UREA

📋 Quick facts

Description: UREA — hydration, gentle exfoliant at higher concentrations, enhances penetration.

All Functions: hydration, gentle exfoliant at higher concentrations, enhances penetration

Quick Facts:

• Category: humectant

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• Urea is a natural component of your skin that helps it hold onto water
• At low doses (10% or less), urea works as a moisturizer; at higher concentrations (over 10%), it helps shed dead skin cells
• It’s used to treat dry, scaly skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and xerosis
• Urea can help other topical medications work better by enhancing their penetration into skin
• Side effects are generally mild and more common at high concentrations

⚗️ Chemical Overview

Urea appears as solid odorless white crystals or pellets. Density 1.335 g /cc. Noncombustible. Urea is a carbonyl group with two C-bound amine groups. The commercially available fertilizer has an analysis of 46-0-0 (N-P2O5-K2O). It has a role as a fertilizer, a flour treatment agent, a mouse metabolite, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolite, an Escherichia coli metabolite, a human metabolite and a Daphnia magna metabolite. It is a monocarboxylic acid amide and a one-carbon compound. It is functionally related to a carbonic acid. It is a tautomer of a carbamimidic acid. A compound formed in the liver from ammonia produced by the deamination of amino acids. It is the principal end product of protein catabolism and constitutes about one half of the total urinary solids.

Source(s): DrugBank, ChEBI, CAMEO Chemicals, via PubChem

📊 Comedogenicity

🛡️ Safety rating

Safety tier is a starting heuristic from regulatory status and comedogenic rating, not a dermatological verdict — see our Terms for the full disclaimer. Research confidence reflects how many real cited studies back this ingredient, not the strength of their findings.

🌍 Regulatory Status

💧 Skin Type Compatibility

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

Urea is a hygroscopic molecule, meaning it can absorb and hold water from its surroundings—a useful property for keeping skin hydrated (Dermatol Ther (Heidelb), 2021). Your skin naturally contains urea as part of something called the natural moisturizing factor (NMF), which is essential for maintaining hydration and the integrity of the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of your skin (Dermatol Ther (Heidelb), 2021). #1: Moisturizing effect: At lower concentrations (10% or less), urea-containing products act primarily as moisturizers (Dermatol Ther, 2018). #2: Keratolytic action: At higher concentrations (above 10%), urea exerts a keratolytic effect, meaning it helps break down and shed dead skin cells; this is why it’s used to treat scaly skin conditions (Dermatol Ther, 2018).

#3: Barrier support: Beyond moisturizing, urea improves skin barrier function by regulating how skin cells (keratinocytes) differentiate and produce antimicrobial peptides—compounds that help defend against bacteria (Dermatol Ther (Heidelb), 2021). #4: Clinical effectiveness: Multiple clinical trials have shown significant improvement in various dry, scaly skin conditions including atopic dermatitis (eczema), ichthyosis, xerosis, seborrheic dermatitis, and psoriasis (Dermatol Ther (Heidelb), 2021). #5: Penetration enhancement: Urea can increase how well other topical medications penetrate the skin, making it useful in combination therapies with anti-inflammatory and antifungal drugs (Dermatol Ther, 2018). #6: Safety and tolerability: Urea-based products are well tolerated overall, with mild side effects that occur more frequently at high concentrations (Dermatol Ther (Heidelb), 2021).

Products come in many formulations—lotions, creams, foams, ointments, gels, and lacquers—at varying concentrations, so the choice depends on the specific skin condition, severity, body area, and personal preference (Int J Clin Pract, 2020).

📄 Related Research

Matched by search — not necessarily verified support for every statement above.

• Celleno L (2018). Topical urea in skincare: A review. Dermatol Ther.
• Burnett C et al. (2023). Imidazolidinyl Urea. Int J Toxicol.
• Piquero-Casals J et al. (2021). Urea in Dermatology: A Review of its Emollient, Moisturizing, Keratolytic, Skin Barrier Enhancing and Antimicrobial Properties. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb).
• Annunziata MC et al. (2020). Urea-containing topical formulations. Int J Clin Pract.
• Loeffel ED (1972). Topical urea. Calif Med.

🧴 Products Containing UREA

• Shop Line Poudre éclaircissante professionnelle bleue
• Eucerin UreaRepair PLUS 10%
• Eucerin pH5
• Kneipp Intensivbalsam 10 urea
• Speick Men After Shave Balsam Sensitiv
• Balea, Balea Med, dm Ultra Sensitive Reinigungsmilch (2 in 1, für Gesicht und Augen)
• GEHWOL med Express Pflege-Schaum
• HEMA Toothpaste Fluoride
• Lavera Anti-Schuppen-Schampoo
• Lavera Shampooing anti-pelliculaire
• Lavera Dentifrice Classic 100ML Basis +33%
• Hema Toothpaste Fresh Gel
• babylove Reinigendes Waschgel
• Lacura Fußbalsam – Oliven- & Rosmarinöl
• Balea,Balea med,dm,dm – drogerie markt,drogerie markt 5% UREA – DUSCHE+SHAMPOO
• Rossmann Urea Fussbad
• Elkos for Men Gesichtscreme
• Ma Chérie Moisture Conditioner
• Nizoral Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Shampoo
• inecto naturals
• osmo matt salt spray
• Scholl Crème Nourrissante Pieds & Ongles
• Boots Silky lubricant
• ASPIRE BRANDS AS Sunkissed Gradual Tan Light Medium 200ml
• Santé Verte Nature & care permanent colour chocolate
• Fragonard Crème antirides pour le visage Vrai
• Skinter Guard Face & body lotion Coconut Aloe Vera
• Oillan baby Cream for cradle cap
• Luksja Kremowe mydło w płynie
• Elmiplant Skin Moisture
• Disaar Vitamine c
• milk plus cleaning
• V. V LOVE SHINING LOVE BODY LOTION PACK
• Nature’s Answer PerioBrite Mouthwash
• Unilever, Brylcreem Strong Hold Gel
• Unilever, Pond’s Bio-Hydratante
• Reinigungsschaum
• fresh skin face
• Farmatodo Mascarilla hidratante nocturna
• Schaebens Feuchtigkeits Maske