Hyaluronic acid (sodium hyaluronate)
Hyaluronic acid draws water into the skin's surface. One 4-week trial in dry elderly skin found more hydration but no change in water loss.
What it is
Hyaluronic acid is a sugar-based molecule that occurs naturally in the skin and holds water. Sodium hyaluronate is its sodium salt and is the form usually listed on ingredient labels. It comes in different molecular weights; ingredient lists do not say which, so you usually cannot tell what a product contains.
Evidence grades by concern
| Concern | Grade | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| Transient dehydration | B | Muhammad 2024 |
Grade A: strong guideline recommendations or Korean MFDS notified actives. B: randomized controlled trials or systematic reviews. C: mechanism, small or uncontrolled studies.
What the evidence shows
Transient dehydrationB
In a 4-week double-blind randomized trial of 36 nursing-home residents aged 60 to 80 with dry skin, each person applied three lotions to separate areas of the leg: low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid, high-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid, and a lotion without it. The low-molecular-weight lotion raised skin hydration (capacitance) more than both the high-molecular-weight lotion and the plain lotion. No group differed in water loss through the skin (TEWL) or in dryness symptom scores, and no side effects were reported (Muhammad 2024). The trial was small and short, and was done on the legs of older adults, not on faces.
What it does not do
In the trial above, hyaluronic acid raised the water content of the skin's surface but did not reduce water loss through the skin, which is the usual measure of barrier function. Hydrating the surface and repairing the barrier are different things, and our evidence file has no trial showing that hyaluronic acid repairs the barrier. Only the low-molecular-weight form outperformed the plain lotion, so the result may not apply to every product. Claims about how much water hyaluronic acid can hold were not tested in this trial.
Safety
- Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel conclusion: safe (report year 2009; IJT 28(S1):5-67; conclusion kept on re-review in 2023).
Products in our catalog
- Senka - Perfect Whip Facial Wash FA
- make p:rem - UV Defense Me. No Sebum Sun Cream SPF50+ PA++++ - 50ml
- make p:rem - UV Defense Me. Calming Sun Cream SPF50+ PA++++ - 50ml
- ANUA - PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Capsule 100 Serum - 30ml
- Dr.G - Brightening Peeling Gel (New) - 120g
- Mediheal - Phyto-Enzyme Peeling Pad - 100ea
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