Urea: the versatile effects and benefits of this ingredient

The term urea comes from Latin. It is formed naturally in certain metabolic processes in the body. Urea accumulates in the uppermost layer of skin. The so-called stratum corneum binds up to 7% of this valuable substance. The excess is simply excreted in the urine.

Urea is part of the NMF (natural moisturising factor) of your skin. As such, it binds water particularly well and ensures that it is not easily lost. If your skin is dry or even flaking, a urea deficiency is often the cause. This is because it drastically increases transepidermal water loss. This means that your skin can absorb water but cannot retain it.

Urea is therefore not just a skincare ingredient, but a natural component of the skin barrier that is essential for good health. That’s why it is found mainly in repair care or particularly rich creams. Urea is not comedogenic. You can also use it to provide relief for chronic skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis or psoriasis. However, these special cases should definitely be left to professionals. So before you experiment with urea, ask your trusted dermatologist.

Urea is generally well tolerated as an active ingredient because the body is already familiar with it. In addition, there are lots of urea benefits for skin:

• Urea can attract and bind water in the skin.
• Urea has an antibacterial effect and can inhibit inflammations.
• It can prevent itching.
• Urea is known for its keratolytic (descaling) properties.

But what determines when the urea takes effect and how? It’s quite simple: the concentration in the respective care product. Between 2% and 5%, the smoothing and hydrating properties of the substance predominate. Its effectiveness against inflammation also comes to the fore in this concentration range. Therefore, care products for very dry skin usually “only” contain concentrations up to 5%.

In higher concentrated products, something amazing happens. The urea, which initially has a purely nourishing effect, develops descaling properties. Your feet will benefit from this in particular. Because from a concentration of 10% urea, daily care can help to soften calluses and make them easier to remove. This process is also called keratolysis. Calluses are removed, the skin becomes soft again and painful cracks can also disappear. This is why urea is ideal for the care of dry and cracked skin.

From body lotion to shower gel, from shampoo to scalp tonic – the uses of urea in skincare are as diverse as its benefits. To find the right product, you should know why you want to use it.

It doesn’t always have to be due to an illness. Even completely healthy skin can sometimes dry out or start to flake. The cause of this is always an increased loss of water through the skin barrier. This can be triggered or intensified by the following factors:

• Cleansers that are too strong and not suitable for the skin type
• Wrong or insufficient care
• Too much contact with water (e.g. hand washing)
• Dry air from heating systems and bitter cold in the winter months
• The natural concentration of urea decreases with age

Urea benefits are particularly noticeable in the case of dry and itchy skin. This is because it regulates moisture, has a soothing effect and can make the skin more supple. That’s why you often find urea in rich hand or foot care products.

If you have an itchy scalp, urea can also help to balance moisture levels and thus relieve feelings of tightness and itching. Do you suffer from calluses on your elbows? You can use products with a concentration of at least 20% urea if you want to ensure smooth and supple skin.

You can also find urea in anti-ageing products such as serums or face creams, generally in combination with other moisturising ingredients such as hyaluronic acid. This plumps up the surface, making smaller wrinkles disappear and allowing the complexion to develop its natural radiance.