In this article:
What is Centella asiatica?
What can Centella asiatica do for skin?
Can Centella asiatica help repair the skin’s barrier?
Does Centella asiatica support collagen production?
Does Centella asiatica brighten skin?
Is Centella asiatica good for blemishes?
Does Centella asiatica help reduce the look of blemish marks?
How can you add Centella asiatica to your skin care routine?
Can I mix niacinamide with Centella asiatica?
Can I mix vitamin c with Centella asiatica?
Side effects of Centella asiatica
If you’re a fan of Korean skin care (aka K-beauty), you’ve probably heard about the ingredient Centella asiatica. Known by a variety of names, including cica, Brahmi, Asiatic pennywort, tiger grass and Gotu kola, this plant extract is hailed as a soothing, hydrating skin-saver.
Centella asiatica is included in numerous moisturisers from South Korean brands, often labeled “cica creams,” and, not surprisingly, it's also garnering interest from Western beauty brands. Let’s dig into Centella asiatica’s skin benefits, how you can incorporate it into your skin care routine and which ingredients pair best with it.
What is Centella asiatica?
Centella asiatica is a perennial herb that grows primarily in Asia. For years, it’s had both culinary and medicinal uses, but like many traditional plant extracts, it’s gaining popularity as a skin care ingredient.
This swamp-dwelling herb first started appearing in South Korean cica creams a few years ago, although U.S. brands have used it off and on over the years—they just didn’t call them cica creams.
This plant extract contains four main bioactive compounds which research has identified as asiaticoside, asiatic acid, madecassoside and madecassic acid (1).
What can Centella asiatica do for skin?
Quite a few studies show that Centella asiatica really does have benefits for skin, thanks to its rich portfolio of active compounds (2). Overall, this plant extract is a multi-tasking ingredient, most well-known for its antioxidant, hydrating and soothing properties.
Centella asiatica as a whole offers anti-ageing and protective antioxidant benefits. A 2023 study revealed the plant’s chemical profile consists of phenolic compounds as well as flavonoids. Both compounds help mitigate the damage that pro-ageing external agents, like UV rays and pollution, inflict on skin (3).
There’s additional research showing it to be a rich source of amino acids to soothe upset or compromised skin, while also improving hydration, making it a great ingredient for dry or sensitive skin (4, 5).
Thought that’s all Centella asiatica can do? Think again. Centella asiatica products can also help revitalise skin's protective barrier, plus it may mitigate some of the visible effects of sun damage, according to a 2021 study (6).
Can Centella asiatica help repair the skin’s barrier?
As we touched on before, Centella asiatica works to strengthen and repair skin’s barrier, which is why this ingredient is such a staple in repair creams and moisturisers (4).
How exactly does this extract accomplish such a feat? Through a multi-pronged approach. A damaged or compromised skin barrier often accompanies dry, flaky, itchy and red skin. Centella asiatica works to remedy these signs through its calming and hydrating properties.
However, it goes on to not just repair, but strengthen and protect the skin barrier through the extract’s study-proven antioxidant properties so skin’s less likely to show visible effects from future damage (7).
Does Centella asiatica support collagen production?
A 2022 study reaffirmed that Centella asiatica helps skin with collagen production (8). As skin ages, its ability to produce substances that keep it firm and elastic, like collagen and elastin, decreases. This is why as we get older skin appears to sag and wrinkle; skin just doesn’t have the support it used to!
Some extracts and ingredients, like Centella asiatica, work to fortify skin’s architecture and can help reset skin to combat this, making skin appear younger and firmer.
Does Centella asiatica brighten skin?
While there’s not strong evidence suggesting Centella asiatica is a key ingredient for brightening skin, its antioxidant properties may help prevent skin dulling to a certain degree by interrupting the cascade of negative effects from environmental stressors such as airborne pollutants.
In other words, don’t count on Centella asiatica to visibly fade dark spots or brighten your complexion as a primary benefit, but it has potential as a supporting ingredient in formulas that tackle these concerns.
Is Centella asiatica good for blemishes?
Centella asiatica is not officially recognised as an anti-blemish ingredient. That said, its soothing properties can complement key blemish-fighting ingredients, like benzoyl peroxide, by helping keep skin calm and visibly reduce redness while the anti-blemish actives go to work.
Further, Centella asiatica’s ability to strengthen the protective barrier is a welcome benefit for helping any type of compromised skin recover, including blemish prone.
