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K-beauty lovers can rave about Centella Asiatica or Cica as much as they want. But nobody will ever appreciate Centella Asiatica skincare products as much as people who deal with rosacea, and redness. Lots of benefits are attributed to this buzzy skincare ingredient.
Centella Asiatica skincare products are touted to be healing, antioxidant, and even anti-aging. While it may take a while to see all those benefits, its calming properties are basically immediate!
And we’ve got an amazing round-up of the best Centella Asiatica products that deliver. But if you want to get the most out of them, take a minute to read about this ingredient to see its full potential.
What is Centella Asiatica?
Centella Asiatica, sometimes called Cica, Gotu kola, or tiger grass, is a plant extract that’s been used as a medicinal herb for its wound-healing, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties (1).
These days, we have Centella Asiatica in our skincare products for its topical benefits. As a plant extract, Centella Asiatica has several compounds with distinct skin benefits.
That’s why we sometimes see the names of these compounds on the ingredient list. Some of these constituents used in skincare are madecassoside, Asiatic acid, and madasiatic acid, which are collectively called terpenoids.
Even though Centella Asiatica contains other compounds, these are the most common ones that are isolated and used in creams and serums.
What Are The Skin Benefits of Centella Asiatica?
Below are the most important skincare benefits of Centella Asiatica.
1. It has wound-healing benefits.
Centella Asiatica is majorly known for its wound-healing properties. On a side note, wound healing consists of a few steps. And I’m going to go ahead and add a link here where you can see this fascinating process.
But basically, wound healing requires collagen production. And Asiatic acid, madecassoside, and madecassic acid are among the exact compounds that stimulate collagen production and speed up wound healing (2).
2. It has moisturizing properties.
The active compounds of Centella Asiatica also stimulate the production of hyaluronic acid in the skin. Hyaluronic acid is what keeps your skin plump and bouncy.
And because of that, Centella Asiatica also has hydrating and moisturizing effects on the skin. If your skin is dry or dehydrated, or you somehow damaged your skin barrier, you can benefit from Cica creams.
3. It’s anti-aging.
Where there is collagen production, there’s room for anti-aging benefits. By increasing collagen production, Centella Asiatica helps renew and regenerate aging skin.
Centella Asiatica is also an antioxidant and it neutralizes the damaging effects of free radicals. That’s another reason why it’s an ingredient to look for in your products if you have mature, sensitive skin.
4. It’s anti-inflammatory.
Inflammation looks like red, irritated, and sensitive skin. It can be due to acne or skin disorders like rosacea. Either way, anti-inflammatory ingredients are the ones to reach for when that’s what you’re dealing with.
And Centella Asiatica and its major components have anti-inflammatory effects on the skin (3). It reduces redness and irritation.
How To Choose Centella Asiatica Products
When looking for a Centella Asiatica or a Cica product, keep your skin concern in mind. For example, using serums is the best way to go if you have sensitive skin or a skin condition like rosacea. Because serums are treatments and they help manage your symptoms in the long run.
If you have dry skin, a compromised skin barrier due to over-exfoliation, or overuse of active ingredients like retinol, use Centella Asiatica creams or Cica creams that tend to be thicker and deeply moisturizing.
If you simply occasionally deal with redness and you’re looking for a way to manage redness or irritation from skincare or external factors, you can try toners and masks. They offer a simple way to get the benefits of it.
The Best Centella Asiatica Skincare Products
From serums to creams, find below the best skincare products with Centella Asiatica.
Best Serum: A’pieu Madecassoside Ampoule 2X
This is one of the most potent Centella Asiatica skincare products. It’s Korean, minimal, gentle, and super effective. The serum ampoule contains Centella Asiatica extract as well as madecassoside to reduce inflammation, irritation, and sensitivity.
Whether you’re dealing with rosacea, inflamed acne, or overall dry skin, apply the serum to calm the skin immediately. It absorbs fast and makes the perfect skin booster to apply under your moisturizer.
Key Ingredients: Centella Asiatica, madecassoside, glycerin
Skin Type: All, especially dry, sensitive
Size: 1.69 oz/50 ml
Good To Know: Fragrance-free
Best Cream: Cosrx Pure Fit Cica Cream
The best thing about this one is it packs several components of Centella Asiatica. All those terpenoids, Asiatic acid, madecassoside, the leaf, and the root of the actual plant are formulated into the cream. In addition, the cream contains panthenol to hydrate and soothe the skin, and allantoin for its anti-inflammatory comfort.
So you can collect all those benefits of the ingredient and simply hydrate the skin, boost moisture, improve the skin barrier, and calm reactive, sensitive skin.
