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Plumeria rubra
The centella is humble: a low, creeping herb with small round leaves, found along rice-field margins, stream banks and damp paths across tropical Asia. Yet few plants link the islands of Southeast Asia and Korean cosmetic science so directly.
What the plant knows
It spreads by creeping stems that root where they touch the ground, and settles wherever there is moisture. It is known as pegagan in Indonesia, gotu kola in English, and appears in many Asian herbal traditions. In Korean skincare, it is the plant behind the word “cica”.
Where the island meets the laboratory, this plant is already at home.
The file
- Botanical name — Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. (Apiaceae)
- Range — damp ground across tropical and subtropical Asia
- Conditions it endures — constant moisture, heat, spreading ground
- Link to YNFUSE — a bridge between island botany and advanced Korean cosmetic science
- Status at YNFUSE — under study
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- YNFUSE Territory
- Bali Origins
Why we look at it
Frangipani is one of the most recognisable flowers of tropical landscapes. For YNFUSE, its interest begins beyond its fragrance and symbolism.
Published phytochemical research on Plumeria rubra describes a chemically diverse species. A 2021 review reported more than 110 constituents isolated across different parts of the plant, spanning families including iridoids, terpenoids, flavonoids and flavonoid glycosides.
The extract matters
There is no single material called “frangipani extract”.
The composition of a botanical material depends on variables including the species, plant part and extraction process.
In a published study of a methanolic P. rubra flower extract, LC-MS/MS analysis identified compounds including chlorogenic acid, kaempferol derivatives, quercetin and rutin. The studied extract also demonstrated antioxidant activity in laboratory assays.
These findings describe the material studied by the researchers. They illustrate why botanical identity and extraction matter.
The YNFUSE lens
We do not select a botanical because an origin story sounds compelling.
We begin with territory and observation, investigate the plant and its published science, then use formulation science to determine relevance.
Nature gives us the question. Science decides the answer.
