Imidazolidinyl urea

Overview
Imidazolidinyl urea is an antimicrobial preservative used in cosmetics. It is chemically related to diazolidinyl urea which is used in the same way. Imidazolidinyl urea acts as a formaldehyde releaser.

Safety
Some people have a contact allergy to imidazolidinyl urea causing dermatitis. Such people are often also allergic to diazolidinyl urea.

Chemistry
Imidazolidinyl urea was poorly characterized until recently and still has a wrong CAS structure assigned to it. New data show that the hydroxymethyl functional group of the imidazolidine ring is attached to the carbon, not the nitrogen atom :

Synthesis
Imidazolidinyl urea is produced by the chemical reaction of allantoin and formaldehyde in the presence of sodium hydroxide solution and heat. The reaction mixture is then neutralized with hydrochloric acid and evaporated:

2 + 3 H2C=O →

Commercial imidazolidinyl urea is a mixture of different formaldehyde addition products including polymers.