Researchers are particularly interested in conducting further studies in this regard by using the purified form of madecassoside from Centella asiatica (9). A 2019 study brought to light madecassoside’s talent for soothing breakouts that stem from a particular type of bacteria (10).
Long story short, although Centella asiatica doesn’t directly tackle blemishes, it can help alleviate many of the visual and uncomfortable side effects that breakouts bring about.
Does Centella asiatica help reduce the look of blemish marks?
More research needs to be done to determine whether Centella asiatica can help reduce the look of dark spots and post-blemish marks.
In studies conducted on mice, researchers proposed that asiaticoside, one of the plant extract’s main bioactive compounds, might have the ability to interrupt the process that creates dark spots. Although promising, this study isn’t definitive! However, the antioxidants present in Centella asiatica can help protect skin from incurring environmental damage that might lead to dark spots. These same triggers can also worsen the look of post-blemish marks.
As of right now, it’s best to use Centella asiatica in conjunction with other treatments and ingredients that specialise in fading dark spots, like tranexamic acid, and of course, a broad-spectrum SPF.
How can you add Centella asiatica to your skin care routine?
Centella asiatica is an ingredient you can add to your skin care routine with ease. Due to its soothing and hydrating nature, it plays well with most other ingredients and can be used in both your daytime and nighttime routines. Its inclusion in a vast array of products, from cleansers to repairing moisturisers, means you have a plethora of ways to incorporate it into your skin care regimen.
We recommend using a product that utilises Centella asiatica in a leave-on format, like in a toner, serum, treatment or moisturiser. Leave-on products allow ingredients more time with skin so they can really work their magic.
Simply find a Centella asiatica product (or two) that you prefer and apply it in the order of:
- Cleanser
- Toner
- Exfoliant
- Treatments (boosters, serums and other formats in order of thickest to thinnest)
- Moisturiser (AM and/or PM) and for daytime: end your routine with a broad-spectrum SPF
Can I mix niacinamide with Centella asiatica?
Yes, you can use niacinamide and Centella asiatica within the same routine–even the same product.
Much like Centella asiatica, studies have proven that niacinamide helps to soothe and calm reddened, irritated skin also (11). On top of this, both ingredients contain antioxidant properties, meaning when you use them together, you’re receiving more antioxidant protection from damaging external aggressors from both.
Overall, combining these two ingredients in a skin care routine or a single product provides skin with more benefits than if it was to receive only one of these ingredients alone. Where Centella asiatica hydrates, soothes and protects, research has proven that niacinamide can also help improve oil quality and help reduce the appearance of enlarged pores (12).
Can I mix vitamin c with Centella asiatica?
Vitamin C and Centella asiatica complement each other wonderfully, so you can rest assured that it’s okay to use them in the same routine or within the same product.
A great way to look at this ingredient pairing is by thinking of it as an environmental aggressor protecting, anti-ageing duo. Research displays that the antioxidant vitamin C works to keep skin’s architecture firm and healthy, much like Centella asiatica, however vitamin C has much more research behind this ability (13).
With two antioxidant ingredients that help protect against pro-ageing external damage and work to support resilience, skin will appear younger and firmer. Centella asiatica and vitamin C skin care products are a great way to receive the antioxidant and anti-ageing benefits of both ingredients.
Side effects of Centella asiatica
Centella asiatica is a soothing skin care ingredient, with side effects deemed rare. Since it’s a plant extract that contains numerous compounds, there’s always the possibility of an allergic reaction, but again, this is rare. Centella asiatica is generally well tolerated.
Due to its skin benefits and its low-risk profile, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel determined Centella asiatica safe for use in cosmetics at current concentrations (14).
The bottom line: While many natural ingredients are big on talk, but small on results, Centella asiatica really does have a lot to offer skin. It can be used by all ages, skin types, and ethnicities and is even suitable for skin prone to rosacea.
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References for this information:
- Applied Sciences, September 2021, ePublication
- Journal of Advanced Pharmaceutical Technology & Research, October 2020, pages 174-178
- Clinical Phytoscience, January 2023, ePublication
- Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jan-Feb 2016, pages 27–33
- Clinical, Cosmetic, and Investigational Dermatology, August 2017, pages 311–315
- Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology, June 2021, pages 589-593
- Scientific Reports, June 2021, ePublication
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, March 2022, ePublication
- Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, November 2021, pages 1-8
- Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, March 2019, pages 561-568
- Antioxidants, August 2021, ePublication
- The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine, January 2022, pages 759-761
- Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, March 2020, pages 671-676
- International Journal of Toxicology, February 2023, ePublication
- Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, September-October 2010, pages 546-556
