Urea

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Urea in skincare refers to a compound that is naturally present in the skin and used as a moisturizing ingredient in many skincare products. It’s known for its hydrating and keratolytic properties, meaning it helps to retain moisture and gently exfoliate the upper layers of dead skin. This makes urea an effective ingredient for treating dry, rough, and scaly skin conditions, such as eczema, psoriasis, and ichthyosis.

In skincare products, urea is often synthesized and used in various concentrations. Lower concentrations (like 2-10%) provide excellent hydration and are suitable for sensitive skin. Higher concentrations (up to 40%) have more potent exfoliating properties and are used to treat thicker, rougher skin areas or specific skin conditions under medical supervision.

Urea enhances the skin’s capacity to retain water and improves skin barrier function. It’s also known for its ability to increase the absorption of other skincare ingredients, making it a popular component in many formulations.

See also: Hydroxyethyl Urea

Urea (Wikipedia)

Urea, also called carbamide (because it is a diamide of carbonic acid), is an organic compound with chemical formula CO(NH2)2. This amide has two amino groups (–NH2) joined by a carbonyl functional group (–C(=O)–). It is thus the simplest amide of carbamic acid.

Urea
Names
Pronunciation urea /jʊəˈrə/, carbamide /ˈkɑːrbəmd/
Preferred IUPAC name
Urea
Systematic IUPAC name
Carbonyl diamide
Other names
  • Carbamide
  • Carbonyldiamide
  • Carbonyldiamine
  • Diaminomethanal
  • Diaminomethanone
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
635724
ChEBI
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
DrugBank
ECHA InfoCard 100.000.286 Edit this at Wikidata
E number E927b (glazing agents, ...)
1378
KEGG
RTECS number
  • YR6250000
UNII
  • InChI=1S/CH4N2O/c2-1(3)4/h(H4,2,3,4) checkY
    Key: XSQUKJJJFZCRTK-UHFFFAOYSA-N checkY
  • InChI=1/CH4N2O/c2-1(3)4/h(H4,2,3,4)
    Key: XSQUKJJJFZCRTK-UHFFFAOYAF
  • C(=O)(N)N
Properties
CO(NH2)2
Molar mass 60.06 g/mol
Appearance White solid
Density 1.32 g/cm3
Melting point 133 to 135 °C (271 to 275 °F; 406 to 408 K)
Boiling point decomposes
545 g/L (at 25 °C)
Solubility 500 g/L glycerol

  50 g/L ethanol
  ~4 g/L acetonitrile

Basicity (pKb) 13.9
−33.4·10−6 cm3/mol
Structure
4.56 D
ThermochemistryCRC Handbook
−333.19 kJ/mol
−197.15 kJ/mol
Pharmacology
B05BC02 (WHO) D02AE01 (WHO)
Hazards
GHS labelling:
GHS07: Exclamation mark
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
NFPA 704 four-colored diamondHealth 1: Exposure would cause irritation but only minor residual injury. E.g. turpentineFlammability 1: Must be pre-heated before ignition can occur. Flash point over 93 °C (200 °F). E.g. canola oilInstability 0: Normally stable, even under fire exposure conditions, and is not reactive with water. E.g. liquid nitrogenSpecial hazards (white): no code
1
1
0
Flash point Non-flammable
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
8500 mg/kg (oral, rat)
Safety data sheet (SDS) ICSC 0595
Related compounds
Related ureas
Thiourea
Hydroxycarbamide
Related compounds
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
checkY verify (what is checkY☒N ?)

Urea serves an important role in the metabolism of nitrogen-containing compounds by animals and is the main nitrogen-containing substance in the urine of mammals. Urea is Neo-Latin, from French urée, from Ancient Greek οὖρον (oûron) 'urine', itself from Proto-Indo-European *h₂worsom.

It is a colorless, odorless solid, highly soluble in water, and practically non-toxic (LD50 is 15 g/kg for rats). Dissolved in water, it is neither acidic nor alkaline. The body uses it in many processes, most notably nitrogen excretion. The liver forms it by combining two ammonia molecules (NH3) with a carbon dioxide (CO2) molecule in the urea cycle. Urea is widely used in fertilizers as a source of nitrogen (N) and is an important raw material for the chemical industry.

In 1828, Friedrich Wöhler discovered that urea can be produced from inorganic starting materials, which was an important conceptual milestone in chemistry. This showed for the first time that a substance previously known only as a byproduct of life could be synthesized in the laboratory without biological starting materials, thereby contradicting the widely held doctrine of vitalism, which stated that only living organisms could produce the chemicals of life.

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