Key Ingredients: 61.2% Centella Asiatica complex, hyaluronic acid, vitamin B5
Skin Type: All
Size: 1.69 oz/50 ml
Good To Know: Cruelty-free
Best Toner: Purito Centella Green Level Calming Toner
If you prefer incorporating Centella Asiatica into your routine via a face toner, then this Korean toner is the one to add to your cart. The whole thing is super calming, hydrating, and refreshing for the skin. It’s an overall skin-hugging formula like a face serum as opposed to astringent toners.
And because of that, it’s fragrance-free, alcohol-free, and contains amazing hydration boosters including hyaluronic acid and glycerin. Besides Centella Asiatica, it packs allantoin too. It’s great for all skin types to just layer under your serums and creams to keep the skin calm, redness-free, and plump.
Key Ingredients: Centella Asiatica, hyaluronic acid, allantoin, vitamin B5
Skin Type: All
Size: 6.76 oz/200 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free, alcohol-free, fragrance-free
Best With SPF: Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment SPF 30
Dr. Jart has a whole line of Centella Asiatica products. And you can’t go wrong with any of them. But this particular product is the absolute best multi-tasker for anyone with rosacea, redness, inflammation, or sensitivity. This is a color-correcting cream.
It’s green-tinted but it adapts to your skin tone after application. So it calms the skin but also provides coverage. And it has mineral SPF in it, which is a major plus when you have sensitive skin. This is a makeup skincare hybrid and the best Cica product that multi-tasks big time.
Key Ingredients: Centella Asiatica, niacinamide
Skin Type: All, especially oily, combination
Size: 1.7 oz/50 ml
Read The Full Review of Dr. Jart Cicapair CC Treatment SPF 30
Best Mask: Laneige Hypoallergenic Cica Sleeping Mask
If you have sensitive skin, then you know. Because masks are a lifesaver when you have red, itchy, irritated skin. And this overnight mask enriched with all things Centella Asiatica is no exception. It’s an overnight mask that can double as a night cream to calm the skin and moisturize it at the same time.
It contains squalane and panthenol to lightly hydrate, and shea butter to seal moisture in. And to calm redness and irritation overnight, the mask packs isolated Centella compounds.
Key Ingredients: Asiatic acid, madecassic acid, asiaticoside
Skin Type: All
Size: 2 oz/60 ml
Good To Know: Fragrance-free, hypoallergenic
Best Cleanser: Kiehl’s Centella Sensitive Facial Cleanser
Cleansing can be a whole thing when your skin is sensitive. Because the whole process is getting rid of makeup and dirt as well as much-needed skin lipids. The result can leave the skin tight, dry, and irritated. When that’s the case, a super gentle cleanser like this one can actually leave your skin unbothered and maybe even more hydrated.
This gel/lotion cleanser doesn’t foam up. And it’s alcohol-free, fragrance-free, and soap-free, which is why it’s so gentle. It packs Centella Asiatica and glycerin to hydrate and it calms the skin while cleansing it.
Key Ingredients: Centella Asiatica, glycerin
Skin Type: All
Size: 8.4 oz/250 ml
Good To Know: Fragrance-free, soap-free
Best For Irritation: La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5
Last but not least, this one is an amazing cream to keep in your arsenal for when your skin needs urgent moisture. It has a rich, balm texture, which is super helpful to lock moisture in. And it comes in handy during colder months or when your skin is going through a phase.
It’s formulated with the primary component of Centella Asiatica, madecassoside, to soothe and repair irritated skin. It also has panthenol and shea butter to moisturize and soften the skin too, which helps relieve itchiness and irritation. If you have dry skin, you can use this all over. If you have acne-prone skin, only use it on irritated, dry, flaky areas.
Key Ingredients: Madecassoside, vitamin B5
Skin Type: All, especially dry
Size: 1.3 oz
Good To Know: Fragrance-free, non-comedogenic
So this is how Centella Asiatica helps the skin and the most effective products to get started on. This hero ingredient is so gentle that it can be used on all skin types. It’s not a heavy, irritating active ingredient. So slather on!
Read Next: The Best Barrier Repair Creams
References:
- Gohil, K. J., Patel, J. A., & Gajjar, A. K. (2010). Pharmacological Review on Centella asiatica: A Potential Herbal Cure-all. Indian journal of pharmaceutical sciences, 72(5), 546–556. https://doi.org/10.4103/0250-474X.78519
- Bylka, W., Znajdek-Awiżeń, P., Studzińska-Sroka, E., & Brzezińska, M. (2013). Centella asiatica in cosmetology. Postepy dermatologii i alergologii, 30(1), 46–49. https://doi.org/10.5114/pdia.2013.33378
- Sun, B., Wu, L., Wu, Y., Zhang, C., Qin, L., Hayashi, M., Kudo, M., Gao, M., & Liu, T. (2020). Therapeutic Potential of Centella asiatica and Its Triterpenes: A Review. Frontiers in pharmacology, 11, 568032. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2020.568032
