Primary amine catalysts derived from cinchona alkaloids have emerged as readily available, highly versatile and extremely powerful catalysts in asymmetric synthesis. In particular, they exhibit superior catalytic efficacy for successfully tackling major challenges in a variety of sterically hindered carbonyl compounds, which traditional approaches have not been able to address. This review aims to once again draw attention to this relatively underutilised process by highlighting the recent developments in the application of cinchona-based primary amine catalysts in asymmetric organocatalytic reactions.