Hyaluronic Acid: What It Is, Benefits, How To Use & Side Effects

08 Sep.,2025

 

Hyaluronic Acid: What It Is, Benefits, How To Use & Side Effects

What is hyaluronic acid?

Hyaluronic (pronounced hi-ah-lew-ron-ic) acid — also known as hyaluronan or hyaluronate — is a gooey, slippery substance that your body produces naturally. Scientists have found hyaluronic acid throughout the body, especially in eyes, joints and skin.

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What does hyaluronic acid do for you?

Hyaluronic acid is a remarkable substance because of all the benefits and uses it has in your body. Here are just a few of the benefits of hyaluronic acid:

  • It helps things move smoothly. Hyaluronic acid helps your joints work like a well-oiled machine. It prevents pain and injury from bones grinding against each other.
  • It helps keep things hydrated. Hyaluronic acid is very good at retaining water. A quarter-teaspoon of hyaluronic acid holds about one and a half gallons of water. That’s why hyaluronic acid is often used for treating dry eyes. It’s also used in moisturizing creams, lotions, ointments and serums.
  • It makes your skin flexible. Hyaluronic acid helps skin stretch and flex and reduces skin wrinkles and lines. Hyaluronic acid is also proven to help wounds heal faster and can reduce scarring.

How is it made?

Hyaluronic acid is often produced by fermenting certain types of bacteria. Rooster combs (the red, Mohawk-like growth on top of a rooster’s head and face) are also a common source.

Is hyaluronic acid safe?

Yes. Research shows that hyaluronic acid is safe to use. Reactions or adverse effects from hyaluronic acid are rare, and it’s safe to use if you’re pregnant or nursing.

How does hyaluronic acid interact with other products?

Products that combine hyaluronic acid with other medications or compounds may have some risks of side effects.

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It’s important to tell your healthcare provider about all medications that you’re taking, including supplements, vitamins, etc. They can help you better understand any potential concerns.

How can I take hyaluronic acid?

There are many ways you can take hyaluronic acid (either on its own or in combination products). Many are available over-the-counter. Some need a doctor’s prescription. For some, you need to see a trained medical professional.

A few of the different ways (available over-the-counter) that you can take hyaluronic acid include:

  • By mouth: Hyaluronic acid comes in dietary supplements and pills. There’s even a liquid form that you can mix with water and drink.
    • Taking hyaluronic acid by mouth can have many benefits. These include reducing arthritis pain, improving skin health and more.
  • On your skin: Hyaluronic acid products come in various forms that you put on your skin. These include shampoos, lotions, creams, gels, ointments, patches and serums. You can also buy hyaluronic acid powder and mix it with water to create a hyaluronic acid serum you can apply to your skin.
    • Hyaluronic acid has beneficial properties when used on your skin. It’s especially useful for reducing the appearance of wrinkles and age lines.
  • Eye drops: A wide variety of eye drops contains hyaluronic acid.
  • For intimate contact: Hyaluronic acid is a common ingredient in gels, creams or personal lubricants for vaginal dryness or pain, especially for women experiencing menopause.

Hyaluronic acid is also available by prescription in the following forms:

  • By injection: Hyaluronic acid injections into your joints can relieve pain caused by arthritis. It’s also commonly used with medications given in an IV. Healthcare providers may prescribe it off-label to treat bladder pain (such as pain caused by interstitial cystitis).
  • Under your skin: Fillers containing hyaluronic acid and collagen (a natural protein also found in your body) are approved for injection under your skin. These fillers help restore natural shape and appearance, such as for treating acne scars or adding volume to lips.
  • In your nose: Some medications use hyaluronic acid because it helps your body absorb them, especially when taken through your nose.
  • By inhaler/nebulizer: Hyaluronic acid can treat respiratory (breathing) problems such as asthma or infections.

Remember, only trained and qualified medical professionals should give injections. While experts say hyaluronic acid is safe, improper use — especially when injecting it — can lead to severe complications or even death.

How does hyaluronic acid work?

Hyaluronic acid belongs to a type of long, complicated chain-like molecules called polymers. The chain has plenty of spots on it where other chemical compounds (like water, for example) can latch on. That’s why a quarter-teaspoon of hyaluronic acid can hold about one and a half gallons of water, making it the best polymer — natural or artificial — for absorbing water (and a key ingredient in moisturizing products).

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Because it has lots of space for other molecules to latch on, hyaluronic acid is great for transporting other molecules throughout your body. It also has the ability to attach itself to cells, which is why targeted delivery of medications using hyaluronic acid is a major topic of study.

