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Rangoon Creeper

Q: Is Rangoon Creeper natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: No widely traded essential oil or absolute. Some small-scale extractions in India. Largely a fantasy concept in Western perfumery..

FLOWERS / floral · tropical · fruity

Rangoon Creeper

Category	FLOWERS
Subcategory	floral · tropical · fruity
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Combretum indicum
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines
Pyramid	Heart

Honey-sweet, changing color as it ages — white to pink to red. Rangoon creeper's fragrance shifts too: light and fresh when young, heavier and sweeter with age.

Scent
Terroir & Origins
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Honey-sweet, fruity-floral, tropical. The character depends on the flower's age: younger (white) flowers are lighter and more delicate; mature (red) flowers are heavier and sweeter. At its best (pink stage), it combines jasmine-like sweetness with a honeyed fruitiness.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Light honey-sweet, delicate tropical florality

After a few hours

Fuller, fruitier sweetness, jasmine-adjacent warmth

After a few days

Persistent sweet-honeyed warmth, slow tropical fade

Terroir & Origins

Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.

The Full Story

Rangoon creeper (Combretum indicum, syn. Quisqualis indica) is a tropical vine whose flowers change color over their lifespan: opening white, turning pink the next day, and deep red by the third day. The fragrance shifts correspondingly — lighter and more delicate when young, heavier and sweeter as the flower ages.

The scent at its peak (pink stage) is honey-sweet, slightly fruity, with a jasmine-adjacent florality. Not as heavy as frangipani, not as green as honeysuckle. A tropical sweetness with reasonable restraint.

No commercial essential oil or absolute is widely traded. The flowers are used in traditional medicine across South and Southeast Asia (particularly as an antiparasitic). The perfumery note is largely a fantasy reconstruction.

Native to tropical Asia, Rangoon creeper is now cultivated throughout the tropics as an ornamental. The name 'Rangoon' reflects its association with Myanmar (formerly Burma).

This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Rose Monotone. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Did You Know?

Did you know?

Rangoon creeper's color change from white to red is caused by a shift in pH within the petals — the same anthocyanin pigments respond to increasing acidity as the flower ages. The color shift also signals pollinators: butterflies prefer the fresh white flowers (which contain more nectar), ignoring the older red ones.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: No widely traded essential oil or absolute. Some small-scale extractions in India. Largely a fantasy concept in Western perfumery.

↑ See Terroir & Origins for origin-specific methods.

Molecular Formula	Complex mixture — contains quisqualic acid, pelargonidin
CAS Number	90045-27-5 (Combretum indicum extract)
Botanical Name	Combretum indicum
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	QUISQUALIS INDICA · CHINESE HONEYSUCKLE · MADAGASCAR JASMINE
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow liquid

In Perfumery

Niche tropical floral with unique color-shifting concept. No widely traded extraction. Built from honey-sweet florals, fruity elements, and jasmine-adjacent bases. Functions in tropical and evolving floral compositions. The color-change narrative adds conceptual interest.