La Roche-Posay Lipikar Urea 30% Gel: A Review for Dry, Rough Feet

My honest review of La Roche-Posay Lipikar Urea 30% Gel

Dealing with persistent, rough, dry skin on the feet can be a huge problem for many people. There's a myriad of products promising to remove dry skin and resurface rough patches. But many of these products simply attempt to hydrate the skin.

Having suffered myself with persistently recurring dry patches on my feet, particularly on the sides of my big toes, I have tried several types of moisturising creams and lotions, with the hope that the skin on my feet would normalise. However, I realised I needed to pull out "the big guns" and find something a bit stronger. I began my research for something gentle, yet effective, to remove that stubborn hard, rough skin. This is when I stumbled across La Roche-Posay Lipikar Urea 30% Gel. I decided to order it from Amazon and try it out on my feet to see if it would help to shift this difficult-to-treat area of the body. Read on to see how I got on with this product and whether it has resolved the dry skin on my feet.

La Roche-Posay has a very long list of products that are widely recommended by Dermatologists for various skin problems. So their brand is not new to me. But in the more Luxury end of the market, I've previously chosen very carefully which products to try out. To date, none of their products have made it into my list of regular skincare purchases. None have made it onto my bathroom shelf as a regular purchase, so I wasn't expecting miracles with this purchase either.

But, as you know, I'm always up for trying out something new in the quest to bring you honest reviews on the products I've road-tested. Here's the lowdown on what I thought.

How (and why) it works

With 30% Urea, this gel formulation has very powerful keratolytic (exfoliating) properties. It helps to break down and slough off dead skin cells, smoothing rough patches and calluses. Something usually done by strong exfoliating acids. But this is a much more gentle and safer approach.

Niacinamide also helps by soothing the skin and reducing any irritation caused on the skin by the powerful exfoliation of the Urea.

Glycerin attracts and locks moisture into the skin. Many other brands use Mineral Oils like Paraffin to mask skin hydration. Mineral oils essentially block normal skin functions and once you stop using them, they always lead to rebound skin dehydration because the skin hasn't developed a normal barrier function. Glycerin is a perfect addition in this formula because it trains the skin to hydrate itself.

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride is included to replace the usual inclusion of mineral oils in other brands' formulations. This ingredient is an emollient that seals the skin but doesn't block normal skin cell functions.

Price Classification - £££ (Affordable)

Pricing

£17

Sizes: 50ml

Strengths

A powerful exfoliant for dry skin on the feet. It didn't cause any irritation and the fact that you wear it on the feet overnight means that the product is not diluted by sweat from socks or absorbed into your footwear.

Weaknesses

I had a slightly uncomfortable feeling on my feet after a few days. This wasn't unbearable, but something I would describe as sensitivity. Some people might find this uncomfortable, especially if you need to walk long distances or are on your feet all day. It could be slightly painful after a while if this is your daytime reality. But for me, I actually embraced this feeling as the product working.

Key Ingredients

30% Urea, Niacinamide.

Full Ingredient List

Aqua/Eau (Water), Urea, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Glycerin, Propanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Sclerotium Gum, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Triacetin, Sodium Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum

^* Whilst every care is taken to reflect the actual ingredient list, manufacturers sometimes make changes to their formulas. Therefore, always please check product packaging before purchasing.

Fragrance

None Added (Not declared).

Allergens

None Added (Not declared).

Rating

I gave this gel a resounding 5 Stars. It really did (finally) manage to shift these persistent dry skin patches on my feet.

My Opinion

I loved how this worked to remove the dry skin patches on my feet. It did require regular application nightly for about 3 weeks before I saw really big changes in my big toes. This is completely normal in my opinion because it takes roughly 3-4 weeks for fresh skin cells to reach the outer layer of the skin. On the feet, this time period is usually longer, so I could really tell the product was working if I was seeing smoother skin after only 3 weeks.

I did, however, feel more moisturised skin after the first night's use. So in that respect, it did provide immediate hydration.

One thing that I did to speed up the exfoliation of the dry patches was to use a manual foot file. I carefully filed down the rougher patches on my big toes and heels. This allows the product to penetrate effectively and probably was the reason I saw a faster response. However, a word of caution for anyone doing this. You need to be careful to only file down a small amount of the roughest skin. Don't go crazy and attempt to remove too much dry skin, as you will get irritation and sensitivity. This is because of how the product works. You need to maintain some dry, rough skin for the urea to react with and trigger skin detachment. If you have no dry skin left, you will be detaching normal epidermal skin cells and this will lead to sensitivity and potentially redness and irritation.

My recommendation is to do a very light scrub of the foot about once or twice a week with a foot file before applying the product.

Would I Buy It Again?

Yes! I'm finding that I do need to Top-UP with monthly use of this to prevent the rough, dry skin from returning. So it's now a regular purchase.

Where to buy it

Amazon Website Click this link to purchase.

Parent Company Details

L'Oréal. La Roche-Posay Laboratoire Dermatologique was acquired by the L'Oréal Group in 1989 and is a key brand within L'Oréal's Dermatological Beauty Division.

Country of Manufacture

France