Hyaluronic acid is made up of long chains of repeating sugar units and belongs to the glycosaminoglycan family. It occurs naturally in the human body, particularly in the skin, joints and connective tissues. It is also present in the extracellular matrix, the network of substances found between cells in various tissues.

The terms hyaluronic acid and hyaluronan both refer to the same naturally occurring substance. Depending on the chemical form and labelling conventions, either name may appear in product information. For use in food supplements, hyaluronic acid can also be produced through microbial fermentation. The specific production method depends on the ingredient supplier.