I Tried Cotaryl Cream on My Face: Here is My Experience!

Cotaryl cream which is a urea based moisturizer, is quite a popular cream to treat dry skin concerns. I, too be honest, had no idea about this cream. I got to know about cotaryl when I was looking for urea based creams on Apollo Pharmacy online and I think this one was the first to show up with a decent price too.

TL;DR – Cotaryl Cream Review in a Glance

Great for treating dryness anywhere on the body. But, not for the face. I used it to treat dry skin around nails and dry heels and it did a nice job treating that. It is not a good option for face as it resulted in burning/stinging sensation with clogged pores and breakouts. It treated eczema dryness around lips and nose though but I stopped using after the side-effects.

I researched a little on this cream before making a purchase, read some Amazon reviews and decided to go for it.

A little backstory…

Why I was looking for urea based cream in the first place?

You remember when this trend got viral over Instagram where every other person was recommending pharmacy creams? I don’t know if it is still a thing as I quit IG a while back. I didn’t followed random recommendations but one reel popped up back then which was from a dermatologist, suggesting a urea based moisturizer to treat dryness and what not, I don’t even remember all the benefits she mentioned as my concern was dryness. That too, severe dryness.

Back then, I was having intense and such severe eczema flare-ups that nothing was working. Nothing! My face was dry and dehydrated like a rock. I tried vaseline, boroline, and even coconut oil on my face but the condition was beyond that.

Then, when I saw the dermat talking about urea cream as a targeted solution to treat severe dryness, I was like this might be the only thing that can save me now.

And that’s how I got to know about urea cream as a treatment to dryness and got myself this little jar of Cotaryl. 🤓

Okay! That’s interesting.

See, my whole purpose of getting the Cotaryl cream is to treat the eczema dryness on my face. And before purchasing, when I found out that Cotaryl is a quite a popular product in treating dryness, I was somewhat relieved and confident that this will be my ultimate solution.

My Experience with Cotaryl Cream as a Facial Moisturizer

I purchased Cotaryl and started using it as my facial moisturizer starting with once a day.

Packaging & Fragrance

It comes in a simple plastic jar with a twist cap. Easy to store, use, and carry. As far as the fragrance goes, it has a nice scent I feel. Not at all medical type or something. My sensitive nose did not feel irritated.

The first thing I noticed was the texture. It wasn’t creamy or easy to massage. It definitely did not feel like a moisturizer and the application on the face was just not comfortable at all.

But if I talk about the moisturizing capabilities, then yes, my skin did feel moisturized with this cream and I did not used any other serum or moisturizer with cotaryl. This alone is sufficient to deal with the dryness.

Resulted in an uncomfortable burning sensation

Following the application came the burning sensation. I was not ready for this burning feeling at all especially when I had been suffering from eczema pain.

The moment I applied and massaged cotaryl cream on my face, my facial skin started to feel a burn, similar to a bleach. I was in my mind like, did I just make the condition worse?

That stinging sensation lasted for a few minutes and then settled down. When I did not notice any side effect, redness, or any major reaction after that burning sensation, I felt relief that at least I did not make my condition worst.

It did heal eczema dryness though

I still continued for the next few days to see if I atleast get the results and surprisingly, the severe dryness around my lips and nose started to heal. My eczema dryness, the dehydrated rosacea skin finally started to show signs of healing. But, with major downsides.

Resulted in clogged pores and breakouts

Within a few days of using the Cotaryl cream on my face, the skin developed a huge amount of clogged pores. Like, literally my entire face was full of tiny colorless bumps from forehead to cheeks, sideburns, chin, everywhere.

I immediately stopped using the cream and in the next few days, those clogged pores were completely out of the picture, but unfortunately, a few turned into painful pimples. 🙃

That burning sensation, those clogged pores were enough to wave a warning sign that COTARYL IS NOT FOR FACE.

Cotaryl cream is no doubt great in dealing with dryness but it is not at all a good option to treat allergic dryness on the face at all. I am saying this with my experience.

Why did I use cotaryl as a face moisturizer in the first place?

Well I had eczema on my whole face. Meaning severe dryness and flaky skin around cheeks, lips, chin, around the nose, forehead, everywhere on the face. So even if I had to apply on the affected areas only, it would still cover my whole face.

I now use it on Body (affected areas) only

Cotaryl can be safely used on the body. When I stopped using this cream on my face, I put it to use to treat dry areas on my body such as cuticles and dry heels and it does a great job in treating dryness, no doubt! Whether a regular one, seasonal, or allergic dryness, this cream legit helped in dealing with dry and flaky skin.

I really liked Cotaryl as my foot cream. It treated the dryness around heels and toes but I just did not enjoy this as my foot cream. 🙈 I use Khadi Jasmine Foot Cream and use cotaryl on the dry heels or wherever needed before bed.

And surprisingly, there was no burning sensation or other side-effects when I used this cream on the body. But on my face, it tingled really, really bad! I don’t know if it was a reaction or that’s what urea cream does when applied but I just couldn’t control that burning sensation and those clogged pores and stopped using it for my face and limited it to the body use only.

In simple words from my experience, Cotaryl skin cream is an ointment and not a facial moisturizer. Do not use this on your face at all. I wouldn’t recommend it. Use it on your body wherever required no doubt & it does a great job in recovering dry, flaky, patchy skin concerns.

Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream Review – The One That Treated Eczema Dryness

What Does The Brand Says?

For the treatment of dry and hyperkeratotic skin and all types of itchthyosis.

Ingredients of Cotaryl Urea Cream

As far as the composition goes, here is what is labelled on the jar.

• Urea IP (12%)
• Lactic Acid IP (6%)
• Glycine IP (3%)
• Ammonium Chloride IP (0.5%)
• Sodium Chloride IP (0.5%)
• Potassium Chloride IP (0.5%)
• Calcium Lactate IP (0.5%)
• Magnesium Chloride IP (0.3%)
• Sodium Dihydrogen Phosphate Dihydrate IP (0.5%)
• Base

How to Use

Apply on the affected areas two or three times a day or as directed by the physician.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I use cotaryl cream on my face?

No, I would not advice no matter what the online e-comms says. After my experience of burning sensation and breakouts, I would not suggest to use cotaryl on face not just for sensitive skin but for everyone.

2. What is cotaryl cream used for?

To treat dryness, flaky skin, and dry patches that are usually intense in nature. Ideally, as a foot cream.

3. What is the effect of cotaryl cream?

The cream definitely helped in softening the skin and treated the severe dryness I had.

4. Is urea cream safe for the face?

I feel if the cream has more than 5% urea and is a pharmacy product rather than a general skincare moisturizer, better avoid it for face unless in circumstance where it is prescribed by your doctor.

✍🏻 Final Thoughts

Cotaryl cream with 12% urea is a great option to treat dry skin concerns. It helped treated dehydrated and flaky skin around cuticles, hands, knees, and foot. It works great as a foot cream too. What I regret is using this on my face. That was a bad decision. It started giving an uncomfortable burning sensation and led to clogged pores and breakouts. I don’t know if it was a process or a reaction on my eczema skin but it is not for face, in my opinion.

Pros

• Effective in treating dryness
• Softens and moisturizes the skin
• Only suitable for the body (affected areas)
• Works nice as a foot cream

Cons

• Not for face
• Gave burning sensation when used on face
• Led to breakouts

This was it for today. I hope my experience and the thorough review is helpful to anyone looking for a deep insightful review on Cotaryl. Do share your opinions and in the comments below. Have a lovely day! 💕