INGREDIENT SPOTLIGHT: HYALURONIC ACID The Discovery and History of Hyaluronic Acid
The discovery of hyaluronic acid dates back to 1934, when two researchers, Karl Meyer and John Palmer, isolated an unknown molecule from the vitreous body of a cow’s eyes (1). Further investigation revealed that the substance contained uronic acid and another sugar molecule. The researchers later named the substance hyaluronic acid, a term derived from a Greek word “hyalos”, meaning glass, plus uronic acid (1). Although the compound was isolated in acid form, it demonstrated salt-like characteristics when put under physiological conditions. The salt formed was called sodium hyaluronate, a neutralized form of hyaluronic acid. The chemical structure and use of hyaluronan remained unknown until in the 1950s when Karl Meyer and his colleagues first established its chemical structure (1). Surprisingly, Endre Balazs had first used this compound commercially as an egg-white substitute in a bakery in 1942 after a…
