Hydroxyethyl Urea

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  • Identifiers

    CAS number
    2078-71-9

    Molecular formula
    C3H8N2O2

    SMILES
    C(CO)NC(=O)N

    Safety labels

  • Properties

    XLogP3-AA
    -1.7

    Molecular weight
    104.11 g/mol

  • Synonyms

    • 2078-71-9
    • (2-Hydroxyethyl)urea
    • Urea, (2-hydroxyethyl)-
    • Monoethanolurea
    • hydroxyethyl urea
    • Monoethylolurea
    • Urea, N-(hydroxyethyl)-
    • 1-Ethanolurea
    • 1320-51-0
    • hydroxyethylurea
    • N-(2-Hydroxyethyl)urea
    • (beta-Hydroxyethyl)urea
    • Urea, (hydroxyethyl)-
    • (Hydroxyethyl)urea
    • N-(beta-Hydroxyethyl)urea
    • HYDROVANCE
    • MBQ7DDQ7AR
    • NSC 1127
    • N-(.beta.-Hydroxyethyl)urea
    • BRN 1098722
    • NSC-1127
    • EINECS 215-304-0
    • EC 215-304-0
    • DTXSID401315038
    • HYDROXYETHYL UREA [WHO-DD]
    • 4-04-00-01545 (Beilstein Handbook Reference)
    • UREA, N-(2-HYDROXYETHYL)-
    • RefChem:789476
    • DTXCID8030217
    • DTXSID4051663
    • HYDROXYETHYL UREA [INCI]
    • 215-304-0
    • 640-848-4
    • 2-Hydroxyethylurea
    • 1-(2-Hydroxyethyl)urea
    • MFCD00059080
    • N-(Hydroxyethyl)-urea
    • UNII-MBQ7DDQ7AR
    • NSC1127
    • n-2-hydroxyethylurea
    • (.beta.-Hydroxyethyl)urea
    • SCHEMBL27663
    • (2-Hydroxyethyl)urea, 95%
    • SCHEMBL1419079
    • SCHEMBL2448290
    • SCHEMBL5263719
    • SCHEMBL31404266
    • CLAHOZSYMRNIPY-UHFFFAOYSA-
    • AKOS001015414
    • CS-W011301
    • AS-10053
    • SY038945
    • H0700
    • NS00007137
    • EN300-266974
    • F319865
    • Q27283827
    • F1019-0075
    • InChI=1/C3H8N2O2/c4-3(7)5-1-2-6/h6H,1-2H2,(H3,4,5,7)
    • 2078-71-9

  • Applications

    Hydroxyethyl Urea (CAS 2078-71-9) is commonly used as a humectant in cosmetics and personal care products, helping to retain moisture in creams, lotions, shampoos and conditioners. It can also serve as a moisture-retaining additive and viscosity modifier in household and industrial cleaning formulations such as cleaners and detergents. In polymers and plastics, Hydroxyethyl Urea can function as a processing aid or stabilizer in polyurethane/polyurea systems, potentially improving compatibility and performance. In coatings and inks, it is used as a moisture-management additive in waterborne systems to support open time and gloss. These examples reflect typical roles, with actual use governed by formulation needs and local regulations.

    gpt-5-nano

1 3

IFRA standard 51

Recommendation
No restriction
Maximum acceptable concentrations in the finished product (%)
Category 1
Products applied to the lips
 No restriction Category 7A
Rinse-off products applied to the hair with some hand contact
 No restriction
Category 2
Products applied to the axillae
 No restriction Category 7B
Leave-on products applied to the hair with some hand contact
 No restriction
Category 3
Products applied to the face/body using fingertips
 No restriction Category 8
Products with significant anogenital exposure
 No restriction
Category 4
Products related to fine fragrance
 No restriction Category 9
Products with body and hand exposure, primarily rinse off
 No restriction
Category 5A
Body lotion products applied to the body using the hands (palms), primarily leave on
 No restriction Category 10A
Household care products with mostly hand contact
 No restriction
Category 5B
Face moisturizer products applied to the face using the hands (palms), primarily leave on
 No restriction Category 10B
Household care products with mostly hand contact, including aerosol/spray products (with potential leave-on skin contact)
 No restriction
Category 5C
Hand cream products applied to the hands using the hands (palms), primarily leave on
 No restriction Category 11A
Products with intended skin contact but minimal transfer of fragrance to skin from inert substrate without UV exposure
 No restriction
Category 5D
Baby Creams, baby Oils and baby talc
 No restriction Category 11B
Products with intended skin contact but minimal transfer of fragrance to skin from inert substrate with potential UV exposure
 No restriction
Category 6
Products with oral and lip exposure
 No restriction Category 12
Products not intended for direct skin contact, minimal or insignificant transfer to skin
 No restriction