There are capsules, gummies, vials, powders to dissolve, and sachets to take directly. Almost all of them feature the same word in large letters: hyaluronic. What changes, and significantly, is what is stated in the fine print.

This is the list we use to read a label. It works for any brand, including ours.

1. How many milligrams of hyaluronic, not of the "complex"

Many formulas combine collagen, vitamins, and extracts with a small amount of hyaluronic acid. The product name highlights hyaluronic acid; the nutritional table states how much is in it. On the market, there are products with 12, 20, or 25 mg per serving and others with 150 or 200 mg.

Look for the specific figure per daily serving in the table. If only the total weight of a "complex" or "blend" is shown, you won't know how much hyaluronic acid you are taking.

2. Sodium hyaluronate or hyaluronic acid

In supplements, hyaluronic acid is almost always used in salt form: sodium hyaluronate. Some labels state the weight of the salt, while others state the "hyaluronic acid equivalent," which is a slightly lower figure. To compare two products, compare the same unit.

Eterhydra declares 200 mg of sodium hyaluronate per sachet.

3. Where it comes from

Hyaluronic acid can be obtained from animal tissues, traditionally rooster combs, or through bacterial fermentation. Only the latter is suitable for a vegan diet. If the label does not indicate the origin, it is a legitimate question to ask the brand. We explain this in more detail in this article on the origin of hyaluronic acid.

4. Who manufactures it

An ingredient with a brand name and identifiable manufacturer leaves a trail: technical data sheets, specifications, batch certificates. "Hyaluronic acid," on its own, could be anything.

Eterhydra's is Bloomage UltraHA®, from Bloomage Biotechnology, the world's largest manufacturer of hyaluronic acid by its own market share.

5. Molecular weight

Hyaluronic acid is not a molecule of a single size. Some brands indicate whether their ingredient is single-molecular-weight or multi-molecular-weight. This is technical data, and its inclusion says something about how well the brand knows its raw material. We explain it in what "multi-molecular-weight" means.

6. Whether its ingredient has clinical studies

This is the deciding question. Clinical trials on oral hyaluronic acid are not conducted with generic "hyaluronic acid": they are conducted with specific ingredients, from a specific manufacturer, at a specific dose. If the label does not say what hyaluronic acid it contains, you cannot know if any study discusses it.

Bloomage's hyaluronic acid has been studied in trials in China, Spain, and Japan, with doses of 100 to 200 mg per day. We review them one by one in what the studies say about UltraHA®.

The list, in a table

Ellevera Team

About Eterhydra