Centella Asiatica Benefits for Skin: What Cica Does for Irritated Skin

Centella asiatica, sold as "cica," is a soothing plant extract whose main compounds, madecassoside and asiaticoside, calm inflammation and support wound healing. In small human studies, creams with 2.5% to 5% centella extract raised skin hydration and reduced water loss, and a 0.05% standardized gel reduced redness after laser treatment. It suits irritated, over-treated skin best; it won't clear acne or rosacea on its own.

This guide covers what's actually in centella, what the barrier and redness studies found, where it fits for acne, and how to read the many K-beauty cica formats without falling for a nickname.

What is cica in skincare?

Cica is the beauty-industry nickname for Centella asiatica, a perennial plant also called gotu kola or Indian pennywort. It grows in swampy tropical and subtropical regions of India, Southeast Asia and Malaysia and has long been used in Asia to treat skin infections and speed the healing of ulcers and wounds. Korean skincare made it a household name, but the "cica" label on a jar tells you nothing about how much centella is inside.

A review of centella in cosmetology describes its main skin benefits as promoting fibroblast growth, increasing collagen production and calming the inflammatory phase of scarring. That wound-healing background is why it ended up in products for irritated or freshly treated skin.

What are madecassoside and asiaticoside?

They're the plant's two main triterpene saponins, and with their acid forms they do most of the work. The cosmetology review notes that these compounds make up 1% to 8% of the plant, varying with where it was grown, which is one reason two centella extracts can behave very differently.

A 2021 review of centella and skin disease found effects on acne, burns, atopic dermatitis and wounds in lab and animal studies, and concluded that more rigorously controlled long-term clinical trials are still needed. Keep that in mind when a product promises to "repair" skin overnight.

Does centella asiatica repair the skin barrier?

The evidence is small but encouraging. In a four-week study of 25 volunteers who applied creams and gels to their forearms twice a day, the formulas with 5% centella extract worked best, increasing skin hydration and decreasing transepidermal water loss (the water that escapes through a weak barrier). They also reduced redness in a standard skin-irritation test.

A second trial compared centella with a better-known barrier ingredient. Thirty batik workers with dry skin from dye exposure used either a centella cream or a ceramide cream on their hands and arms for four weeks; both improved skin hydration, with no significant difference between them. That's a useful benchmark: in this study, centella held its own against ceramides.

Neither study was done on faces, and both were short. Centella makes sense as one part of a barrier routine, next to a gentle cleanser and a moisturizer with ceramides or petrolatum. For the whole picture, see our guide to repairing a damaged skin barrier.

Does cica cream help with redness?

It can help calm redness from irritation, and the best evidence is after procedures. In a split-face, placebo-controlled trial, 30 people having laser resurfacing for acne scars applied a 0.05% standardized centella gel to one side of the face; that side had significantly less redness over follow-up, and less crusting in the first days, than the placebo side.

For rosacea, centella has been tested only as an add-on. In one trial, 64 patients taking oral minocycline used a centella repairing mask three times a week for six weeks; the mask group showed significant improvement in flushing and dryness, though one of the study's affiliations was a cosmetics company. A 2026 trial in 75 patients, also on minocycline, found that a moisturizer combining centella extract with ceramide NP and panthenol reduced redness faster than the control. Because centella was mixed with other soothing ingredients and medication in both, those results can't be credited to centella alone.

If your face stays red, burns or develops bumps, see a dermatologist; rosacea needs medical treatment, and skin care supports it. The AAD's rosacea advice is to choose products made for sensitive skin, test them first, cleanse gently and wear sunscreen year-round. Our article on why your face is red covers the usual suspects.

Is centella good for acne?

Centella works as a calming companion for acne treatment. When researchers tested a centella extract against acne bacteria, it showed little antibacterial activity. Purified madecassoside did reduce inflammatory signals in immune cells exposed to those bacteria, which fits the idea that it can soothe angry breakouts without clearing the cause.

Where it earns its place is alongside drying acne treatments. If benzoyl peroxide or a retinoid leaves your skin tight and red, a centella moisturizer is a reasonable buffer. For the treatment itself, stick with ingredients that have acne trials behind them, and see a dermatologist for painful cysts or acne that leaves scars.

What kinds of cica products are there?

Cica comes in almost every K-beauty format. The format changes how much you use, how long it stays on and how it fits a routine:

Leave-on formats give centella the most contact time, which is what the barrier and redness studies used. If you follow a multi-step routine, our guide to the Korean skincare routine shows where each format slots in.

How do you spot centella on the ingredient list?

Look for these INCI names: Centella Asiatica Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Water, Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid and Madecassic Acid. A product listing the purified compounds tells you more than one listing only "extract." U.S. cosmetics list ingredients in descending order of predominance, so a "cica" cream with centella near the end, after fragrance, is mostly marketing.

Are there side effects of centella asiatica?

Side effects are uncommon, but they happen. The cosmetology review notes that centella can cause local allergic reactions and burning, including reports of hand eczema after three months of a centella product, and dermatologists have published a case of allergic contact dermatitis caused by centella. It's a reminder that "soothing" plant ingredients can still be allergens.

The AAD recommends testing new products by applying them to a quarter-sized area twice daily for 7 to 10 days, somewhere they won't be washed off, before using them on your face. Stop if you notice redness, itching or swelling. If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, check any new product with your clinician.

How do you add centella to a routine?

1. Patch test for 7 to 10 days, especially if your skin is already irritated.
2. Use it after cleansing, in the thinnest-to-thickest order: toner, then serum, then cream.
3. Use it once or twice a day. The barrier studies used twice-daily application.
4. Keep everything else simple while your skin settles: pause scrubs and strong acids, and keep your sunscreen. Our sensitive skin routine is a good template.
5. Give it about four weeks, the length of the barrier trials, before deciding.

How can a selfie scan or ingredient scanner help?

Barrier repair is gradual, and on a good day it's hard to remember how bad last week looked. The Pori app turns a selfie into an overall skin score plus Hydration & Moisture, Pores & Texture and other categories in about 10 seconds, so you can compare a few weeks of scans while you test a cica product. Its ingredient scanner (part of Pro) reads a barcode or a label photo and flags each ingredient as beneficial, use with caution or avoid for your skin type, which helps you check whether a "cica" cream also contains fragrance or other common irritants.

An app is not a diagnosis. It can't tell irritation from eczema, rosacea or an allergy, so see a dermatologist if redness spreads, itches intensely or doesn't settle.