What glucuronic acid content should a certificate of analysis show?

Cosmetic grades are commonly specified at 42% or above, with higher-grade material at 44–46%. Glucuronic acid is a structural measure, so it is the line that catches a diluted or degraded lot in a way a content assay may not. A certificate that omits it has a thin specification.

What is the minimum order quantity and lead time?

Evaluation samples start at 1 g. Lead time for commercial quantities is confirmed in writing once molecular weight band, quantity and destination are agreed.

How should sodium hyaluronate be stored?

Sealed at 2–10 °C, protected from light and moisture. The material is strongly hygroscopic: an opened bag in a humid room will pick up water and cake, and loss on drying will drift out of specification even though the polymer itself is unchanged.

Fermented actives · Polysaccharide

Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Salt)

Q: Which molecular weight band of sodium hyaluronate do I need?

Work backwards from the claim the product makes. A surface-hydration or film-forming claim needs roughly 1,000 kDa and up. A light, non-tacky, penetration-oriented finish points to 10–200 kDa. The band decides viscosity, skin feel and use level more than the assay does.

Q: How is sodium hyaluronate molecular weight measured?

Viscosity-average (Mv) and weight-average (Mw) molecular weight are different quantities and commonly differ by 10–30%. A supplier quoting viscometry and one quoting size-exclusion chromatography with light scattering can both be accurate while describing different numbers. Ask for the method and the distribution, not just a single average.

Q: What is the difference between hyaluronic acid and sodium hyaluronate?

The salt form. Hyaluronic acid is the free acid; sodium hyaluronate is its sodium salt, which is more stable and far more soluble, making it the form used in almost every commercial product. The INCI name is Sodium Hyaluronate; the CAS number is 9067-32-7.

Q: Is this sodium hyaluronate suitable for injectable or dermal filler use?

No. Injectable and ophthalmic uses require a pharmacopoeial grade with an endotoxin specification, sterile processing and a regulatory pathway. What we supply is a cosmetic and food-grade material for topical and oral formats.

Q: What use level of sodium hyaluronate should I start with?

Serums and essences commonly sit at 0.1–1% w/w depending on molecular weight band; a high-molecular-weight grade at the top of that range will gel rather than flow. Start low, confirm with the formulator's own rheology data, and hold the band constant while tuning the level.

Q: What is the regulatory status of sodium hyaluronate?

It differs by market and is the importer's responsibility. As a cosmetic ingredient the INCI name Sodium Hyaluronate is widely recognised; as a food ingredient the position varies and may require a novel-food assessment. Documentation is supplied with the lot; market access advice is not.

One INCI name, one CAS number — and three orders of magnitude of molecular weight underneath it. We quote the band, the method and the number, because those decide what your formulation actually does.

Also known as sodium hyaluronate · hyaluronic acid sodium salt · sodium hyaluronan · hyaluronate sodium · HA-Na · INCI: Sodium Hyaluronate

CAS

9067-32-7

Assay

≥ 95%

Code

EA017

Grade

Cosmetic · Food

403.31 g/molRepeat unit

(C₁₄H₂₀NNaO₁₁)ₙFormula

≥ 99.0%Transparency

Molecular weight band and its measurement method are stated on the batch certificate of analysis.

On this page Identity Manufacture Applications Specification Reading the COA Documents FAQ

What it is.

Sodium hyaluronate is the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid, a linear glycosaminoglycan built from repeating disaccharide units of D-glucuronic acid and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. Commercial material is produced by fermentation — typically Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus — then purified, precipitated and dried.

The commercial question is rarely “is it sodium hyaluronate”. Every lot of every supplier has the same CAS number and the same INCI name. The question is which molecular weight, and how that number was measured.

This is not a detail. Commercial sodium hyaluronate spans roughly 3 kDa to 3,000 kDa — a factor of a thousand. A 5 kDa grade and a 2 MDa grade share a name, a CAS number and a specification sheet template, and behave nothing alike in a formula: one penetrates and leaves no film, the other sits on the surface and holds water. Choose the wrong band and nothing in the COA will tell you.