Hyaluronic acid’s chain-like structure also means it can act like a scaffold structure, allowing tissues to grow. This is a key step in how wounds heal on your body. Scientists have also found hyaluronic acid in human embryos and are studying what role hyaluronic acid plays in reproduction and development.

Does hyaluronic acid work?

Yes, depending on how it’s used. It’s a versatile molecule and scientists are still finding new and beneficial ways to use it. Right now, it’s most often used for skin, joint and eye health. It’s also the topic of hundreds of scientific studies and trials around the world.

What does hyaluronic acid do for skin?

Long-term use of hyaluronic acid serum on your skin or in a supplement taken by mouth can improve overall skin health. It’s also great for helping improve overall skin flexibility and elasticity (meaning it makes your skin more stretchy and soft).

Is hyaluronic acid good for acne?

Hyaluronic acid is widely used as an ingredient in fillers that repair or conceal scars left behind by acne. There has been some limited research into combinations of hyaluronic acid and other medications to treat acne, but so far, there isn’t much evidence that these are effective.

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Is hyaluronic acid safe?

Yes, depending on how it’s used. Over-the-counter hyaluronic acid serums and products applied on your skin (creams, lotions, etc.) or in eye care products are considered safe. Hyaluronic acid supplements taken by mouth are also considered safe (but you should still tell your healthcare provider about them, as you would for any other medication, vitamin or supplement).

Prescription hyaluronic acid products should be taken exactly as instructed by your healthcare provider. Injections of any kind containing hyaluronic acid should only be given by a licensed, qualified medical professional.

When should I talk to my healthcare provider about hyaluronic acid?

You may want to talk to your healthcare provider about hyaluronic acid if you’re interested in using it as a supplement. You may also want to also ask them about treatment options that use hyaluronic acid for the following conditions or purposes:

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  • Skin health (especially dryness, scarring, stiffness and skin diseases like scleroderma and actinic keratosis).
  • Eye health, especially for treating dry eyes.
  • Joint health, especially for treating arthritis and soft tissue injuries.
  • For wounds that are slow to heal.
  • As a treatment option for bladder pain, especially pain caused by interstitial cystitis.
  • Respiratory conditions like asthma.

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5 Uses of Hydrochloric Acid | The Chemistry Blog - Chemical Suppliers

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) may be the simplest chlorine-based acid, but it is still strongly corrosive. We’ve written about the history behind and properties of hydrochloric acid, so this week we thought we’d take a look into its five most popular uses.

But limiting the uses of hydrochloric acid to five is not an easy task. Known as a ‘workhorse’ chemical, this compound has an enormous scope of applications across many different industries.

1. Swimming Pools

The water chemistry in swimming pools plays a very important role, and maintaining the correct pH balance is one of the crucial elements in water chemistry. The pH of your swimming pool:

  • Should be slightly alkaline (7.2 – 7.6) because it provides the optimum chlorine levels, is comfortable for your eyes and skin and isn’t corrosive
  • Should not be below 7 because the water becomes acidic. This can cause eye and skin irritation, general corrosion, staining and the liner may begin to wrinkle
  • Should not be above 8 because the alkalinity can slow down chlorine activity, cause scale and discolouration, turn the water cloudy and overwork the filter

Therefore, it is vital for health and safety to maintain optimum water chemistry. When alkalinity is too high in a pool, hydrochloric acid is used to adjust the pH and bring the water back within its optimum range.

Hydrochloric acid is the preferred chemical to use here because of its cleaning properties. Not only will it save your pH, it will also effectively remove any dark stains that have adhered to the grout or tiles of the pool. When used in this way, a 10% solution of HCl is recommended to prevent against any corrosion.

2. Steel Pickling

Another industry that makes use of the cleaning properties of hydrochloric acid is steel pickling. This is a surface treatment process that is used to remove impurities on metals. Pickling removes things like rust, iron oxide scale, stains, inorganic contaminants, and other general impurities. This is an essential step that is carried out before the metal is processed i.e. before extrusion, rolling or galvanising.

Hydrochloric acid is used as a pickling agent because its corrosive nature means that it can effectively dissolve the metal oxides that accumulate on the surface. When compared to other pickling agents, like sulphuric acid, HCl has several advantages:

  • It requires less pickling time
  • It works well at lower temperatures
  • It gives a better surface quality

As a pickling agent, hydrochloric acid is mostly used for carbon steel grades. It isn’t used for stainless steel grades because its acidity could cause staining or corrosion.

3. Production of Inorganic & Organic Compounds

There are a variety of products that can be obtained using hydrochloric acid. From wastewater treatment and electroplating to a range of pharmaceuticals, this compound is used in the manufacturing of many different compounds.

