Stocksy
Dry skin can be as painful as it is stubborn. If no amount of hydrating lotions or creams brimming with moisturizing shea butter, hyaluronic acid, or glycerin have completed the task of replenishing your cracked dermis, the solution could be shedding it entirely rather than trying to heal it. That's where urea comes into play.
This skincare ingredient naturally made by the body delivers a serious dose of moisture by breaking down the rough, dry areas, inhibiting product absorption while simultaneously hydrating the skin beneath. Consider it a one-two punch in your fight against dryness. To break down how to use urea for dry skin, its benefits, and side effects, we tapped top dermatologists Dendy Engelman, MD, FACMS, FAAD, and Carl Thornfeldt, MD.
Keep reading for everything you need to know about urea and its role in skincare.
Meet the Expert
- Dendy Engelman, MD, FACMS, FAAD, is a board-certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon based in New York City. She primarily works at Shafer Plastic Surgery in Manhattan.
- Carl Thornfeldt, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Epionce.
What Is Urea?
Urea is an intensely moisturizing ingredient that's a byproduct of the human body meant to maintain a healthy and hydrated skin barrier. It's best known for its "keratolytic" properties, meaning it can soften skin by breaking down keratin. "Urea is a naturally occurring byproduct of protein metabolism in our livers. Synthetic urea is manufactured for skin care use,” explains Engelman. Much like hyaluronic acid—another humectant and popular skincare ingredient our bodies already produce in small amounts—all skin contains urea. However, when used in skincare products, urea is manmade, and the amount of the substance used in items like urea creams and gels will vary from item to item. In addition to urea’s humectant properties, which attract moisture from vapors in the air and retain it into or under the skin's surface,
Urea
Type of Ingredient: Keratolytic emollient (tissue softener)
Main Benefits: Dissolves the intracellular matrix, which loosens dead, scaly skin. This makes it ideal for treating calluses, dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema, and keratosis pilaris. It also draws moisture into the skin for serious hydration.
Who Should Use It: Anyone with dehydrated, flaky/scaly skin or who has one of the above skin conditions.
How Often Can You Use It: Generally, you should apply it to the affected areas one to three times a day (or as directed by your physician). Unless the treatment area is on the hands, remember to wash them immediately after using the product to prevent inadvertently treating the skin on the hands.
Works Well With: Hyaluronic acid, cermaides, niacinamide, lactic acid, and salycilic acid.
Don't Use With: Urea has no known interactions with other ingredients.
What Is Urea Used for in Skincare?
When applied to the skin, urea can help loosen dead, dry skin and increase moisture levels, making it a solution for treating calluses, dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema, and keratosis pilaris. Thornfeldt explains that urea molecules have a keratolytic effect. Keratolytic substances moisturize by breaking down keratin, which binds skin cells together, essentially removing that rough top layer to allow moisture to reach deep down. This can be incredibly helpful for anyone looking to shed dead, dry skin from the surface of their complexions and is available either over the counter or with a prescription.
While urea isn't known to have anti-aging properties, it can help the skin look and feel fuller while reducing the appearance of wrinkles by locking moisture into the skin. So, those with mature skin, in addition to those with dry skin or related conditions, may see additional benefits.
Benefits
There are numerous benefits to adding a product that contains urea into your skincare routine, including:
- Adds intense moisture: When used on the skin or hair (be that in a moisturizer, ointment, or other topical treatment), urea is offered in various concentrations, each formulated to target different issues. Low doses of urea are usually labeled urea two or urea 10, with the number signifying the percentage of urea in the product. Higher concentrations, like urea 40, are used to add an intense amount of moisture to the skin, making it ideal for treating dry, rough skin, along with skin conditions that consistently yield such symptoms.
- Sloughs away dead skin: “Urea can penetrate thick skin, such as foot calluses, and is excellent for cracked feet,” says Engelman. The breaking down of dead skin also makes urea 40 great for treating eczema, psoriasis, and corns.
- Anti-fungal: “Urea is often used in creams to treat specific foot conditions, particularly those that are fungal in nature," says Thornfeldt. A thick layer of the cream can combat fungus on or around the nails and may even soften the surface of thick fingernails and toenails. For this, Thornfeldt indicates urea in high concentrations. "Urea improves the delivery of other biologically active molecules in the skin such as anti-fungal/yeast medicines. It does this by being hydrophilic and a lipid barrier disruptor at concentrations above 12 percent," he says.
How to Use Urea
Before you start applying this product to your skin, you’re going to want to find the correct dosage of urea to treat your exact skincare concerns, which can prevent possible side effects from occurring. Using products that contain a low amount of urea will, predictably, produce milder results but can be ideal for anyone looking to simply add moisture to extra-dry areas of their skin or treat a mild case of athlete’s foot. If you’re looking for a more highly concentrated urea solution to treat a condition like eczema, it’s best to talk to your doctor, who can point you toward a product best suited to target your troubles. The most commonly used urea creams above 10 percent span somewhere within the urea 20 to urea 40 range.
To target especially rough areas of the body, like cracked heels, you can lock in moisture with urea 40 and a simple DIY mask of sorts. “Apply to the cracked or dry area, then cover with a cloth, like a sock, to protect and lock in moisture,” suggests Engelman. Urea 40 shouldn’t be used as an all-over body or facial moisturizer and should generally only be applied to areas where extreme dryness is found—like elbows, knees, and feet.
Byrdie Tip
Patch testing is a good way to figure out how you’ll react to urea 40 in your skin. Apply a small amount of the product to a clean area and follow initial reactions or changes for the first 24 hours.
How Often Should You Apply Urea?
Generally, it is recommended to apply urea twice a day. However, your doctor will help you determine how often and when best to apply product based on your individual skin goals.
Potential Side Effects
Side effects associated with urea include “burning, itching, irritation, or skin breakdown in rare cases,” according to Engelman. If you notice irritation after using urea cream, you may want to talk to your doctor about lowering the dose or reducing the application times. To get the best results from urea cream, take extra care to avoid getting any into your eyes, nose, mouth, or anywhere near your groin area when applying it to your skin. Do not apply urea to broken skin or cuts.
When it comes to using urea 40, this product is best left for people looking to treat exceptionally dry skin. If you have a skin condition that has you battling dry skin consistently, like eczema or psoriasis, urea 40 might be a good option for treating rough, itchy complexions, especially during flare-ups. However, anyone looking for a good moisturizer would probably benefit from a lower dose of urea or a hydrating cream or ointment that contains urea as an ingredient in addition to others.
Urea vs. Hyaluronic Acid: How They Differ
Although hyaluronic acid and urea are both excellent moisturizing ingredients naturally produced by the body, the two have differences. Urea is considered an emollient, as its main function is to create a protective barrier to prevent transepidermal water loss. Hyaluronic acid is classed as a humectant (aka an ingredient that attracts and retains moisture). Many skincare products contain both ingredients, as when paired together, they complement each other to provide intense hydration and keep dryness at bay.
The Final Takeaway
Urea is a topical emollient and moisturizing, keratolytic, and antipruritic agent naturally created by the body. When applied to the skin, urea can help loosen dead, dry skin and increase moisture levels, making it a solution for treating calluses, dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema, and keratosis pilaris. It can also lessen the appearance of wrinkles as the moisture plumps and fills in the fine lines. Before using, speak with your doctor to find a dosage that is right for you, as higher dosages that may be effective for dryer or calloused skin may cause potential side effects like burning, itching, or irritation on milder skin.
