Sodium Hyaluronate

Also known as Hyaluronic acid sodium salt, Sodium hyaluronan, Hyaluronan sodium salt, Sodium salt of hyaluronic acid

Sodium Hyaluronate (CAS 9067-32-7) is the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring high-molecular-weight glycosaminoglycan polymer of repeating D-glucuronic acid and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine disaccharide units. In cosmetic formulations it functions as a humectant and skin conditioning agent, binding water molecules in the stratum corneum to increase hydration. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel re-reviewed Sodium Hyaluronate as part of an expanded 2023 group safety assessment of hyaluronate ingredients (Final Report released July 7, 2023; Panel meeting June 12-13, 2023). The 2023 group covers 7 hyaluronate ingredients, expanding the scope of the 2009 group assessment (which had covered Hyaluronic Acid, Potassium Hyaluronate, and Sodium Hyaluronate only) to include Hydrolyzed Calcium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, and Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate. The Panel concluded all 7 are safe in cosmetics in the present practices of use and concentration. No concentration limits or use conditions are imposed. The Panel noted that hyaluronate ingredients have large molecular weights and are not expected to absorb into the skin; high MW sodium hyaluronate does not penetrate the stratum corneum, while lower MW variants may reach the upper epidermis. The Panel cautioned the cosmetics industry to maintain procedures limiting infectious agents and biologically-derived impurities (e.g., nucleic acids, proteins, endotoxins) when sourcing from animal-derived material (rooster combs), and to minimize heavy metal impurities per FDA/EPA limits.