How to choose 
the most suitable
Hyaluronic Acid?

Hyaluronic Acid is marketed in many forms.

In order to make conscious purchases, it’s helpful to have a grasp of those biochemical differences that set each product apart and why they matter for formulators. 

Defining your grade

First things first, you should start from considering the application you need your hyaluronans for and choose a proper grade accordingly. HA is commonly used for topical cosmetics, nutraceuticals and food supplements, injections and medical purposes. Below we’ll take a closer look at cosmetic grade and food grade hyaluronans. 

Cosmetic grade: in cosmetics, hyaluronic acid is widely used due to its outstanding moisturising properties, but also as a film-forming, texturising or thickening agent and for its antioxidant tendencies. Our full-range SinoHyal line is entirely dedicated to topical personal care applications and can be used for:    

  • skin care products, such as creams, emulsions, skin essences, lotions, gels, facial masks or post-waxing moisturisers;
  • make-up and hybrid make-up, like lipsticks, eye colouring or foundations;
  • cleansing: like facial cleaners or body washes.
  • hair-care components for example shampoos, hair masks, styling gels or hair restorers.

Food grade: oral-ingested Hyaluronic Acid gets easily and quickly absorbed by our digestive system and distributed even to peripheral areas of our body. Our SinoHyal FG line is suitable for a wide variety of food supplements and nutraceutical applications, namely:

  • it can be used to make pills, oral drops, capsules or tables, often combined with vitamins or collagen;
  • or it can be used as a food supplement and added as a common ingredient to beverages, food products or single dishes. 

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Defining your molecular weight

Once the application is established, it’s time to evaluate the best molecular weight for your specific purpose. HA’s molecular weight is positively correlated with its intrinsic viscosity and with its body-absorption rate, thus different molecular weights provide different benefits to our health. 

MW for Cosmetics Applications

About a half of the hyaluronic acid our body naturally produces is dispensed to the cutaneous region where different molecules are synthesised in groups of weights between 50 kDa and 3000 kDa. As far as cosmetic grade is concerned, different molecular weights channel their intervention towards different skin levels. 

  • Low-molecular weight HA molecules are notably able to penetrate faster and deeper into the epidermis to reach the subcutaneous layers. Low MW HA moisturises the innermost areas of our skin and favours the physiological production of collagen and elastin, delivering tissue-plumping and wrinkle-smoothing long-term effects.

Furthermore, due to its deep-diving attitude, low-weight hyaluronic acid promotes skin absorption of other nutrients and cosmetic ingredients.

  • Medium-MW hyaluronans provides a semi-long term moisturising effect stimulating fibroblasts and keratinocyte vitality. Its dimensions are the most well-suited to guarantee optimal interactions with surface receptors.
  • HA with high molecular weight won’t penetrate the skin in its original shape. It will cease on the skin’s surface and form an invisible film coating able of trapping outgoing water, thus reducing transepidermal water loss. Besides its moisturising effects, high-MW hyaluronans offer a natural skin barrier that shield us from external agents such as cold, wind and UV rays.

Furthermore, it’s worth remembering that the HA natural degradation eventually turns high-MW molecules into medium and low MW hyaluronan building blocks, which the skin absorbs.

Last but not least, Hyaluronic Acid gives your skin a further antioxidant protection against free radicals that can break down collagen and elastin, accelerating the skin-aging process.

Some of our partners that don’t use full spectrum technologies habitually incorporate and mix different molecular weights hyaluronans  together within their final products, in order to obtain the desired effect. Medium and high-weight HAs, due to their higher viscosity, are commonly used as thickening and texturising agents in skin essence serums.

MW for Nutraceuticals Applications

The remaining half of the hyaluronans our body endogenously produces is naturally present in synovial fluid around joints, cartilage, backbones, vitreous humor and connective and neural tissue. Other than its hydrating properties, the hyaluronan molecule is well suited to serve several biologic processes, including cell migration (how cells relocate where they are most needed), receptor binding (namely cells communication and how they transport substances) and signalling (how cells understand when to begin or end a biological process). As such, oral supplementation of SinoHyal FG is extremely beneficial in order to regenerate building blocks of endogenous hyaluronic acid from within.

  • Low to medium MW hyaluronans are quickly assimilated by our system and distributed through our body. First, it acts as a wound healer by regulating inflammation levels and by stimulating our body to produce more blood vessels in the injured area. As such, it’s extremely helpful in soothing  the symptoms of acid reflux and speeding up the recovery process. 

In the second place, reaching the synovial fluid that surrounds the joints, it functions as a powerful lubricant and pain-reliever for people suffering from osteoarthritis and other degenerative joint diseases. 

Furthermore, as it get redirected to the skin as well, its beauty-from-within properties help the organism to increase and maintain an adequate tissue moisturisation, thus stimulating anti-aging processes from the inside. 

  • Medium to hight weight hyaluronic acid, in addiction to the above-mentioned effects, has proven to be outstandingly effective in protecting and healing the gastric mucosa by repairing mucosal wounds and promoting intestinal epithelial regeneration. This feature comes from the HA propensity to solicit fibroblast migration and fibrogenesis, thus boosting tissues responsiveness to healing processes.
  • High-weight HA is a key player in supporting a faster recovery from colitis, reducing endoscopic signs of mucosal inflammation and, more widely, improving bowel physiological functions. In the field of dentistry, this peculiarity has proven to be a helpful ally in treating the initial inflammatory stage of the periodontal disease, also known as gum disease.

Choosing the most suitable Hyaluronan

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