Ingredient
Urea
A humectant that at higher concentrations also helps loosen dry surface skin; common in foot and very-dry-skin creams.
- CAS 57-13-6
What it is there to do
Humectant
Draws water into the upper layers of the skin or hair.
Exfoliant
Loosens or dissolves the bonds between surface skin cells.
What we don't know
- Where it comes from — plant, mineral, synthetic — isn't recorded.
- No published rule in our reference names it. That is about the rules, not safety.
- How much of it is used in any particular product. We hold no concentrations at all.
This is information about an ingredient, not medical advice, and not a judgement about any product that contains it. Back to the reference.