PoreWise One finding · In vitro study · 2016
Study title
Human skin penetration of hyaluronic acid of different molecular weights as probed by Raman spectroscopy
- Kind of evidence
- In vitro study 2016 · Excised human skin sections · PMID 25877232
- Measured outcome
- How deep it gets
- Year
- 2016
- Who was studied
- Excised human skin sections
- Sample size
- Measured outcome
- Hyaluronic acid of 20-300 kDa crossed the stratum corneum in excised human skin, while hyaluronic acid of 1000-1400 kDa remained in the stratum corneum.
- Certainty
- Moderate
- Who was measured
- Excised human skin with intact stratum corneum, measured by Raman micro-imaging after topical application.
- Study limits
- One laboratory's imaging study. Three molecular-weight grades were tested. "remains above" describes intact stratum corneum in this ex vivo setup.
Where it comes from
- Human skin penetration of hyaluronic acid of different molecular weights as probed by Raman spectroscopy
Published by Skin Research and Technology (Essendoubi, Gobinet, Reynaud, Angiboust, Manfait & Piot) · Last checked 2026-10-29
Ingredients it was measured on
Other findings on the same ingredient or concern
- Skin effectEfficacy of cream-based novel formulations of hyaluronic acid of different molecular weights in anti-wrinkle treatment
All five 0.1% hyaluronic acid creams tested, from 50 kDa to 2000 kDa, raised skin hydration and overall elasticity above the vehicle cream applied to the other eye at 60 days.
Human trial · 2011 · 76 people · Women aged 30-60 with periocular wrinkles · 0.1% hyaluronic acid creams applied twice daily for 60 days to the eye area of women aged 30-60 with periocular wrinkles. · Sixty days, and the vehicle sat on the fellow eye. Hydration and elasticity were read by instruments. The volunteers were women aged 30-60 with eye-area wrinkles.
- Skin effectHyaluronic Acid (CeraVe ingredient page)
Hyaluronic acid and its salt bind water at the skin surface, giving a plumper look immediately after application.
Brand claim · Leave-on hydrating products. · The effect is largely surface and temporary. In dry air a humectant. · Finding · Sodium hyaluronate · Hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid
- How deep it getsFifty-kDa hyaluronic acid upregulates some epidermal genes without changing TNF-α expression in reconstituted epidermis
In reconstituted human epidermis, hyaluronic acid of about 50 kDa penetrated better than the larger grades and increased expression of genes and proteins involved in tight-junction formation and keratinocyte cohesion; its TNF-α expression stayed close from the 20 kDa grade.
In vitro study · 2011 · Reconstituted human epidermis (in vitro) · Reconstituted human epidermis incubated with hyaluronic acid of 20, 50, 130, 300, 800 and 1500 kDa. · The material tested is a defined ~50 kDa grade.
- Skin effectEfficacy of a New Topical Nano-hyaluronic Acid in Humans
Eight weeks of a low-molecular-weight "nano" hyaluronic acid lotion, serum and cream reduced measured periorbital wrinkle depth by up to 40% and raised corneometer hydration by up to 96%.
Human trial · 2014 · 33 people · Women with a mean age of 45.2 years · A three-step regimen (lotion, serum, cream) built on a low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid, used for eight weeks on women with a mean age of 45.2. · The percentages are within-group changes. 33 participants in one centre, and the material is described as "nano" hyaluronic acid.
- Skin effectEfficacy of cream-based novel formulations of hyaluronic acid of different molecular weights in anti-wrinkle treatment
Periocular wrinkle depth improved against vehicle with the 50 kDa and 130 kDa hyaluronic acid creams; after 60 days the 300, 800 and 2000 kDa creams matched vehicle on measured roughness.
Human trial · 2011 · 76 people · Women aged 30-60 with periocular wrinkles · Replica-based roughness measurement (mean roughness Ra, maximum roughness Rz) of periocular wrinkles, with 0.1% creams applied twice daily for 60 days. · Wrinkle depth was an instrumental secondary measure on women who already had periocular lines. The trial stopped at 60 days. The five creams differed in molecular weight, shared a base formula.