Imidazolidinylurea & diazolidinylurea

Imidazolidinylurea and diazolidinylurea are preservatives used in cosmetics to limit the growth of micro-organisms. They belong to the group of chemicals that function as vehicles for formaldehyde: imidazolidinylurea and diazolidinylurea release formaldehyde into the product.
 

If you are allergic to imidazolidinylurea and/or diazolidinylurea, you should avoid contact with products that contain these preservatives, for example, cosmetics, cleaning agents and various industrial products.

For cosmetics there is legislation governing how the names of the ingredients appear. If imidazolidinylurea and/or diazolidinylurea are added to a cosmetic product, the name must appear in the list of ingredients exactly as it is written here.

The same legislation applies to detergents and cleaning agents for both household and commercial use.

In industrial products, imidazolidinylurea may appear under other names, for example, Germal 115 or Euxyl K 200; and diazolidinylurea may be called Germal II.

It is not possible to give a comprehensive list of all the names the two preservatives may appear under in industrial products. People who are allergic to imidazolidinylurea and/or diazolidinylurea and who have contact with industrial products should contact a dermatologist for advice.

Find out more about formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers:

Formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers