When you swallow hyaluronic acid, only about 2% of it actually gets into your bloodstream, no matter how big or small the molecules are, because your gut breaks it down too much and doesn’t let much...

When mice swallow hyaluronan, almost none of it gets into their bloodstream whole—just a tiny bit—so any effects they feel probably come from gut bacteria breaking it down, not from the original substance.

When mice swallow hyaluronan, only about 1 in 500 parts of it actually gets into their body without breaking apart—so most of it just passes through without being absorbed.

When rats ate hyaluronic acid, only 16% of it made it into their bloodstream unchanged — the rest got broken down or didn’t get absorbed at all.

When you inject hyaluronic acid just under the skin, it makes your skin feel more hydrated, bouncier, and smoother—and scientists use this as a gold standard to see if taking hyaluronic acid pills does anything similar.

Scientists turn a big, natural substance in your body called hyaluronic acid into smaller pieces using a special enzyme, and these smaller pieces seem to reduce inflammation better than the big or small versions you normally have.