Ingredient glossary
Hydroxyethyl Urea
On your shelf ✓What Hydroxyethyl Urea does for your skin, who it suits, and what to watch for.
INCI: Hydroxyethyl Urea
In short: Hydroxyethyl Urea delivers hydration and smoothness, suits dry skin best, and the evidence behind it is moderate.
- What it does
- Hydration, smoothness
- Best for
- Dry skin
- Evidence
- Moderate
- How long
- Straight away
The molecule
The Glow take
One of the ingredients I trust most.
When your goal is deep, lasting hydration, Hydroxyethyl Urea delivers, with a solid amount of evidence behind it. It tends to suit dry skin best.
— Maya
What it does
- hydration
- smoothness
moderate evidenceStudies and supplier data show hydroxyethyl urea provides rapid and lasting moisturization with good tolerability on sensitive skin.
On a label: usually effective at 2-10%.
Who it's for, and who should skip it
Tends to suit
- dry
- dehydrated
- rough
Approach with care
No specific group flagged to avoid it.
- Clogs poresLow
- Irritation riskLow
How it fits each skin type
- DrySuits
- CombinationNeutral
- OilyNeutral
- SensitiveNeutral
Often chosen for rough.
Where it fits in your routine
This one works on contact — there is nothing to wait for.
What that covers, and what it does not
Measured on: Stratum corneum hydration, corneometer capacitance.
A non-keratolytic urea derivative supplied as a ~50% aqueous solution and used at 2-10%; hydration is humectant water binding, present on application rather than built up. Supplier clinical data (Hydrovance technical literature) describe corneometer testing of 5% hydroxyethyl urea against 5% glycerin applied twice daily to dry lower-leg skin for three weeks, with hydration reported as maintained up to 24 hours after application and efficacy statistically indistinguishable from glycerin -- but this is manufacturer data, not a peer-reviewed trial, and it does not isolate an onset visit. The separate clinical outcome for rough, xerotic skin, improvement in investigator-graded dryness/scaling, has no published onset time for this ingredient.
Supplier clinical documentation: Hydrovance (hydroxyethyl urea) technical bulletin, corneometer study, 5% active vs 5% glycerin, twice daily for three weeks. Described, not a PubMed-indexed trial.
Plays well with
- humectants
- ceramides
Hydroxyethyl Urea, answered
Is Hydroxyethyl Urea safe during pregnancy?
Yes. Hydroxyethyl Urea is considered safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. As with anything, if you are unsure it is worth a quick word with your doctor or midwife.
Who should avoid Hydroxyethyl Urea?
No specific group is flagged to avoid Hydroxyethyl Urea. It is well tolerated by most skin. Still, introduce anything new one product at a time.
What concentration of Hydroxyethyl Urea actually works?
Hydroxyethyl Urea tends to do its job in the 2 to 10% range. Much lower and it is likely underdosed.
Compare Hydroxyethyl Urea with
- Hyaluronic acid
- Pro-vitamin B5
- Sodium PCA
- Aloe
- Butylene Glycol
- Propanediol
- Betaine
- Trehalose
- Xylitol
- Glycereth-26
- Polyglutamic Acid
- Tremella Fuciformis Extract
- Beta-Glucan
- Hydrolyzed Collagen
- Honey
- Pentylene Glycol
- Crosslinked sodium HA
- Propylene Glycol
- Hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid
- Acetylated Hyaluronic Acid
- Fructooligosaccharides
- Hexylene Glycol
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