Ingredient glossary / Humectant
Urea
On the label: Urea · Humectant
What it is
Part of skin's natural moisturising factor. Humectant at 2 to 10 percent; at 20 to 40 percent it softens hard, thick skin (heels) and those strengths are usually sold as foot creams.
Humectants: Humectants draw water into the outer layer of skin from the air and the layers below; glycerin is the classic one.
Wikidata: Species of bacterium. Q137110 →
In the research
2,526 PubMed papers mention it with skin, cosmetics or hair; the three most recent:
- Ultrasound-Assisted Deep Eutectic Solvent Extraction of Polysaccharides from Baeckea frutescens L.: Hybrid RSM and GA-BP Optimization, Structural Characterization, and Anti-Complem · Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2026
- Safety of Garcinia mangostana L. (mangosteen) peel extract as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 · EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority, 2026
- Infection as a predictor and potential mediator of poor renal outcomes in rituximab-treated primary membranous nephropathy: a retrospective cohort analysis · BMC nephrology, 2026
A paper is a paper, not a verdict: titles are listed so you can read them, and a study on cells or mice says little about a cream on a face.
Other humectants
Dew & Balm describes ingredients from the public record and makes no claim about what a product will do for you. Statements about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA. If a product causes a reaction, stop using it; a reaction that spreads or affects breathing is a call to a doctor or 911.