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Urea is an organic compound made up of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen that is excreted as urine in mammals after undergoing the metabolic process. Urea is also primarily referred to as carbamide, which is the same substance, but in solid form. In order to create urea, one must combine NH3 and CO2 in order to form the compound molecule ammonium carbonate and then dehydrating it to finalize the process. (while interesting, the information described in the sentence above makes it difficult to determine the main idea of this article) Since urea is an immensely versatile (remember that wikipedia article must be written with neutral languageand reactive chemical/compound, it has various uses such as fertilization, the pharmaceutical industry, the creation of synthetic products, and as a humectant. As a humectant, urea is used as a natural moisturizer and exfoliator in the skin care industry.  Unlike other ingredients, urea is also found within our own (remember the appropriate tone for Wikipedia, this means that sentences should be written in passive third person)skin and helps to keep the skin’s moisture balanced and healthy.  This ingredient can be found in the layers of our own skin, urea absorbs water quickly and efficiently, which explains why less water is lost and the skin’s hydration is maintained. The permeability of urea is high which helps it penetrate the deepest layers of the skin in order to revitalize and hydrate efficiently. It is important to note that the urea that is used as a humectant is not the same organic compound as carbamide. It is instead known as diazolidinyl urea, which is a completely different compound considering it is a preservative synthetically manufactured. The diazolidinyl urea is made of ammonia and carbon dioxide which helps to stop bacterial growth in cosmetics and skin care products. However, its use has become controversial since it has been proven to release small amounts of formaldehyde that could serve as an irritation or can even be toxic to the skin/body. If formaldehyde is inhaled, or ingested, the risk of cancer increases in an individual. Thus, the use of diazolidinyl urea as a humectant comes into question in regards to its safety and health despite its beneficial factors in cosmetic and skin care products as a preservative.

The Chemical Company (2005). Urea. [ONLINE] Available at: e.g. http://www.thechemco.com/chemical/urea/ [Last Accessed 22 October 2013]. Yamarik, Torill A., Elmore, Amy R. (2005) “Final Report of the Safety Assessment of Urea” International Journal of Toxicology. Article. (http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.seattleu.edu/ehost/detail?sid=59806a77-7c03-4344-a38d-f3057766d61b%40sessionmgr13&vid=1&hid=20&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=18930686). (the email link contains a link to the proxy webpage of seattle u, this resource would not be accessible to readers outside of Seattle U) Nostrand, V.N., (2008). 'Urea'. In: (ed), Scientific Encyclopedia. 10th ed. : John Wiley & Sons Inc.. pp.[CAS:57-13-6].