It became an instant hit upon its release! Is this hyaluronic acid sparkling water, touted as "one bottle equals four face masks," a scam or a beauty product?

The passage of time inevitably brings aging, but for women, hyaluronic acid is the magic that can reverse time forever.

Hyaluronic acid, once a product reserved for celebrities and wealthy women, has gradually become more accessible to the general public after Ling Peixue developed a unique "biological fermentation method" for producing domestically made hyaluronic acid in 1986. This has led to the development of a wide variety of products: hyaluronic acid wipes, hyaluronic acid underwear, and even hyaluronic acid condoms…

A wide variety of hyaluronic acid products

These aren't even the most outrageous claims. Recently, hyaluronic acid products have also set their sights on our mouths and stomachs.

Since January of this year, a wide variety of products have been constantly launching new shows on the topic of "hyaluronic acid on the tip of the tongue": hyaluronic acid chewable tablets, hyaluronic acid gummies, and hyaluronic acid bird's nest drinks have been launched one after another. Then in March, Bloomage Biotech launched the hyaluronic acid beverage brand "Shuijiquan".

Hyaluronic acid on the tip of your tongue

Ordinary foods and drinks, after being "blessed" with hyaluronic acid, have indeed gained a lot of mystique and a sense of high-tech sophistication. Out of curiosity, I searched for "hyaluronic acid drinking water" on Taobao, and a popular online brand called "Hankou Erchang" particularly caught my eye with its "hyaluronic acid sparkling water." The advertisement on the product details page claimed that this one bottle of water contained the equivalent of 68mg of hyaluronic acid from four face masks or three beauty serums.

The claim that drinking water can replace three beauty serums has tempted many consumers to place orders, but many others have also raised questions: Can spending a little money really smooth wrinkles, fight aging, and make you look 18 again? Is the oral hyaluronic acid method of becoming beautiful while eating snacks and drinking water really reliable?

I. What is hyaluronic acid?

It is a glycosaminoglycan composed of a basic structure of disaccharides (D-glucuronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine) , and is a transparent gel-like substance. This powerful water-storing substance exists naturally in our human body and is mainly distributed in our eyes, bones, joints, skin and nerve tissue. One gram of hyaluronic acid can store more than 100 times its own volume of water. [1]

The average amount of hyaluronic acid in the human body is about 15 grams. Moreover, the hyaluronic acid in our skin is in a dynamic process of constant renewal and metabolism. About one-third of it will be decomposed and resynthesized every day. At this rate of degradation, the amount of hyaluronic acid in a 50-year-old's body is less than half that of a 20-year-old's body. [2]

Once the rate of degradation exceeds the rate of production , a host of age-related problems arise, including dry skin, wrinkles, osteoporosis, rickets, arteriosclerosis, and weakened immunity . This is why supplementing with hyaluronic acid through various means has become the top choice for many people seeking anti-aging and moisturizing benefits.

2. Can hyaluronic acid really be ingested?

Legally speaking, hyaluronic acid can indeed be consumed!

Image source: National Health Commission

On January 7th of this year, the National Health Commission issued a relevant announcement approving sodium hyaluronate as a new food ingredient that can be used as an additive in ordinary foods. [3]

Therefore, there is no need to worry too much about the safety of hyaluronic acid foods produced in strict accordance with regulations.

In addition, the approval announcement also clearly provides guidance on dosage: the recommended daily intake is no more than 200 mg, and oral administration at this dosage is relatively safe.

3. Does this hyaluronic acid solution really work?

1. Drinking hyaluronic acid does not mean that it is fully absorbed.

Theoretically, oral hyaluronic acid can replenish the skin's hyaluronic acid content, improving skin dehydration and aging. But can humans really do this so freely? If you want to use something similar to replenish something else, you first need to get past the body's absorption and metabolism process .

Hyaluronic acid, as a large-molecule polysaccharide, is ingested as a large molecule. After passing through the digestive system, it is no longer the original hyaluronic acid. Under the digestive and decomposition of the gastrointestinal tract, it is first converted into small-molecule sugars before it can be absorbed and utilized by the body. However, depending on the individual's physical characteristics, what these small-molecule sugars can assemble into is another matter.

