According to a review published in Current Traditional Medicine, Jamu – Indonesia’s longstanding traditional medicinal and health practice dating back thousands of years – had long been applied to personal care, beauty and wellbeing but could today be more widely accessed thanks to “modern Jamu” products in the form of liquids, tablets, capsules and powders. And Indonesia’s “rich biodiversity” of an estimated 30,000 identified plant species provided “vast potential” for the continued development and use of natural, plant-based ingredients in traditional medicine, cosmetics, and other applications, the researchers wrote.
Jamu beauty for “skin enhancing”
The review highlighted a handful of Jamu active ingredients already used for beauty purposes.
Tumeric (Curcuma domestica),for example, was already widely used in Indonesian cosmetic formulas for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; pecan (Carya illinoinensis) for its moisturising vitamin E and oleic acid content; and Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) for its skin rejuvenation qualities. Native flowering plants Bawang Dayak (Eleutherine Americana) and Daun Kemuning (Murraya paniculata) were also widely used in skin care formulas, particularly for skin whitening. Other spiced plants like cardamon, red ginger, galangal, lime, chilli and garlic also offered essential oils and antioxidants, valued for brightening, refreshing and warming the skin, with some also offering antibacterial properties.
Overall, the review said there was strong promise for integrating Jamu ingredients into cosmetic formulas for “skin-enhancing” goals. And as innovation in delivery systems evolved, with the likes of lipid-based nano-encapsulation, nano-emulsions and silicone matrices, the researchers said the ability to develop bioavailable, stable and effective herbal ingredients for cosmetic formulations would only increase.
Importantly, this aligned with a “growing interest” in Jamu and other traditional Indonesian herbal remedies, particularly for skin care and beauty, as consumers looked to natural and organic products, they said.
Taking Jamu global
Speaking to Premium Beauty News, green chemistry expert Barbara Olioso Phd MRSC, founder of The Green Chemist and Green Chem Finder, said that whilst local interest in Jamu might be growing, global awareness in the cosmetics industry – outside Indonesia and parts of Southeast Asia – remained “quite limited”. However, Olioso said Jamu could be considered “a sleeping giant”.
“Jamu has a cultural depth comparable to Ayurveda or even aspects of K-Beauty, but it lacks the standardisation, branding and global narrative needed to gain wider traction in Western markets,” she explained. It currently attracted “niche interest from specialised practitioners rather than mainstream beauty brands”, she said, though this could soon change given the promise Jamu held for developing natural herbal-based cosmetics.
“There is considerable promise, provided the industry can address what might be called the ’freshness paradox’,” explained Olioso. Traditional Jamu relied heavily on fresh plant materials, which presented challenges in terms of stability, preservation and consistency, she said, so the opportunity was in developing extraction and processing methods that preserved bioactivity while meeting modern safety and stability requirements. If Indonesian brands and suppliers achieved this, she said Jamu-inspired ingredients could offer a “compelling and authentic clean-beauty narrative that resonates strongly with global consumers”.
Looking ahead, Olioso said luxury spas and professional beauty treatments were the “most natural entry point” for global expansion of Jamu, given bespoke and fresh blends could be used in these spaces and contexts versus mainstream retail.
Closing Jamu’s validation gap
Beyond this, the expert said it would be crucial to close the “validation gap” in Jamu and work to back up ’ancient wisdom’ positioning with “robust phytochemical and clinical evidence” on ingredients and blends.
“Today’s global, highly informed consumers want more than stories – they expect transparency. Knowing that a plant is traditionally used is no longer enough; they want to understand which active compounds are responsible for the claimed effects, at what concentrations, and with what level of efficacy,” she said. “The potential for the beauty industry is substantial, but real progress will depend on combining traditional knowledge with scientific validation, appropriate delivery systems – particularly for fresh extracts – and transparent, well-controlled supply chains to ensure both safety and performance.”
The researchers agreed: “It is crucial to thoroughly assess the safety and quality of these natural ingredients through rigorous testing and regulatory oversight to ensure consumer safety.”
Olioso said the cosmetics industry could collectively work to develop a shared framework for Jamu ingredients, to standardise references for plant identity, preparation methods, traditional uses, safety assessments, efficacy evaluation and regulatory acceptance – a sort of “cosmetic-focused pharmacopeia”. This could then be used as a foundation to develop new, standardised extracts suitable for global cosmetic markets, she said. Establishing sustainable and regenerative sourcing models would also be “critical” in protecting Indonesia’s biodiversity and avoiding over-harvesting.
“It is encouraging to see increasing attention given to the Jamu tradition. With greater investment in scientific research and regulatory-aligned development, Jamu-inspired ingredients could be transformed into compliant, efficacious cosmetic actives that retain their cultural authenticity while meeting modern industry expectations,” Olioso said.
