BUTTER-C
Signature ingredients
Madecassoside serum OEM/ODM manufacturing
Madecassoside Serum · Signature Ingredients · OEM/ODM
Centella (gotu kola) is a familiar plant in Vietnam; madecassoside is one of its four main triterpenes, purified into a defined compound (C48H78O20, CAS 34540-22-2) — unlike centella extract, a mixture whose content varies with the plant source and extraction method. For brand owners, madecassoside's strength is control: it can be assayed by HPLC and brings little color or odor. Mechanistic data come mostly from cultured cells; searching PubMed, we have not found any controlled trial using madecassoside alone in humans. The trial usually cited (Haftek et al., 2008: 20 women, 6 months) used 0.1% madecassoside together with 5% vitamin C, so the results belong to the combination; trials of creams containing madecassoside after laser or cryotherapy are medical settings. Butter-C's madecassoside serum is therefore a fragrance-free water-based serum in which madecassoside is the named active alongside familiar humectants, with claims at the level of “soothes feelings of discomfort, moisturizes” (sensory, tested on the finished product). Madecassoside is not stocked at the plant, so it is sourced per order with a COA stating purity. Butter-C offers full-service OEM/ODM manufacturing, from formula development and testing to labeled finished product with its notification dossier.
Formula base
A clear water base with madecassoside as the named active
Madecassoside is a water-loving molecule, so the serum is built on a water base without oil or fragrance. Madecassoside is the named ingredient; the accompanying humectants carry most of the moisturizing claim when measured on the finished product.
Madecassoside — a purified compound, not an extract
INCI Madecassoside; CAS 34540-22-2; C48H78O20, 975.1 g/mol (PubChem CID 24825675). A pentacyclic triterpene backbone (madecassic acid) linked at C-28 through an ester bond to a chain of two glucose units and one rhamnose. Not to be confused with asiaticoside (C48H78O19, one oxygen atom fewer) or Centella Asiatica Extract — data and documentation are not shared.
Companion humectants
Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Panthenol, low-level Sodium Hyaluronate. Human trials involving madecassoside usually pair it with panthenol; the moisturizing claim rests on the whole base when measured on the finished product.
Viscosity framework
A watery serum needs almost no thickener; the gel-serum version uses Xanthan Gum or Hydroxyethylcellulose. No exfoliating acids, retinoids or essential oils are added — there are no checked data for each of these pairings.
Preservation and stability
Phenoxyethanol at a maximum of 1.0% (ASEAN Annex VI Ref 29) with Ethylhexylglycerin; Disodium EDTA; a Citric Acid – Sodium Citrate buffer. A preservative efficacy (challenge) test to ISO 11930 is mandatory.
Key technical points
Four issues specific to a serum named after madecassoside
The general soothing serum base is covered on the general page; the four items below concern the madecassoside raw material itself.
Cell data are not human skin data
In cultured human fibroblasts, madecassoside and asiaticoside raised type I collagen secretion by about 25–30%, and only madecassoside raised type III collagen (Bonte et al., 1995). In cultured cells stimulated with Propionibacterium acnes, madecassoside lowered IL-1β and TLR2; in HaCaT keratinocytes it raised aquaporin-3, loricrin and involucrin (Shen et al., 2019). Jung et al. (2013, authors from a company research institute) found lower melanin synthesis in a co-culture system and a lower melanin index after 8 weeks on artificially tanned skin — the abstract gives no sample size or concentration. These data explain the choice of ingredient; they do not become claims.
Human data belong to combinations or medical settings
Haftek et al. (2008): randomized, double-blind, 20 women with photoaged skin, 5% vitamin C plus 0.1% madecassoside for 6 months; clinical scores for wrinkles, suppleness, roughness and hydration improved, with improvement in two-thirds of subjects — the abstract does not describe the comparison group, and the results belong to the combination. Lueangarun et al. (2019, 20 people, after fractional CO2 laser) and Lynde et al. (2025, 60 people, after cryotherapy of actinic keratoses) tested multi-ingredient creams (panthenol, madecassoside, metal salts) against drug products, with no significant difference — medical settings, not used for cosmetics.