Inorganic Compounds

These are the products of an acid-base reaction that uses hydrochloric acid. Many inorganic compounds can be manufactured this way, including:

  • Iron (III) Chloride and Polyaluminium Chloride (PAC): these are used in wastewater treatment, drinking water production and paper production as flocculation and coagulation agents
  • Calcium Chloride: this is used in road application salt because it is able to melt through the ice must faster and more efficiently than common salt
  • Nickel (II) Chloride: this is used in electroplating to transfer a layer of decorative or wear-resistant nickel onto a metal object
  • Zinc Chloride: in the galvanising industry, this inorganic compound is used to coat an iron or steel object with a protective layer of zinc

Organic Compounds

One of the largest industries for the consumption of hydrochloric acid is in the manufacturing of organic compounds:

  • Vinyl Chloride (PVC): this is one of the most widely produced synthetic plastic polymers
  • TDI and MDI: HCl is used to manufacture toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) which are commonly used in polyutherane
  • Bisphenol-A (BPA): this is used in the synthesis of plastics, and can be found in plastic bottles, soda cans and even epoxy resins that line water pipes

4. Regenerating Cation Exchange Resins

Ion exchange resins are used during the deionisation process to remove cations (positively charged molecules like calcium and magnesium) and anions (negatively charged molecules like sulphates and nitrates) from an aqueous solution. This method produces deionised or demineralised water.

High-quality hydrochloric acid has a crucial role in the deionisation process, which can be summarised in 10 simple steps:

  1. Water passes through an ion exchange bed that contains positively and negatively charged resins. These are used to remove their respective ions.
  2. Cation resin has a negative functional group in order to attract the positive ions present in the water.
  3. Anion resin has a positive functional group in order to attract the negative ions present in the water.
  4. Before the process begins, the cation resin is regenerated with hydrochloric acid and becomes loaded with hydrogen (H+) ions.
  5. Anion resin is similarly regenerated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and becomes loaded with hydroxyl (OH-) ions.
  6. Electrical neutrality must be maintained throughout the deionisation process because ions are electrically charged. This is why the ion resins must be regenerated.
  7. Regeneration achieves electrical neutrality because every ion in the water that is attracted to the resin bead is replaced by another ion that is leaving the resin bead.
  8. Therefore, positively charged molecules that are attracted to the cation resin are replaced by the H+ ions obtained from the hydrochloric acid.
  9. Similarly, negatively charged molecules that are attracted to the anion resin are replaced by the OH- ions obtained from the sodium hydroxide. This is called ion exchange.
  10. Finally, the solution will be comprised of H+ and OH- ions. These combine to form pure H2O, producing water that has been entirely deionised.

There are a number of acids that can be used to regenerate cation exchange resins, like sulphuric acid. Battling against HCl in the steel pickling and now the ion exchange industry, sulphuric acid is preferred by many manufacturers because it is less expensive.

However, hydrochloric acid still takes the edge because it has a better overall operating capacity. It also isn’t at risk of causing the calcium levels in the feed water to precipitate in the resin bed, which a high concentration of sulphuric acid is likely to do.

5. Chemical Warfare

Although hydrochloric acid has many brilliant applications that are useful to many industries, there’s no denying that it also has a dark history.

Phosgene

We know that hydrochloric acid can be found in the body where it is produced by our stomach glands to form gastric acid. While this poses no danger to us, there are other areas of the body that HCl was specifically designed to target and destroy.

In World War I, phosgene (COCl2) was a popular chemical used in warfare. Phosgene is a colourless gas that is a valuable industrial reagent and has an odour that resembles hay. It is produced by a reaction between purified carbon monoxide and chlorine gas in the presence of activated carbon.

Phosgene was used as a chemical weapon instead of chlorine gas, which was easily identified by its green colour. As a colourless gas that smelt like familiar hay, phosgene was an insidious chemical that would deeply permeate the mucous membranes in the lungs. Here in the body, it would undergo hydrolysis and convert into carbonic acid and hydrochloric acid which would begin destroying the internal organs. It is estimated that 85% of approximately 100,000 deaths in WW1 were caused by phosgene gas.

Mustard Gas

Chemically known as sulphur mustard, this toxic compound has been used as a chemical warfare agent throughout history. An incredibly powerful vesicant, mustard gas causes severe blistering on those who are exposed to it. It is also a strong mutagen and carcinogen.

One of the reasons why mustard gas causes such extreme blistering is because of how it breaks down. When it comes into contact with water, mustard gas breaks down and forms hydrochloric acid. Not a lot of water is required for this, either; the moist surface of the eyes or lungs are enough to cause the compound to break down. This is why mustard gas doesn’t only cause blistering to your skin – it can also blister many of your organs if inhaled.

Other Uses

The applications of hydrochloric acid are virtually limitless. It is also used:

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