Gooey fluid turned into $1.68b liquid gold for Jinan

Editor's note: In a series of reports titled "Claims to Fame", China Daily looks at how some regions have earned wealth and recognition through specific products to realize the goal of rural vitalization.

It's in your eyes, joints and skin, and even present in your tissue. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring fluid that has multiple functions in the human body and contributes to joint and skin health, healing and tissue hydration.

An adult human, on average, only has around 15 to 20 grams of this disaccharide polymer, known for its ability to bind water many times its weight. However, the concentration of HA decreases as a person ages and can lead to health problems such as knee pain, wrinkles and eye diseases.

Since 1934, when researchers Karl Meyer and John Palmer of Columbia University in the United States extracted the acid from cows' eyeballs, scientists around the world have been exploring ways to create products containing HA to benefit people's health.

Applications of the substance have also expanded beyond medical use, to beauty products and daily use items such as hand sanitizers and some foods.

The wide use of the gooey fluid has created huge global demand for HA raw materials, with China emerging as the world's largest producer of such products.

China accounted for 82 percent of HA global raw materials sales in 2021, according to the 2021 Global and China Hyaluronic Acid Industry Market Research Report by US research firm Frost & Sullivan.

Jinan, capital city of Shandong province, produces 70 percent of China's HA raw materials, making it the largest production base of hyaluronic acid in the country, said Xu Lei, deputy director of the city's bureau of industry and information technology.

"The total revenue generated from the HA industry in Jinan, including its raw materials and HA end products, surpassed 12 billion yuan ($1.68 billion) last year," Xu said at a news conference during an industry conference in Jinan, this June.

"HA cosmetics and health supplements produced in Jinan have gained widespread popularity," she said.

Once considered a luxury item, hyaluronic acid has become an affordable product used in everyday items due to new production capabilities and methods. At an exhibition hall of one production company based in Jinan, bottled water, pet food, cosmetics and healthcare products featuring HA are on display, indicating its widening uses.