What is madecassoside — and why it is sold with asiaticoside B

Madecassoside is one of the two principal triterpene glycosides found in Centella asiatica. It is the glycoside form of madecassic acid: the same triterpene skeleton, with a sugar chain attached. In commercial terms it is a purified single compound, sold by percentage and assayed by HPLC, and it is one of the marker compounds a Centella asiatica specification is most often written against.

That is the short answer. The part that matters when you are actually buying it is less widely explained, and it catches people out: madecassoside is rarely sold on its own.

Where madecassoside sits in the Centella family

Four compounds do most of the work in this category. Two are glycosides, two are their corresponding aglycones — the genins left after the sugar chain is removed.

All four are ursane-type pentacyclic triterpenoids from the same plant, collectively referred to as centellosides. They are four distinct molecules with different molecular weights and different market prices, which is why a percentage against one is never interchangeable with a percentage against another.

Why you will rarely buy madecassoside on its own

In the trade, madecassoside is usually offered as a combined specification: madecassoside + asiaticoside B. Asiaticoside B is a closely related triterpene glycoside — commonly described as an isomer of madecassoside — which occurs alongside it in the plant and co-purifies with it during processing. Separating the two completely is difficult and, for most applications, unnecessary.

The practical consequence is worth stating plainly. When a supplier quotes “madecassoside 90%”, that figure may well be a combined assay of madecassoside plus asiaticoside B rather than 90% madecassoside alone. Neither is dishonest; they are different specifications, and the difference matters if your formulation was written against a single-compound figure.

Ask which it is. Request the certificate of analysis and confirm whether the percentage is against madecassoside alone or against the combined pair. This single question resolves most of the confusion in this part of the category.

Commercial grades available

Across SpecNexa’s supply base, the madecassoside-side grades are supplier-declared as follows, each reported by HPLC:

Note that all three are supplied as the combined specification, which reflects how the material is actually produced rather than a limitation of any one supplier. Higher-purity single-compound madecassoside can generally be quoted on request, and prices accordingly.

Appearance and what it tells you

Madecassoside grades present as white powders across the commercial range. That is characteristic of the refined end of this ingredient: lower-percentage total-triterpene grades are brown, moving through light yellow as purity rises. A brown or strongly off-colour powder delivered against a madecassoside specification is worth querying before it reaches production.

Colour is a useful first check on receipt, not a substitute for testing. Confirm against the certificate of analysis.

Madecassoside or asiaticoside — which to specify

Both are triterpene glycosides from the same plant, and both are widely available. Which one your specification names is generally determined by the formulation you are working to rather than by availability.

Two practical differences are worth knowing. Asiaticoside is available across a broader percentage range, from around 5% up to high-purity isolates at 95%, which gives more room to trade purity against cost. Madecassoside is concentrated in the higher grades and, as above, usually arrives paired with asiaticoside B. If you are specifying from scratch and either would serve, asiaticoside typically offers more commercial flexibility.

If your specification names both, state the required level for each rather than a combined total.

How it is assayed

Madecassoside is conventionally assayed by HPLC. As with any high-purity isolate, the reference standard matters as much as the method: two suppliers can both report 90% while measuring against different standards. Ask which reference standard the assay was run against, and confirm your own quality team can reproduce the method on receipt.

What to include in your RFQ

• The exact specification — madecassoside alone, or madecassoside + asiaticoside B combined. Say which.
• The percentage and assay method — for example madecassoside + asiaticoside B 90% by HPLC.
• The reference standard your specification is written against, if you have one.
• Physical form and particle size if your process is sensitive to them.
• Intended application and destination market — cosmetic, supplement, or food — which determines the documentation set and the permitted-use position.
• Annual volume, since isolates price very differently at sample versus production scale.
• Documentation required — certificate of analysis showing the method, specification sheet, and safety data sheet.

Regulatory note

Centella asiatica derivatives are traded for cosmetic and for food or supplement applications, and the two routes carry different documentation and different permitted-use rules by market. Permitted status, use levels, and labelling requirements vary by destination and are the buyer’s responsibility to confirm for the market being supplied. A supplier specification does not substitute for that check.

Sourcing madecassoside through SpecNexa

SpecNexa lists Gotu Kola / Centella asiatica extract across the full supplier-declared grade range, from 10% total triterpenes through to the high-purity glycosides and isolated acids. If your specification names a marker compound or percentage not shown, include it in your request and it can usually be quoted.

All specification information is supplier-declared and provided for sourcing discovery. Buyers should confirm the final agreed specification, including assay method, grade, and batch documentation, directly with the contracting supplier.