What are Ureas advantages?
Urea penetrates and re-hydrates the stratum comeum. Also, the addition of Urea to dermatological preparations increases the penetration of other substances e.g. corticosteroids , which are attributed to Urea’s ability to increase skin hydration after application. It also has anti-pruritic activity (stops itching) based on local anaesthetic effects. The proteolytic characteristics of urea are also well recognised, where depending on the concentration, urea modifies the structure of amino-chains as well as of polypeptides. This is significant for skin moisturising since a correlation exists between water content and amino acid content in skin – the drier the skin the lower the share of dissolved amino acids. Urea also helps in higher concentrations (10%) to reduce scales and calluses.
