Urea is an actual multitasker. This ingredient helps rehydrate, cease dryness, help the pores and pores and skin barrier, and exfoliate. It’s the proper ally for deep, environment friendly hydration whereas softening and smoothing.
We met with our Dermalab Supervisor and renowned dermatologist Jean Krutmann to answer your questions on this lesser-known ingredient much like — is it truly doable to hydrate and exfoliate on the same time?
Collectively, we’re sharing the whole thing it is important to study urea and our distinctive physique care formulation designed to maximise its potential.
THE BASICS
UREAWHAT IT IS: A man-made chemical compound with moisturizing properties, moreover found naturally in your physique.
WHAT IT DOES: Counting on the main target, urea can work as a hydrator or exfoliant. It moreover boasts additional benefits much like supporting the pores and pores and skin barrier which boosts elasticity.
WHO IT'S FOR: Usually, it’s acceptable for all pores and pores and skin varieties — nevertheless completely completely different concentrations might make it additional acceptable for some than others.
HOW TO USE IT: You’ll uncover urea in hand, foot, and physique lotions or gel oils designed to hydrate and exfoliate robust, dry pores and pores and skin.
GOES WELL WITH: Pair it with completely different substances that help improve hydration much like hyaluronic acid or dexpanthenol.
DON’T MIX WITH: Urea just isn't broadly recognized for inflicting reactions with completely different magnificence substances.
TRY IT IN: Uradin Lotion 10, Uradin Podos Gel Oil
What’s urea?
Urea is an pure chemical compound broadly utilized in skincare due to 2 main traits: it’s a small, polar molecule. Meaning? It’d in all probability merely penetrate the pores and pores and skin. Plus, its polarity makes it much like water, serving to it to work as an environment friendly hydrator.
Nonetheless there’s additional — urea moreover acts as an exfoliant when utilized in elevated concentrations. Due to its polarity, it might presumably break the hydrogen interactions that keep pores and pores and skin’s proteins collectively. In numerous phrases, it modifies one of the simplest ways the pores and pores and skin’s proteins bind collectively to help improve whole texture.
Dr. Jean Krutmann echoed the compound’s benefits at our latest ISDIN Innovation Summit, “At current, urea is a broadly widespread ingredient in dermatology for its talent to reinforce the pores and pores and skin moisture barrier. It’s a few of the environment friendly brokers for every hydrating and exfoliating the pores and pores and skin.”
Are you aware that urea is found naturally in your pores and pores and skin?
It makes up part of the NMF or Pure Moisturizer Difficulty.
What can urea do to your pores and pores and skin?
Urea is most well-known for its dual-action mechanism: deeply moisturizing and exfoliating. Nonetheless that’s not all. It moreover enhances the absorption of various substances by supporting pores and pores and skin’s barrier development, serving to to retain water.
Listed below are your complete benefits urea has in retailer to your pores and pores and skin:
- Deeply hydrates: Performing as a humectant, urea attracts moisture in out of your atmosphere and retains it, serving to to soften and hydrate dry pores and pores and skin.
- Exfoliates: In elevated concentrations, urea provides a keratolytic movement. That is, it helps break down and take away ineffective pores and pores and skin cells, enhancing texture and look.
- Strengthens: Urea bolsters your pores and pores and skin’s pure moisture barrier, serving to it fend off every day stressors and protect water loss at a minimal.
- Promotes elasticity: This super ingredient moreover helps pores and pores and skin’s developing blocks, much like collagen and elastin, to help maintain its company, bouncy look.
- Soothes: Some analysis cite urea as a wonderful various for extreme dryness and explicit pores and pores and skin circumstances. Urea’s hydrating and exfoliating traits objective flaking and dehydration, soothing dry, itchy pores and pores and skin.
For Dr. Krutmann, all of these benefits depend on the skincare product. He shared, “The right technique ought to help cut back transepidermal water loss, restore the pores and pores and skin’s moisture barrier, and have a texture that facilitates software program and absorption.”
Uncover what urea focus works biggest for you
Hydrating, softening, restoring — urea can do tons to your pores and pores and skin. Nonetheless in relation to your every day physique care routine, there’s only one place to start. What focus most precisely suits your pores and pores and skin form and its needs?
Low concentrations: decrease than 10%
Urea primarily acts as a hydrating humectant in ranges under ten p.c. You’ll uncover this focus in physique lotions, face lotions, and even foot care merchandise.
Common concentrations: between 10% and 20%
This mid-range focus provides moisturizing and delicate exfoliating outcomes. You may discover it in merchandise indicated for very dry pores and pores and skin.
