The Difference of Hyaluronic Acid and Sodium Hyaluronate

2019 07/05

In addition to hyaluronic acid, you may have seen the similarly named sodium hyaluronate on a skincare ingredient list. There indeed is a connection: Sodium hyaluronate is a salt derived from hyaluronic acid. It has all the benefits of hyaluronic acid, but with one extra advantage-it`s more easily absorbed than hyaluronic acid.

That feature does not make one better than the other-in fact, we think it`s great if a product contains both so your skin can reap the benefits on multiple levels. There are products that include both, but because hyaluronic acid is more expensive, sodium hyaluronate shows up more often in skincare products.

Note: Some companies use what`s called [low molecular weight" hyaluronic acid, which has a smaller molecule than regular hyaluronic acid. Molecules of [regular" hyaluronic acid are larger, which explains why they remain on skin`s outer surface. Making hyaluronic acid smaller means it can reach a bit farther into skin`s uppermost layers for visibly enhanced results.