What is hyaluronic acid on an ingredient list?
Hyaluronic acid is a glycosaminoglycan, a long sugar-based molecule also called hyaluronan. Sodium hyaluronate is its salt form. Poliage’s ingredient dictionary, built from CosIng, lists both as humectants, meaning they hold and retain moisture. A product page reports the label only.
This page explains the names hyaluronic acid and sodium hyaluronate on a label. It describes what they are and the function Poliage lists. It does not say what they do for any person’s skin.
What it is
Hyaluronic acid is also called hyaluronan. A peer-reviewed review describes it as a linear glycosaminoglycan polymer found in the extracellular matrix of vertebrate tissues. A second review says it is made of two repeating sugar units, N-acetylglucosamine and D-glucuronic acid.
The first review also says that, unlike other glycosaminoglycans, hyaluronic acid is not sulfated or otherwise modified along its length. It notes that the molecule acts as a water-binding component in tissue.
Hyaluronic acid attracts and holds water (it is hygroscopic).
Names you may see on a label
The INCI name for the acid is HYALURONIC ACID. The salt form is SODIUM HYALURONATE. Poliage’s dictionary recognizes hyaluronan and hyaluronic acid sodium salt as the same ingredients.
Other related names appear on labels as separate entries, such as hydrolyzed sodium hyaluronate, sodium hyaluronate crosspolymer and sodium acetylated hyaluronate. Each of these names is a separate entry in Poliage.
The functions Poliage lists
Poliage’s ingredient dictionary is built from CosIng, the European Commission’s cosmetic ingredient database. It lists these functions.
- Hyaluronic acid: antistatic, humectant, moisturising and skin conditioning.
- Sodium hyaluronate: humectant and skin conditioning.
The dictionary describes a humectant as an ingredient that “Holds and retains moisture.” Skin conditioning is described as maintaining the skin in good condition. These are labels for what the ingredient is used for inside a formula. They are not measured results.
What Poliage shows
On a product page, Poliage says “Contains Hyaluronic Acid” or “Contains Sodium Hyaluronate” and shows the function. A flag states that an ingredient is listed. It is not a judgment.
Neither name is one of the flag categories in the app. It is marked only when you add it to your own avoid list.
Poliage gives product information, not medical advice. The label on the pack comes first. A maker can change a formula without changing the barcode.
What this page does not cover
This page makes no claim about wrinkles, plumpness, hydration levels or any other result on skin. The reviews cited here describe research on the molecule in many settings, and they do not show what any single product does.
If a product bothers your skin, talk to a doctor or pharmacist. The patch testing guide covers what the American Academy of Dermatology says about trying a product on a small area first.
Where this comes from
The description of hyaluronic acid as a glycosaminoglycan, its sugar units and its water-binding properties comes from two peer-reviewed reviews indexed in PubMed Central. The function labels come from Poliage’s ingredient dictionary, which is built from the European Commission’s CosIng database. The CosIng web entry loads only in a browser, so its wording was not fetched directly for this page. Flag behavior and the avoid list come from Poliage’s own app rules.