Which is why our specification names the band, and the COA states both the figure and the method used to obtain it. Viscosity-average and weight-average molecular weight are not the same number, and two suppliers can both honestly claim “1.5 MDa” while shipping materials that differ by a quarter.

Molecular weight band quoted on the COA, with the measurement method named
Glucuronic acid content reported — the real quantity check, not a “purity” figure
Protein, transparency and microbial limits stated per batch
From gram-scale evaluation through to 25 kg drums

Key facts

CAS number: 9067-32-7
Catalogue code: EA017
Assay: ≥ 95.0% sodium hyaluronate, dry basis
Molecular weight: Band agreed at order; the band and the method used to measure it are both stated on the COA
Grade: Cosmetic · food / supplement
Appearance: White to off-white powder or granules
MOQ: From 1 g for evaluation; commercial quantities quoted per order
Lead time: Confirmed in writing with the quotation, against band, quantity and destination
Packaging: 1–100 g sealed foil pouch · 1 kg aluminium foil bag in carton · 10–25 kg fibre drum

Request a quotation

COA, analytical data and SDS supplied with every batch.

The record.

The identifiers your specification sheet, customs paperwork and product label all have to agree on. Molecular weight is the one field that must never be left as a range without a method behind it.

Identity

Chemical name: Sodium hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid, sodium salt)
INCI name: Sodium Hyaluronate
CAS number: 9067-32-7
Molecular formula: (C₁₄H₂₀NNaO₁₁)ₙ — some pharmacopoeias write (C₁₄H₂₁NO₁₁)ₙ
Repeat unit: 403.31 g/mol; polymer molecular weight varies by grade
Appearance: White to off-white powder or granules
Solubility: Soluble in water, forming a clear viscous solution; practically insoluble in ethanol and acetone
pH (0.1% aq.): 6.0 – 7.5
Grade: Cosmetic · food / supplement — not for injectable or ophthalmic use
HS code: 3913.90 — indicative, confirmed per shipment
Storage: Sealed, 2–10 °C, protected from light and moisture

Formula and repeat-unit weight as published in pharmacopoeial monographs and supplier reference data. HS codes are indicative only; final classification is confirmed per shipment with your customs broker.

How it is made.

Four stages separate the fermentation broth from the lot you receive. Each one leaves a test result on the batch record — and the third one is where molecular weight is decided, or lost.

Fermentation

A Streptococcus strain is grown in a controlled carbohydrate medium and secretes hyaluronic acid into the broth. The capsular polymer is what gets harvested; the strain, the medium and the harvest point all influence the chain length.
Separation and purification

Cells and protein are removed, then the polymer is precipitated and washed. This is where protein content and transparency are set — the two numbers that separate a clean cosmetic grade from a merely cheap one.
Drying and milling

The precipitate is dried and milled to a defined particle size. Chain scission during drying or milling is the quiet way to lose a molecular weight band, which is why the released figure is measured on the finished powder, not on the broth.
Release testing

Sodium hyaluronate content, glucuronic acid, molecular weight, pH, transparency, protein, loss on drying, heavy metals and microbiological limits against the written specification.

Where it is used.

Sodium hyaluronate is a formulation ingredient, not a finished product. In practice the format picks the band before anything else does.

≥ 1,000 kDa

Surface film. High-molecular-weight grades stay on the surface and hold water there — the cushioning, non-penetrating feel that serums and masks are usually formulated around. Also the grade most sensitive to shear during processing.

200 – 1,000 kDa

Middle ground. Balanced viscosity and skin feel. The most common choice when a formula needs body without stringiness, and the easiest band to validate across a product range.

10 – 200 kDa

Penetration-oriented. Lower viscosity, less surface film. Used where a light, non-tacky finish matters more than water-holding at the surface.

< 10 kDa

Oligosaccharide range. Minimal viscosity contribution, so it can be dosed into thin formats. Not a substitute for a high-MW grade in a product whose claim rests on film formation.

