No. 11 of 29
Hydroxyethyl urea
A gentle form of urea, a moisture-holder your skin already makes. 5% in the Body Cream softens rough patches.
- On the label as
- Hydroxyethyl Urea
- What it is
- A gentle, modern form of urea, the moisture-holder your skin already makes as part of its natural moisturising factor.
- Why it’s there
- At 5% in the Body Cream it hydrates and softens rough, thickened patches on elbows, knees, heels and shins, without the sticky feel of older urea balms.
- Where it comes from
- Made in a laboratory from urea, so every batch is the same. No animals involved, whatever the word suggests.
- How much
- 5% of the Body Cream
- Found in
- Body Cream
In more words
- How much
- 5% of the formula, printed on the front
- Feels like
- A rich cream that never turns greasy
- Works with
- 2% panthenol in the same cream, and the Scrub on Sundays
- Good to know
- For rough, dry skin. It is not an after-sun.
Urea is one of the small molecules that keep the outer layer of your skin supple. It is part of what dermatologists call the natural moisturising factor, and drier, rougher skin tends to have less of it.
Classic urea creams work, but at higher strengths they can feel tacky and sting on cracked skin. Hydroxyethyl urea is a gentler cousin: it holds water in much the same way, with a lighter feel, which is why the Body Cream sinks in instead of sitting on top.
Why 5%? It is enough to make a difference you can feel on rough patches within a week or two, and gentle enough to use all over, every day. Higher strengths belong to medicated creams for particular conditions; if that’s you, your pharmacist or GP is the person to ask.
From the journal: Urea, explained in one cup of teaFound in
One of ours: the Body Cream
Pick it up where it works best. Every order brings a sample, and sixty days to change your mind, even opened.
