Sodium Hyaluronate vs Hyaluronic Acid: The Right INCI to List

Half the "hyaluronic acid" serums on the market are actually listing sodium hyaluronate, and the two names aren't interchangeable on a filing even though marketing copy treats them that way. If your supplier's spec sheet says one thing and your bottle says another, here's how to sort out which INCI name belongs on your notification.

They're related, but not the same substance

Hyaluronic acid is the free acid form. Sodium hyaluronate is its sodium salt, which is what you get when the acid is neutralized. Cosmetic formulations almost always use the salt form because it's far more stable in water and easier to work with, which is why most of what's sold as "hyaluronic acid serum" is really sodium hyaluronate under the hood.

The INCI names are distinct entries, and they carry different CAS numbers because they're chemically different substances (a salt versus its parent acid). Some ingredients carry more than one CAS number depending on manufacturing source or grade, so don't be surprised if your supplier's documentation shows a CAS number that differs slightly from one you've seen elsewhere for what's nominally the same INCI name. That's a normal feature of how CAS registration works, not necessarily an error, but it's worth confirming with the supplier which specific number applies to their material.

Common name	Likely INCI	Typical function	Notes
Hyaluronic acid (free acid)	Hyaluronic Acid	Humectant, film-forming	Less common in finished formulas
Hyaluronic acid serum ingredient	Sodium Hyaluronate	Humectant, skin-conditioning	The salt form, most common in practice
Cross-linked variants	Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer (or similar)	Film-forming, texture	Check supplier documentation for exact INCI
Hydrolyzed / low molecular weight	Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate	Humectant, penetration claims	Distinct INCI from unhydrolyzed form

Molecular weight changes the ingredient, and sometimes the name

Suppliers market hyaluronic ingredients by molecular weight, high, low, or "multi-weight," because it affects how the ingredient behaves on skin. High molecular weight forms tend to sit on the surface and support a plumping feel; low molecular weight and hydrolyzed forms are marketed for deeper penetration claims.

This matters for your filing in two ways:

• If the supplier has hydrolyzed the hyaluronate, the correct INCI is often "Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate," a genuinely different INCI entry from plain "Sodium Hyaluronate." Don't assume they're interchangeable on paper just because the marketing name is similar.
• Molecular weight itself isn't something you declare on a CNF the way you declare concentration, but it's part of confirming you have the right INCI name in the first place, since suppliers sometimes fold a molecular-weight distinction into the product name without changing the INCI accordingly on their own documentation. Always check the actual INCI statement rather than inferring it from the trade name.

Watch for it hiding inside a blend

Sodium hyaluronate often ships as part of a multi-ingredient complex, bundled with other humectants or with a preservative system already included. If your supplier's product is called something like "HydraComplex HA," don't list "Sodium Hyaluronate" at the blend's full percentage. Get the technical data sheet, find the real percentage of sodium hyaluronate inside that blend, and calculate the true concentration in your finished product the way you would for any other blended raw material.

What to actually put on the filing

Once you've confirmed the exact form from your supplier's documentation:

1. Use the INCI name that matches the specific form you're using (Sodium Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, or a hydrolyzed variant), not a generic label.
2. Record the CAS number your supplier provides for that specific material.
3. Calculate the real concentration in your finished product if it arrived as part of a blend.
4. Keep the supplier documentation on file in case the form or source changes on a future lot.

This is a small ingredient category with an outsized number of naming traps, and it's the kind of thing Cosmetic Comply is built to catch. Upload your formula and it matches each ingredient to the correct INCI name and CAS number, flags blends that need expanding, and carries the real percentages through before a human reviewer checks the result.