I used to recommend Silcocks Base. But then I read the ingredients and found it contains sodium laurel sulphate which as you probably know is the "soapy" detergent ingredient in just about every liquid soap, shampoo, body wash product. Whilst on this subject a work colleague of many years back maintained that all these products, and washing-up liquid included, were are variations on a theme. He therefore used washing-up liquid as shampoo as it is cheaper. I have done the same with no apparent ill-effect. But generally I prefer to use soap. It is cheaper, more efficient and I think may be better for you. As with "running shoes" there is a whole load of advertising hype that convinces most of us that we need separate shampoo, body wash, hand-wash and washing-up liquid. It is therefore likely that most of what we are told is untrue.
Since it seemed to me that detergent was the very opposite of what my feet wanted, I turned to my wife's latest-craze good-for-every-ailment coconut oil. I cannot be certain my change to coconut oil is responsible for a marked improvement in the condition of my feet but it seemed likely. It is at least a natural product which bodes well. If I remember I apply it every night. It is also good for the cracks I get on my hands.
What one is trying to achieve is to keep the skin moist and supple. Running in wet conditions does the same - also a nice long hot bath although in both cases the effect is only temporary. Running on clay or dusty surfaces has the opposite effect and tends to dry out the skin. Dare I say, wearing shoes also keeps the feet moist (sweaty) which is why, I suppose, shoe wearers do not suffer so much from cracks. They suffer from hot and smelly feet instead.
Cracks are caused when thick, hard and brittle skin is forced to bend. Therefore a second line of defence to to keep those areas exfoliated where skin gets unnecessarily thick or has to crease or bend. The best tool that I have found for this is a small rotary sanding band in an electric drill (e.g. Dremel). The one I use is about 15mm diameter and probably has grit P80 abrasive. Apply gently to avoid burning - your nerves will tell you when to stop. Particular areas are the sides of my big toes and the crease under the toes. In neither of these places is thick skin required as they are not "load bearing" whilst running.
Generally cracks do not appear on the "load bearing" surfaces namely the ball of the foot and the heel. If they did it might be a show stopper. The fact that they don't must be a clue to their cause. I suppose that the abrasion caused between the surface of the ground and those areas must exfoliate them and encourage natural regeneration so that the skin is relatively new and thus more supple.
I have a choice of two treatments when cracks appear despite the above precautions (and they still do). In places where the skin is not having to bend (for example the sides of the big toes, or the back of the heels) I apply super-glue. Super-glue has been used by the medical profession so must be relatively safe although some sites say it is toxic. I therefore cannot recommend it even though I use it myself.
In areas subject to stress and bending such as the crease under the toes super-glue makes things worse because it is brittle when dry. The best thing is pink Germolene - the pink version may now be difficult to find. I apply it to the crack then apply fabric Elastoplast which I secure at the edges with superglue as otherwise it will come off too easily. Such a dressing will survive a 5 mile run on roads, although may not survive a cross country run.
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