As an increasingly popular cosmetics, and pharmaceutical raw materials, how can we avoid the problems encountered in bulk purchasing of hyaluronic acid? Hyaluronic acid (also known as HA, Sodium Hyaluronate) is widely present in the body’s connective, epithelial, and nerve tissue. It has strong biological properties, including human body autologous, good biocompatibility, water retention, lubricity, and viscoelasticity. Significantly, A hyaluronic acid molecule can absorb up to 1,000 times its weight of water and is called the “natural moisturizing factor.”
HA has powerful applications in Cosmetics, Food, Pharm fields due to its properties. When developing hyaluronic acid application products, it is very important for the company to find the proper hyaluronic acid raw materials according to its product needs. Here are five things you should know before purchasing HA ingredients.
1. High VS Low molecular weight of HA
Hyaluronic acid currently sold on the market is mainly divided into three types of molecular weight Low, Middle, and High. Generally, High molecular weight (HMW) has more viscosity and longer time to metabolize in the body than low molecular weight(LMW), which is used as a space filler and a natural immunologic depressant. On another side, LMW may do better benefits in penetrating the skin and causing irritation or inflammation.
| Category | Molecular weight | Feature | Application |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | >1600kDa | space filter | |
| Middle | 200k – 1600 kDa | Cosmetics, Injection | |
| Low | 10k – 200k Da | skincare |
2. HA Raw Materials Application
Along with more and more properties discovered by researchers, Hyaluronic Acid applies in broader areas, including aesthetic medicine, Skincare, drugs, food, and beverages. According to statistics, the market size of hyaluronic acid raw materials exceeded 800 tons around the global world past year. And its high market size growth will continue in the following years.
The whole HA ingredients market can be divided into food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical application. The following chart shows the proportion of global sales of hyaluronic acid raw materials in 2020.
Food HA has increased rapidly in recent years. Studies have shown that oral hyaluronic acid is safe and has no side effects, can be effectively absorbed by the body, affects gastrointestinal health, eye health, joint anti-inflammatory, and improves skin physiological properties.
Cosmetics HA is a hit with consumers and currently accounts for about 45% of the total market. Its size will reach 489 tons expected in 2023.
Cosmetic hyaluronic acid can moisturize and lock water in the epidermis and has the characteristics of efficient water replenishment. It can penetrate the subcutaneous tissue, repair damaged cells, and promote cell proliferation and differentiation. In addition, it also gives the skin a better shine and elasticity.
Cosmetic hyaluronic acid is mainly used in essence, facial mask, spray, and cream. With the continuous exploration of applications, scalp care, makeup, toothpaste, and disinfectant are also emerging applications to promote.
Medical hyaluronic acid has been widely used in aesthetic medicine, orthopedics, and ophthalmology.
3. Difference Among HA Cosmetics, Food, Pharmaceutical Grades
The use of raw materials to determine the level of raw materials needed. Hyaluronic acid can be divided into food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical grades; These differences focus on safety and functionality indicators. Details are as follows:Â
Sodium hyaluronate is added as a nutrient base in food additives. Oral hyaluronate sodium can supplement body moisture, improve bone joint function, and protect the gastric mucosa. In food, the purity of sodium hyaluronate is not high, and the requirements for microorganisms are higher. The extreme PH of the digestive tract and the existence of other probiotics make it possible to give full play to the functions of proteins and other substances without strict requirements so that low-purity products can meet the needs of most manufacturers.
However, for the raw materials of skincare products, skincare products are applied to the skin surface, which does not have such an extreme environment. Especially for some sensitive muscles, too many unclear impurities may cause skin reactions. So the cosmetic level of the content of the requirements will be higher. However, because it only plays a role on the skin surface and the skin itself can play an excellent immune function when the skin is not damaged, skincare ingredients will not easily penetrate the location of living cells in the deep skin. At this time, some impurities will not affect the safety and efficacy. Therefore, cosmetic-grade sodium hyaluronate and food-grade indicators are relatively similar.
4. Decoding the COA of HA
5. Finding your best HA Ingredients
As a well-known compound in cosmetics, food, and medicine, we often use hyaluronic acid materials to manufacture Skincare, eye-drop, and joint health products. But it’s challenging to find the right ingredients for you. You have to consider quality, price, and transportation factors. The following steps may help you:
First, find a proper HA ingredient supplier, and You can check out the blog(How to looking for good raw cosmetics material supplier), which has instructions on how to find skincare ingredients suppliers.Â
Then, check the COA and quality of HA raw material. In addition, you can require a sample of Sodium Hyaluronate to analyze the powder and determine if it is suitable for your products.
After all, HA is excellent health and skincare material， and its new application is still being verified in the lab. We hope more and more approved HA products emerge to benefit our health.