Concentration and penetration
The sources checked give only 0.1% (in humans, combined with 5% vitamin C) and 2% (a laboratory microemulsion); commercial levels have no checked public source — follow the supplier's technical data sheet (TDS) and tolerance testing. Madecassoside is highly hydrophilic and large, so it crosses the stratum corneum poorly: on rat skin, a 2% microemulsion gave a 24-hour cumulative permeation of 406.28 µg/cm², about 43.2 times a 2% solution (Chiu et al., 2026) — animal skin data, not a measure of benefit. The water-based serum on this page does not use that carrier.
Stability, safety and regulation
We have not found a checked source on madecassoside stability by pH or temperature in cosmetics; the ester bond at C-28 may be sensitive to alkaline pH (chemical inference, not measured) — so madecassoside content is assayed by HPLC at each stability time point. The CIR Expert Panel (2023) concluded that 9 centella-derived ingredients are safe in the present practices of use and concentration when formulated to be non-sensitizing; pure madecassoside is not among those 9 and has no separate CIR assessment. Madecassoside (searched by name and CAS) is not in ASEAN Annexes II, III or VI, version 06/2026.
Three formulation directions
Three forms of madecassoside serum
Watery madecassoside – panthenol serum
Madecassoside, panthenol and glycerin in a clear water base; fluid, quick-absorbing, with a short ingredient list. For skin that feels tight and uncomfortable, morning and evening.
Madecassoside – hyaluronate gel-serum
Adds low-level Sodium Hyaluronate and Xanthan Gum for a cool, plump feel; for combination or oily skin wanting a non-greasy texture.
Madecassoside serum with centella extract
Madecassoside is the named active, with a small amount of centella extract to complete the “centella” story; slight color variation of the extract between lots is accepted. Unlike the centella serum page, where the whole extract is the named ingredient.
Packaging is designed with the formula
Dark glass dropper bottle or pump bottle; gaskets and dropper tubes are soak-tested with the sample. A pump bottle limits hand and air contact with the product.
Parameters we monitor
What our R&D lab measures on every sample
Below are the parameters Butter-C monitors during formula development and scale-up to production. Specific limits are agreed with you on the approved sample, then written into the product's in-house specification.
- Incoming madecassoside raw material
- COA of each lot checked: INCI, purity by HPLC, origin, residual solvents, heavy metals, microbiology.
- Appearance & clarity
- Color, odor, clarity; tracking haze or precipitation at the intended concentration.
- pH
- Measured at 25 °C; the pH range is fixed by stability testing because the sources checked give no stable pH range for madecassoside.
- Viscosity
- Measured with a rotational viscometer at 25 °C for the gel-serum version; spindle and speed recorded.
- Madecassoside content
- HPLC assay at manufacture and at each stability time point — mandatory when the label names the active or states a percentage.
- Stability
- Accelerated aging at 40 °C, freeze–thaw cycling and light exposure in the final packaging; tracking clarity, color, pH and viscosity.
- Microbiology & challenge test
- Tested at a GLP / ISO 17025-accredited laboratory; preservative efficacy (challenge) test to ISO 11930.
- Irritation & sensitization
- Patch testing on volunteers before the formula is locked; required if the label says “suitable for sensitive skin”.
- Skin hydration
- Measured instrumentally on volunteers with a vehicle control — when you want to state a hydration figure.
Claims
Claims at the soothing and moisturizing level
Much of the madecassoside research sits in wound care and post-procedure settings, so marketing language easily slips into that vocabulary. A cosmetic serum is used on intact skin and stops at soothing sensations and moisturizing. Butter-C reviews label and marketing wording against Annex 03-MP of Circular 06/2011/TT-BYT when preparing the notification dossier.
Soothes feelings of discomfort
Sensory; requires testing on the finished product. Instead of: drug-like soothing, calming inflammation, reducing inflamed acne.
Moisturizes, helps skin feel less tight
Figures are stated only after measurement on the finished product. Instead of: restoring skin, regenerating skin, mending skin.
