{ "dataset": "hyaluronic-acid-cost-by-brand", "title": "Oral Hyaluronic Acid Supplements Compared — cost per mg, trial-dose match, and plain vs branded vs combo ingredient", "sourcePage": "https://verifiedsupplementdata.com/hyaluronic-acid/best-overall/", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "licenseUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "attribution": "Verified Supplement Data (2026), Hyaluronic Acid Cost Comparison", "dateModified": "2026-07-19", "scopeNote": "This dataset covers ORAL (ingested) hyaluronic acid supplements only. It does not cover HA dermal filler injections (Restylane/Juvederm-type products) or topical HA skincare serums — different products, different delivery routes, different evidence bases. Oral-HA evidence must never be used to imply anything about injectable or topical HA.", "methodology": "Four of the five tracked products are plain-or-branded HA capsules with a directly disclosed HA mg per serving, so cost per mg is computable: costPerMg = price / (servings x actual HA mg per serving). \"verdict\" tags the product: plain-trial-match (plain HA, ≥120mg/serving, matching the Oe 2017/Hsu 2021 skin-trial dose), plain-generic (plain HA, below 120mg at one label serving), branded-trial-matched (Hyabest — the literal fermentation-derived ingredient used in the Kewpie skin RCTs), combo-not-comparable (BioCell Collagen — HA is a disclosed ~10% minority component of a 1000mg collagen-II/chondroitin/HA blend, tracked separately and EXCLUDED from the plain-HA cost ranking). costPerTrialDose scales costPerMg to a $/day figure for hitting the 120mg skin-trial dose. EVIDENCE CONTEXT: the skin-hydration/wrinkle evidence (Oe 2017 PMID 28761365, Hsu 2021 PMID 34203487, Kawada 2014 PMID 25014997) is the largest, most-replicated pocket, but most authors are employed by Kewpie Corporation, the maker of the Hyabest ingredient — disclose this every time it is cited. Joint/OA evidence (Tashiro 2012 PMID 23226979, plain HA, 200mg/day for 12 months; Nelson 2015 PMID 24899570, Oralvisc/Hyal-Joint DS branded ingredient, 80mg/day for 3 months) is thinner and uses different doses of different ingredients — never averaged into one \"joint dose.\" Absorption/mechanism evidence (Balogh 2008 PMID 18959406, Oe 2014 PMID 25383371) is ANIMAL tracer data (rats/dogs) only, never tested in humans. This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA; these products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.", "headline": { "productsCompared": 4, "comboProductsTrackedSeparately": 1, "skinTrialDoseMg": 120, "jointDosePlainMg": 200, "jointDoseBrandedMg": 80, "cheapestPerMgBrand": "Nutricost", "cheapestPerMg": 0.0012, "cheapestPlainAtTrialDoseBrand": "Jarrow Formulas", "trialMatchedIngredientBrand": "Natural Factors", "note": "The cheapest cost per mg overall (Nutricost) delivers only 100mg/serving, below the 120mg skin-trial dose at one capsule/day. Jarrow is the cheapest PLAIN HA product that matches the 120mg trial dose exactly. Hyabest (Natural Factors) is the only product using the literal ingredient tested in the skin RCTs; its total bottle price is higher but its cost per mg is actually slightly lower than the plain generics (60 servings per bottle)." }, "columns": [ "brand", "product", "slug", "form", "mgPerServing", "activeMgPerServing", "servings", "price", "costPerServing", "costPerMg", "costPerTrialDose", "verdict", "isTrialIngredient", "meetsTrialDoseAtOneServing" ], "units": { "mgPerServing": "mg (label)", "activeMgPerServing": "mg hyaluronic acid", "price": "USD", "costPerServing": "USD/serving", "costPerMg": "USD per mg of HA", "costPerTrialDose": "USD/day at 120mg" }, "citations": [ { "claim": "RCT n=60, 120mg/day HA for 12wk: wrinkle area/volume improved vs placebo by week 8. Most authors employed by Kewpie Corporation (study sponsor, Hyabest maker).", "source": "Oe M, et al. 2017, Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology", "pmid": "28761365" }, { "claim": "RCT n=40, 120mg/day HA for 12wk: wrinkle assessment, stratum corneum water content, elasticity improved vs placebo from week 8. 