Serums, essences & gels

Usually quoted at 0.1–1% w/w depending on band. High-MW grades thicken fast — at the top of that range a high-MW material can turn a serum into a gel, so confirm the band before you fix the use level. Your own rheology and sensory data decides.

Masks, creams & cleansers

Often a blend of two bands rather than one: high MW for the surface film, low MW so the product does not feel heavy. If you are matching a benchmark product, the ratio is the formulation work — send the target feel and we will quote the bands separately.

Dietary supplements

Powder or granule form for capsules, sachets and tablets. Grade and market status must be confirmed for your destination before the first order — this is a cosmetic and food material, and the current position differs by market.

Not supplied for injectable, ophthalmic or wound-contact medical use. Those applications require a pharmacopoeial grade, an endotoxin specification and a regulatory pathway we do not claim here. If a supplier offers you “the same material” for injection without that paperwork, that is the problem, not the price.

Release criteria.

The written limits we release against, with the method used to test each one. Batch results for the lot you receive are stated on its certificate of analysis.

Typical specification, not a fixed offer. The limits below are typical for cosmetic and food-grade sodium hyaluronate, cross-checked against published supplier specifications and pharmacopoeial monographs. Material is released against the written specification agreed with you at order. Molecular weight, glucuronic acid and protein in particular are set per band and per contract, so treat these as the starting point for a discussion rather than a fixed offer.

Parameter	Limit	Method
Appearance	White to off-white powder or granules	Visual
Sodium hyaluronate content	≥ 95.0%	Dry basis calculation
Glucuronic acid	≥ 42.0%	Colorimetric / HPLC
Molecular weight	Within the band agreed at order	Viscometry or SEC-MALS
pH (0.1% aq.)	6.0 – 7.5	Potentiometric
Transparency	≥ 99.0%	Spectrophotometric
Protein	≤ 0.10%	Kjeldahl / Bradford
Loss on drying	≤ 10.0%	Oven / Karl Fischer
Residue on ignition	≤ 20.0%	Gravimetric
Heavy metals (as Pb)	≤ 10 ppm	ICP-MS
Arsenic	≤ 2.0 ppm	ICP-MS
Total plate count	≤ 100 cfu/g	Plate count
Yeast & mould	≤ 100 cfu/g	Plate count
S. aureus / P. aeruginosa / E. coli / Salmonella	Absent	Enrichment
Shelf life	24–36 months from date of manufacture, unopened	Stability programme

Tighter limits — a lower protein ceiling, a defined endotoxin limit, or a narrower molecular weight band — can be quoted against your own specification wording.

Reading the certificate.

Three lines on this material are routinely misread, and all three are the ones that decide whether the lot works in your formula.

01 · Molecular weight needs a number and a method

Viscosity-average molecular weight (Mv) and weight-average molecular weight (Mw) are different quantities, and the gap between them is routinely 10–30%. Two suppliers can each state “1.5 MDa” in good faith and ship materials whose distribution curves barely overlap. Ask for the method — viscometry or size-exclusion chromatography with light scattering — and for the distribution, not just a single average.

02 · “Purity” is not the quantity line

Sodium hyaluronate content is reported as a percentage, but the check that catches a diluted or degraded lot is glucuronic acid content. It is a structural measure, so it does not move when the material is blended with a cheaper polysaccharide the way a content assay might. If a COA omits glucuronic acid, the specification is thin.

03 · Protein and transparency travel together

Both are purification indicators, and both are invisible in a “≥95%” figure. Protein drifting up with transparency drifting down usually points at the same cause — incomplete removal before precipitation. For a cosmetic grade, this shows up as haze and off-odour in the finished product months later, not on the receiving dock.

What ships with it.

The paperwork travels with the goods. If your QA team needs an additional declaration, ask before the order is released — some are issued per production lot and cannot be retrofitted.

Certificate of analysis

Batch number, sodium hyaluronate content, glucuronic acid, molecular weight and method, pH, transparency, protein, loss on drying, heavy metals and microbiological results — one page, one lot.

Analytical data

Molecular weight determination report with the method stated, plus the chromatogram where chromatography is used.

