A brief that only says “add cica” is still not a sample request. Madecassoside is a defined INCI: one triterpene saponin from Centella asiatica, sold here as a white to off-white fine powder with HPLC purity 90% or higher, CAS 34540-22-2.
It is not a whole-herb Centella extract, not asiaticoside, and not the sugar-free aglycone madecassic acid. If the brief prints “cica,” “Centella,” or only “asiaticoside,” clear that gate first: Madecassoside vs Centella.
What the INCI is locking
PubChem lists Madecassoside as C48H78O20, molecular weight about 975.1, CAS 34540-22-2. It is the glycoside of madecassic acid: a rhamnose–glucose–glucose sugar chain on the ursane acid. Cosmadex, reflecting CosIng reference 57487, records the functions as antioxidant and skin conditioning, with EC 252-076-1.
For purchasing, write the INCI you will put on the label. Ask for a COA that shows the same INCI and an HPLC assay of madecassoside—not a total-triterpene percentage copied from an extract grade. Add CAS 34540-22-2 when your documentation pack requires a CAS line, and confirm it on the batch documents.
What “for skin” is deciding
Searches for madecassoside for skin, in serums, creams, or masks are placement questions. Inventory language sits at antioxidant and skin conditioning. Formulators put this powder in water-based chassis when the brief asks for this Centella saponin as a discrete active line.
That role is a formula-placement decision. It is not a finished-product claim for acne, whitening, or wound endpoints on every volunteer panel. Keep branded clinical percentages with the named commercial grade that published them. For a sample trial, lock INCI and HPLC assay first; then ask what documentation the factory can attach to that lot.
How this powder goes into water
Suggested use on the product page is 0.1–0.5% for a daily formula and 0.5–1.0% for an intensive formula. The powder dissolves in warm water and in glycols. Pre-dissolve it in warm water at 40–50°C, or in butylene glycol, before it enters the aqueous phase so the lot does not clump.
The listed pH window is 5.0–7.5. Below pH 4.0 the glycoside can hydrolyze toward the aglycone. Confirm process temperature and final pH against the TDS of the drum you buy; suggested ranges are starting points, not a substitute for that sheet. Protect the drum from moisture; the material is often described as hygroscopic in reagent listings.
Daily band vs intensive band
The product page splits suggested use into two windows: about 0.1–0.5% for daily maintenance chassis, and about 0.5–1.0% for intensive repair-positioned formulas. Those are starting bands for this grade, not clinical endpoints. Set the pilot percent from the TDS of the drum you buy, then confirm sensory and stability in your own base.
If a marketing brief copied a percentage from a branded Centella complex or from an extract TDS, do not paste that number onto this isolate without checking assay and form. Extract total-triterpene percents and isolate HPLC percents are different math.
The same page notes pairing with panthenol when the brief wants a barrier-repair dual story. That remains a second purchase line and a second COA. Madecassoside does not replace panthenol on the order.
What not to substitute silently
Three mix-ups show up on the same RFQ thread.
Centella Asiatica Extract is a multi-marker leaf/stem powder. Its assay is usually total triterpenes, not madecassoside alone. An extract order does not fill a madecassoside isolate line.
Asiaticoside is the other major Centella saponin (CAS 16830-15-2 on that page). One more oxygen at C-6 separates madecassoside from asiaticoside on the skeleton; the two CAS numbers do not cover each other.
Madecassic Acid is madecassoside without the sugars. Water solubility and pH handling differ. Do not treat the glycoside and the aglycone as the same lot. The full split is in Madecassoside vs Centella.
What to send before the first sample ships
Put these lines in the message to the supplier:
- INCI Madecassoside
- CAS 34540-22-2
- HPLC assay of madecassoside (≥90% if that is your brief), not a total-triterpene number
- Confirmation of warm-water or glycol pre-dissolve and pH window for your process
- Bench-sample pack size, plus COA, SDS, and TDS with the shipment
Batch documents and a sample are available from the product page. Match the sample COA to the specification you wrote, then scale. A clear saponin INCI usually returns documents and a quote; a vague “cica powder” line usually returns clarifying questions first.
