Diazolidinyl urea - Maria Amin

12 Chemicals in Cosmetics (Photograph) Retrieved November 22, 2012 from, http://worldtruth.tv/12-chemicals-in-cosmetics/

Have you ever thought about the ingredients in the products you slap on your skin on a daily bases? Have you ever stopped to think that the products we use to make us look young and youthful could actually be slowly killing us?

I bet you that you haven’t because I never did!

One particular ingredient, which is actually an organic chemical that is found in our products, is a preservative called Diazolidinyl urea—don’t worry, I can’t pronounce it either! And if you think that is hard, try pronouncing this:

1,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)-1-(1,3,4-tris(hydroxymethyl)-2,5-dioxoimidazolidin-4-yl)urea

It’s IUPAC name [1].

Diazolidinyl urea is a white powdered substance used in cosmetics and acts as a biocide (bacterial poison) making it suitable for use in shampoos, soaps, cleaning products, etc. [5]. In other words, it keeps the bacteria away!

This sounds like a good thing right? Well it would be a good thing if it weren’t a potential carcinogen—capable of causing cancer. In humans, diazolidinyl urea also acts as a formaldehyde releaser, which means that diazolidinyl urea decomposes to produce formaldehyde, a known carcinogen [4]. 

Formaldehyde releasers can have dangerous health effects to the human body even at low levels of exposure [4]. They can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat and create serious respiratory problems [2]. On a serious level, formaldehyde can put those exposed to it at more risk of forming myeloid leukemia and rare cancers of the nasal passages and upper mouth [4].

So what can you do?

Purchase products labeled formaldehyde-free or purchase alternatives, which include but not limited to products containing essential oils, grapefruit seed extracts or even products containing Vitamin E [3]. 

Keep in mind though that cosmetics and beauty products require the addition of preservatives in order to keep bacteria and other microbial organisms from growing in it. Without preservatives, it also leaves us vulnerable to infections and a variety of other health issues. So, it is up to you as a consumer to decide what is more important to you—use beauty products that could “potentially” lead to cancer or use beauty products that will lead to risks of infections because of the bacteria growing in it? The choice is yours.

1. Lehmann, S. V., Hoeck, U., Breinholdt, J., Olsen, C. E. and Kreilgaard, B. (2006),        Characterization and chemistry of imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea.   Contact Dermatitis, 54: 50–58. doi: 10.1111/j.0105-1873.2006.00735.x

2. Lundov, M. D., Moesby, L., Zachariae, C. and Johansen, J. D. (2009), Contamination            versus preservation of cosmetics: a review on legislation, usage, infections,    and contact allergy. Contact Dermatitis, 60: 70–78.

3. Pure Alternatives: Preservatives. N.p., Dec. 2001. Web. 13 Oct. 2012.             <http://www.purealternatives.net/preservatives.html>.

4.  “The Determination of Certain Formaldehyde Releasers in Cosmetic Products."   The Scientific Commitee of Cosmetic Products and Non-Foods Products   Inteded for Consumers.  Dec. (2001). MRU. Web. 9 Oct. 2012. <http://ec.europa.eu/food/fs/sc/sccp/out188_en.pdf>.

5. Zachariae, C., Hall, B., Cottin, M., Cupferman, S., Andersen, K. E. and Menné, T.         (2005), Experimental elicitation of contact allergy from a diazolidinyl urea-     preserved cream in relation to anatomical region, exposure time and    concentration. Contact Dermatitis, 53: 268–277.