Centella (cica)

Centella asiatica, known in K-beauty as cica and traditionally as tiger grass, is a wetland herb long used in Asian medicine. Its skincare activity comes from a group of triterpenes and their derivatives, chiefly madecassoside, asiaticoside, and asiatic and madecassic acids, often standardized together as TECA or Centella extract. Among botanicals, its evidence is comparatively strong. Laboratory and clinical work supports Centella and its isolated triterpenes for calming inflammation, supporting collagen synthesis and wound healing, and reinforcing the barrier, which translates well to reduced redness and faster recovery of stressed skin. It is one of the few plant actives with a credible mechanistic and clinical basis rather than tradition alone. It is best for sensitive, reactive and redness-prone skin, for people recovering from over-exfoliation or procedures, and as a supportive ingredient for acne-prone skin that is inflamed. It maps to redness and rosacea-prone concerns, general sensitivity, and inflammatory acne. Layering is easy and forgiving. Centella pairs especially well with barrier ingredients like ceramides, panthenol and madecassoside-rich creams, and is frequently used to buffer and soothe alongside retinoids, benzoyl peroxide or exfoliating acids introduced on alternate steps. It has no meaningful chemical conflicts. On safety, purified Centella actives are well tolerated and typically fragrance-free, though some products pair them with botanical fragrance or essential oils that can irritate reactive skin, so check the full list. It is not a known Malassezia feeder and is generally considered fungal-acne-friendly. No specific pregnancy warnings are established for topical Centella, but as always confirm new products with your clinician.