SDS & specification

Safety data sheet for handling and transport, and the written specification the batch was released against.

Declarations on request

Non-GMO, non-animal origin, TSE/BSE, allergen and origin statements, issued against the actual production lot — tell us which your market requires.

Pack size	Presentation	Typical use
1–100 g	Sealed foil pouch	Evaluation and lab scale
1 kg	Aluminium foil bag in carton	Pilot batches
10–25 kg	Fibre drum, food-grade liner	Commercial

Pack sizes are confirmed against stock at the time of order. Foil-lined drums and nitrogen flushing are available for hygroscopic grades.

Before you order.

The questions buyers actually ask about sodium hyaluronate. Anything not covered here, ask directly — you will get an answer from someone technical, not a template.

Which molecular weight band do I need?

Work backwards from the claim your product makes. A surface-hydration or film-forming claim needs a high band — roughly 1,000 kDa and up. A light, non-tacky, penetration-oriented finish points to 10–200 kDa. If you are matching an existing benchmark product, tell us the format and the target feel; we will tell you which band we would start from, and which ones we would rule out.

How is molecular weight measured, and why do two suppliers disagree?

Viscosity-average (Mv) and weight-average (Mw) are different quantities, and the gap is commonly 10–30%. A supplier quoting viscometry and one quoting size-exclusion chromatography with light scattering can both be accurate and still be describing different numbers. Ask for the method and for the distribution. Our COA states both.

What is the difference between hyaluronic acid and sodium hyaluronate?

The salt form. Hyaluronic acid is the free acid; sodium hyaluronate is its sodium salt, which is more stable and far more soluble, so it is the form almost every commercial product uses. The INCI name on your label is Sodium Hyaluronate either way. The CAS numbers differ: 9067-32-7 for the sodium salt.

Why does the COA report glucuronic acid, and what should it show?

Cosmetic grades are commonly specified at 42% or above, with higher-grade material at 44–46%. Glucuronic acid is a structural measure of the polymer rather than a content assay, which is what makes it useful: it is far harder to lift by diluting with a cheaper polysaccharide. If a COA lists only a single “purity” figure and skips glucuronic acid, the specification is thin.

Is this the same material used in dermal fillers?

No, and we will not sell it as such. Injectable and ophthalmic uses require a pharmacopoeial grade with an endotoxin specification, sterile processing and a regulatory pathway. What we supply is a cosmetic and food-grade material for topical and oral formats. If a supplier offers you “injectable grade” without that paperwork, treat it as a red flag rather than a bargain.

What use level should I start with?

Serums and essences commonly sit at 0.1–1% w/w depending on band — a high-MW grade at the top of that range will gel rather than flow. Start low, confirm with your own rheology, and hold the band constant while you tune the level; changing both at once makes the result unreadable. We can quote several bands so you can run the comparison.

What is the regulatory status in my market?

It differs, and it is the importer’s responsibility. As a cosmetic ingredient the INCI name Sodium Hyaluronate is widely recognised; as a food ingredient the position varies by market and may require a novel-food assessment. We supply the ingredient and the documentation — we do not advise on market access, and we will not describe the material as approved anywhere that it is not.

What is the minimum order and lead time?

Evaluation samples start at 1 g. Commercial quantities are quoted with a lead time confirmed in writing once band, quantity and destination are agreed. Stock lots ship faster — mention your target band and deadline when you enquire.

How should it be stored?

Sealed at 2–10 °C, protected from light and moisture. This material is strongly hygroscopic — an opened bag left in a humid room will pick up water and cake, and the loss on drying figure will drift out of specification even though nothing happened to the polymer itself. Let the container reach room temperature before opening.

Often quoted together.

EA001

NMN

β-Nicotinamide mononucleotide

EP003

Glutathione

Reduced L-glutathione

EA012

L-Ergothioneine

Fermentation-derived thione

GHK-Cu

Copper tripeptide-1

Ask for sodium hyaluronate, by the band.

Send the quantity, the molecular weight band you need and the destination. You will get a written quotation with lead time, packaging options and the documentation set for this material.