Extreme concentrations: from 20% to 40%
At this stage, urea targets a buildup of proteins known as hyperkeratosis that ends in robust, thickened pores and pores and skin and nails. You’re nearly definitely to hunt out it in foot care merchandise.
The strategy points
Positive, urea is already a pure part of your pores and pores and skin. Nonetheless skincare merchandise mark the proper various to amplify its power. As Dr. Krutmann outlined, the true drawback is rising a technique that’s not solely regular however moreover comfortable to utilize and environment friendly on the same time.
It’s an issue that we actually really feel we’ve accepted and overcome. ISDIN Dermalab Supervisor Alba Villanueva shares, “We’ve been perfecting our urea formulation for over 40 years — we consider ourselves specialists on this moisturizing and exfoliating super ingredient.”
“We’ve been perfecting our urea formulation for over 40 years — we consider ourselves specialists on this moisturizing and exfoliating super ingredient.” Alba Villanueva, ISDIN Dermalab Supervisor
By means of the years, it’s develop right into a key ingredient in plenty of our physique care merchandise. Villanueva continues, “Better than 300 analysis help the effectiveness of our merchandise, which have been examined on higher than 3,000 clients.”
How one can get started with urea in your every day routine
Fortunately, urea isn’t too express — it’s an ingredient acceptable for all pores and pores and skin varieties and every day use. Nonetheless in case you’re questioning when and the place in order so as to add it in, proper right here’s a step-by-step info:
1. Take a warmth (not scorching) bathe
A relaxing bathe is a every day ritual to stay up for. And far more so when it items the rest of your physique care routine up for achievement.
Scorching water can strip your pores and pores and skin of its pure oils, disrupting the delicate steadiness of your pores and pores and skin barrier. Warmth or cool water, alternatively, helps to cleanse efficiently with out compromising your pores and pores and skin’s hydration ranges. So dial down the water temperature for utterly glad, comfortable pores and pores and skin that’s primed for the following steps.
2. Apply a hydrating physique lotion
Ever heard that you could clear in your lotion correct out of the bathe? It will merely be true. Analysis current that making use of moisturizing lotion or cream correct after showering can present additional benefits, much like boosting pores and pores and skin’s water content material materials.
Our recommendation: Uradin Lotion 10 provides long-lasting moisture and helps to re-establish optimum hydration ranges throughout the pores and pores and skin. This fast-absorbing, non-greasy physique lotion for dry pores and pores and skin works to revive your pores and pores and skin’s pure smoothness. Apply it a couple of occasions a day, massaging until totally absorbed.
3. Say goodbye to robust, dry heels
Your after-shower moisturizing routine isn’t full with out paying explicit consideration to your ft. Have you ever ever seen roughness in your heels? It’s frequent in every season — on account of placed on and tear from footwear, changes throughout the local weather, and even the pure outcomes of getting outdated.
Our recommendation: Uradin Podos Gel Oil. This moisturizing gel oil helps take away roughness and thickening due to the additional exfoliating movement of lactic acid and Bacillus ferment. Higher of all? Its lightweight technique absorbs quickly, with out leaving a greasy feeling.
Your questions answered
When do you must not use urea cream?
Normal, urea is a suitable ingredient for all pores and pores and skin varieties, along with delicate pores and pores and skin. Its moisturizing and exfoliating properties are moreover recognized for being gentle. Nonetheless, it’s important to hunt the recommendation of your dermatologist you in all probability have any doubts or explicit pores and pores and skin circumstances.
Are you able to make the most of hyaluronic acid with urea?
They’re a wonderful combination! Every work to hydrate pores and pores and skin, drawing in and retaining water. And since they’re each found naturally in your pores and pores and skin, they aren’t recognized for stirring up any undesirable reactions. You may discover hyaluronic acid and urea in Uradin Podos Gel Oil to help restore and hydrate robust, dry pores and pores and skin on the ft.
An regularly essential
Urea has already gained over dermatologists and skincare insiders worldwide — what about you? Keep in mind, its extremely efficient properties can help exfoliate and moisturize inside your every day physique care routine. Get started with a urea physique lotion or foot gel, maintain fixed, and revel in mushy, moisturized pores and pores and skin from head to toe.
References:
ISDIN Data on file
Celleno, L. (2018). Topical urea in skincare: A consider. Dermatologic Treatment, 31(6), e12690. https://doi.org/10.1111/dth.12690
Amy is a content material materials strategist who turned a part-time obsession with skincare proper right into a full-time passion. Her experience as a creative storyteller includes a fluctuate of life-style and experience issues all through Washington D.C. and Barcelona. What’s in her journey bag? Eye contour cream and sunscreen, on a regular basis.