3 of 7 authors Kewpie-employed; same research program as Oe 2017.", "source": "Hsu TF, et al. 2021, Nutrients", "pmid": "34203487" }, { "claim": "RCT n=60 knee-OA patients, 200mg/day plain HA for 12 months: JKOM scores significantly better at months 2 & 4 in patients ≤70y; weaker/not significant over 70.", "source": "Tashiro T, et al. 2012, The Scientific World Journal", "pmid": "23226979" }, { "claim": "RCT n=40, 80mg/day of the branded Oralvisc/Hyal-Joint DS ingredient for 3 months: significant pain/function improvement — a different ingredient and dose than the plain-HA OA trial.", "source": "Nelson FR, et al. 2015, Rheumatology International", "pmid": "24899570" }, { "claim": "ANIMAL tracer study (rats/dogs), radiolabeled HA: labeled material appeared in joints, vertebrae, salivary glands within 4 hours of oral dosing. Not human data; mechanism of gut-wall crossing not resolved.", "source": "Balogh L, et al. 2008, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry", "pmid": "18959406" } ], "products": [ { "brand": "Nutricost", "product": "Hyaluronic Acid 100mg", "slug": "nutricost-hyaluronic-acid-100mg", "form": "Capsule", "mgPerServing": 100, "activeMgPerServing": 100, "servings": 120, "price": 13.95, "costPerServing": 0.12, "costPerMg": 0.0012, "costPerTrialDose": 0.14, "verdict": "plain-generic", "isCombo": false, "isTrialIngredient": false, "meetsTrialDoseAtOneServing": false, "note": null }, { "brand": "NOW Foods", "product": "Hyaluronic Acid 50mg with MSM", "slug": "now-foods-hyaluronic-acid-100mg", "form": "Capsule", "mgPerServing": 100, "activeMgPerServing": 100, "servings": 60, "price": 18.5, "costPerServing": 0.31, "costPerMg": 0.0031, "costPerTrialDose": 0.37, "verdict": "plain-generic", "isCombo": false, "isTrialIngredient": false, "meetsTrialDoseAtOneServing": false, "note": "Each serving also includes 900mg MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) — not part of any HA trial cited on this site. Disclosed so the price isn’t mistaken for HA-only." }, { "brand": "Natural Factors", "product": "Hyabest Hyaluronic Acid 120mg", "slug": "natural-factors-hyabest-hyaluronic-acid-120mg", "form": "Capsule", "mgPerServing": 120, "activeMgPerServing": 120, "servings": 60, "price": 34.97, "costPerServing": 0.58, "costPerMg": 0.0049, "costPerTrialDose": 0.59, "verdict": "branded-trial-matched", "isCombo": false, "isTrialIngredient": true, "meetsTrialDoseAtOneServing": true, "note": "Hyabest (fermentation-derived sodium hyaluronate) — the specific ingredient used in the Oe 2017 / Hsu 2021 / Kawada 2014 skin trials" }, { "brand": "Jarrow Formulas", "product": "Hyaluronic Acid 120mg", "slug": "jarrow-hyaluronic-acid-120mg", "form": "Capsule", "mgPerServing": 120, "activeMgPerServing": 120, "servings": 30, "price": 18.34, "costPerServing": 0.61, "costPerMg": 0.0051, "costPerTrialDose": 0.61, "verdict": "plain-trial-match", "isCombo": false, "isTrialIngredient": false, "meetsTrialDoseAtOneServing": true, "note": null } ], "comboProduct": { "brand": "Doctor's Best", "product": "Hyaluronic Acid with Chondroitin Sulfate (BioCell Collagen)", "slug": "doctors-best-hyaluronic-acid-chondroitin-biocell", "form": "Capsule", "mgPerServing": 1000, "activeMgPerServing": 100, "servings": 90, "price": 35.99, "costPerServing": 0.4, "costPerMg": 0.004, "costPerTrialDose": 0.48, "verdict": "combo-not-comparable", "isCombo": true, "isTrialIngredient": false, "meetsTrialDoseAtOneServing": false, "note": "NOT a plain-HA cost comparator — most of the labeled 1000mg is collagen type II and chondroitin sulfate, not HA. See the combo-product note on best-overall before comparing this price to the plain-HA picks." } }