Hyaluronic acid (HA) has been appointed as the drill sergeant of anti-ageing ingredients. It’s also known as hyaluronan or hyaluronate – a gooey, slippery substance that your body produces naturally, and is found mostly in eyes, joints, but it’s the skin that boasts over 50% of the body’s overall HA. As we age, the production of hyaluronic acid (along with collagen and elastin) decreases, this is when we see our skin losing volume, hydration, and plumpness.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND HA AND AGEING
So, what’s the hype around HA in the fight against skin ageing? Well, it’s a powerful antioxidant, it also has a potent capacity to bind water to tissue, holding more than 1,000 times its weight in water, making it a powerful humectant (a substance that promotes retention of moisture) that retains fluids, and it’s the ingredient in skincare that gives our skin that plump, juicy effect.
Ageing is not the only contributing factor that causes the decline of HA levels; sun damage, smoking, and airborne pollutants are also attributed to the decrease of HA levels and why HA supplementation is on the rise.
DOES SUPPLEMENTING WITH HA WORK?
But do HA supplements really work? Although more research is needed, a 2023 study which involved a double‐blind, randomised clinical trial with 129 female participants, covering young and elderly groups and different skin types, was conducted to assess the efficacy of orally administered HA on skin health. The findings revealed that oral administration of HA significantly promoted skin hydration after 2‐8 weeks among both young and elderly groups, and skin tone improvement was observed after 4‐8 weeks, while an increase in epidermal thickness was noted after 12 weeks. This study in isolation provides direct evidence supporting the clinical efficacy of oral intake of HA in promoting skin health.
CHOOSING AN HA SUPPLEMENT
It is important to note however, that some HA sources are animal derived, so it’s important for vegetarians and vegans to check the source of their HA supplements and look for variants made from microbial fermentation.
Hyaluronic acid supplements are available as tablets, capsules, and liquid form too (you combine the liquid with water and swallow).