Contains madecassoside — a purified active from centella
A percentage is stated only when proven by HPLC assay. Instead of: “cica X%” without saying which raw material, “boosts collagen”, “anti-aging” based on cell data or the trial combined with 5% vitamin C.
For sensitive skin
Stated only after testing on people with sensitive skin. Instead of: non-irritating, gentle because it is natural.
No citing of post-procedure data
The post-laser and post-cryotherapy trials concern other products, compared with drugs, in medical settings. Instead of: for use after laser or peels, replacing ointments, fading scars, fading dark marks.
Label advice, pregnancy
Use on intact skin; people who have reacted to centella cosmetics should test on a small area first (contact allergy to centella extract has been reported in case reports). Pregnancy and breastfeeding: insufficient data, so asking a doctor is advised. Instead of: hypoallergenic, safe for pregnancy.
Manufacturing specifications
Our capabilities
- Texture
- Watery serum or lightly viscous gel-serum; clear and almost colorless (slightly tinted in the version with centella extract).
- Pack formats
- Dark glass dropper bottle or pump bottle. Volume agreed when selecting packaging.
- Madecassoside sourcing
- Not stocked at the plant; sourced per order, with a COA required for every lot.
- Minimum order quantity
- Agreed per order, depending on the madecassoside raw material, formula direction and pack format.
- Testing
- Performed at a GLP / ISO 17025-accredited laboratory, with madecassoside assay when the label names it; certificate of analysis delivered with every lot.
- Documentation
- Product Information File (PIF) and cosmetic product notification dossier prepared by Butter-C, with a madecassoside COA stating the INCI name and purity.
- Packaging
- Label design, printing and packing run in parallel with formula development.
Suggested product concept
Fragrance-free madecassoside serum for skin prone to tightness
A product concept to help you picture the result, not a ready-made product for sale. The actual formula is developed around your brand's positioning and price range.
Madecassoside
The named ingredient; level per the supplier's TDS and tolerance results, with HPLC assay on the finished product if the label states the content.
Panthenol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol
Humectants that give a comfortable feel — the main basis for a moisturizing claim when measured on the finished product.
Fragrance-free, no essential oils, no colorants
A short ingredient list; no exfoliating acids or retinoids in the same bottle.
30 ml dark glass dropper bottle
The label says use on intact skin, test on a small area first, and use sunscreen during the day as part of the skincare routine.
Customization options
What you can specify
The same product type can serve very different customer groups. Tell us your requirements in the areas below and our pharmacists will develop the matching formula.
Texture
Watery or cool gel-serum — decides the thickener and packaging.
Content on the label
Whether to state a madecassoside percentage; if so, HPLC assay on every lot and at each stability time point.
Companion ingredients
Panthenol, Allantoin, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, centella extract; choose a few, without overloading the formula. Adding vitamin C requires stability testing of both actives — see the vitamin C serum page.
Ingredient story
“A purified active from centella” — told as an ingredient story; the origin of the centella is stated only when the supplier has documents.
Scent and color
Fragrance-free and colorless recommended.
Ingredient positioning
Alcohol-free, fragrance-free, essential-oil-free, vegan — “vegan” needs a supplier statement and a review of the whole formula.
Further reading
Related knowledge
Madecassoside in cosmetics
Measured mechanisms, human evidence, tested concentrations, safety and regulation (in Vietnamese).
Centella serum manufacturing
A different direction: whole or standardized centella extract as the named ingredient, madecassoside in a supporting role.
Soothing barrier essence manufacturing
The general page for the soothing line: centella, PCA minerals, ceramides.
Centella asiatica in cosmetics
Centella's four marker actives and research on the whole extract (in Vietnamese).
Sensitive skin
The main customer group for soothing serums (in Vietnamese).
How we work
From idea to finished batch
Eight steps and three milestones signed off by both sides: approved sample, notification number, finished batch. Step-by-step details (in Vietnamese) →
Get started
Tell us about the product you plan to launch
Send us your product direction and expected volume. Our team will get back to you during business hours (Vietnam time, GMT+7).
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