 to the cup 14. The lower cap 54 allows the refill 53 to be held and the inner casing 94 to be removed without coming into contact with the stick 12.

[0184] The user then inserts the stick 12, cup 14, and lower cap 54 assembly inside the guide 16 mounted inside the outer sheath 18.

[0185] The lower cap 54 can then be clipped to the guide 16, thus forming the application device of the invention.

[0186] The cup 14 is unclipped from the lower cap 54 when the user actuates the mechanism. In other words, rotating the guide 16 releases the cup 14 from the lower cap 54. The cup 14 can then move up and down freely to bring in or out the stick 12.