Hyaluronic acid (HA) has been one of the most popular polysaccharides to appear in personal care products in the last decade.1,2 The molecule was originally isolated from Rooster combs where it was available in significant amounts and at high molecular weight.3 However, it has now been found that several microorganisms can produce appreciable quantities of the glucosaminoglycan also at high molecular weights.4 In addition, with the discovery of Hyaluronidase (a key enzyme that breaks down high molecular weight HA), it is now possible to commercially create various molecular weight fractions of HA from very high (1.5-2 Million Daltons (MDa*)) to very low (5-20 Kilo Daltons (kDa)).5
Today, the topical benefits of HA are widely known and recognised by scientists and consumers. HA is renowned for its water-binding capabilities and is often suggested to be able to bind many times its weight in water molecules— but this behaviour is keenly dependent on the HA’s molec