Therefore, consuming hyaluronic acid drinks can be understood as helping you ingest water and small-molecule sugars , which are then transported throughout the body to replenish moisture, including the skin.

Logically, drinking hyaluronic acid-infused water will indeed hydrate the body, but it's primarily the water that's effective . Much of the hyaluronic acid has already been metabolized and excreted , so you might just be drinking something that doesn't really help. Very little of the hyaluronic acid you ingest actually stays on your face.

2. Oral hyaluronic acid products are currently in their early stages.

The application of hyaluronic acid in food in China is still in its early stages. Sodium hyaluronate has only recently been approved for use in food. The overall formula, industrial chain, and production technology are still immature , and there is no certification regarding the side effects of the formula and food safety.

Furthermore, oral hyaluronic acid is not a health food product. Even if oral hyaluronic acid obtains a health food approval number, it still needs to undergo clinical trials to verify its toxicity and side effects, which generally takes at least four years.

The explosive popularity of hyaluronic acid drinks will inevitably lead to a surge in demand. Will all the hyaluronic acid products flooding the market be guaranteed to be effective and safe? Will there be any substandard products among them? The answers remain unknown.

3. There is insufficient reliable clinical evidence regarding the effectiveness of oral hyaluronic acid.

There are very few clinical studies on oral hyaluronic acid for skin care, and the few that exist are not very rigorous.

For example, a recent randomized controlled clinical trial published in the Journal of Clinical and Cosmetic Dermatology by Italian scholars. [3]

The study was divided into two groups: an experimental group, which took a nutritional supplement daily (containing 200 mg of hyaluronic acid, 500 mg of L-carnosine, and 400 mg of methanesulfonylmethane); and a control group, which took an equal amount of placebo.

After 60 days of the experiment, the skin condition of the experimental group was found to have improved, while the control group showed no change. Thus, it was concluded that hyaluronic acid can improve facial skin.

However, this experimental design has some problems, because the nutritional supplement given to the experimental group did not contain only hyaluronic acid, nor was hyaluronic acid the most abundant ingredient. Therefore, the improvement in skin condition cannot be determined whether it was due to the hyaluronic acid that actually played a role.

IV. If you want to use hyaluronic acid, you need to choose the right method!

While blindly following trends and taking oral hyaluronic acid can be risky, its moisturizing, anti-aging, and wrinkle-reducing effects are undeniably appealing. How should this natural wonder be used? Here are two methods:

1. Injectable fillers

Injectable fillers are the most effective way to replenish hyaluronic acid, also known as medical aesthetic mesotherapy. Using a mesotherapy gun, hyaluronic acid and other nutrients are precisely injected into specific layers of the skin. However, this method carries a relatively high risk factor, and once you start, there's no going back; it's also very expensive.

2. External use

Hyaluronic acid used in cosmetics does indeed have a slightly better moisturizing effect than other common moisturizers (propylene glycol, glycerin, urea), and most hyaluronic acid preparations are not greasy. After application, they immediately form a thin film on the skin surface, making the skin smooth and moisturized.

Whether oral hyaluronic acid is effective is a matter of speculation. Buying a case of hyaluronic acid-infused drinking water may not bring us beauty, but it certainly makes money for the sellers. Instead of racking your brains trying various hyaluronic acid products for anti-aging, it's better to spend more time and effort on proper sun protection. After all, photoaging is even more terrifying than natural aging.

References:

【1】 Chinatsu Kawada, Ingested hyaluronan moisturizes dry skin[J], Kawada et al. Nutrition Journal 2014, 13:70.

【2】 Mc Gill. Is Hyaluronic Acid All Hype? https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health-quackery/hyaluronic-acid-all-hype

[3] Announcement from the National Health Commission regarding 15 new food products, including cicada flower fruiting bodies (artificially cultivated).

【4】 Randomized, Placebo-controlled Study of a Nutraceutical Based on Hyaluronic Acid, L-carnosine, and Methylsulfonylmethane in Facial Skin Aesthetics and Well-being[J]. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2019, 12(4).