Centella asiatica (cica) for skin
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Centella asiatica is a wetland herb, and cica takes its name from it. Its skin activity is attributed to four triterpenes: madecassoside, asiaticoside, madecassic acid and asiatic acid. The best-supported effects are on wound healing and inflammation, which gives cica a soothing, barrier-supporting profile rather than a resurfacing or pigment one, and why cica products are positioned for sensitized, compromised or post-procedure skin.
What is centella asiatica?
Centella asiatica is a wetland herb with a long history in traditional wound care. Its activity is attributed to four triterpenes: the glycosides madecassoside and asiaticoside, and their corresponding aglycones madecassic acid and asiatic acid. Extracts are standardized to these markers, and "cica" as a category name derives from Centella.
What do the cica triterpenes do for skin?
The best-supported effects are on wound healing and inflammation. Asiaticoside has been shown to influence collagen synthesis and fibroblast activity, with TGF-beta signaling implicated. Madecassoside has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity and some collagen I evidence. Clinically this translates into a soothing, barrier-supporting profile rather than a resurfacing or pigment-directed one, which is why cica products are positioned for sensitized, compromised or post-procedure skin.
How much centella asiatica do products contain?
This is the point at which a reference page has to be careful. In the Youlief range the Centella extract itself is present at up to 0.00751% (75 ppm), while the individual marker triterpenes are listed at 3 ppm (madecassoside), 2 ppm (asiaticoside) and 0.2 ppm each (asiatic and madecassic acid).
Those triterpene figures are almost certainly the marker content of the extract rather than separate additions - which is normal and not deceptive. But it does mean the claim rests on the extract at 75 ppm, and that is a low inclusion. Published work on Centella extracts in skin generally uses considerably more.
By contrast, Vegalab's Hyaluronic Skin Repair states Centella asiatica at 38.7%, which is an entirely different proposition and a genuine differentiator. The same ingredient name across two products can mean two completely different things, and that is exactly what a reference page should make visible.
What does centella asiatica not do?
Centella is not an anti-aging active in the retinoid sense, not a pigmentation treatment, and not a substitute for clinical care of a damaged barrier or an inflammatory skin condition.
Key takeaways
- Cica as a category name derives from Centella.
- Extracts are standardized to four markers: madecassoside, asiaticoside, madecassic acid and asiatic acid.
- Asiaticoside influences collagen synthesis and fibroblast activity; madecassoside has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity.
- The same ingredient name can mean very different levels in two products, so the extract level matters.
- Centella is not a pigmentation treatment or an anti-aging active in the retinoid sense.
References
The studies below describe the ingredient itself. Finished-product results appear in each product's evidence dossier.
- Madecassoside isolated from Centella asiatica herbs facilitates burn wound healing in mice
- Stimulation of collagen synthesis in fibroblast cultures by a triterpene extracted from Centella asiatica
- A Prospective Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Trial of the Efficacy Using Centella Cream for Scar Improvement
Frequently asked questions
What does cica mean?
Cica is a category name derived from Centella asiatica. Cica products are built around the plant's four marker triterpenes: madecassoside, asiaticoside, madecassic acid and asiatic acid.
What are the benefits of centella asiatica for skin?
The best-supported effects are on wound healing and inflammation. Asiaticoside has been shown to influence collagen synthesis and fibroblast activity, and madecassoside has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. In practice this is a soothing, barrier-supporting profile.
Does the concentration of centella asiatica matter?
Yes. Published work on Centella extracts in skin generally uses considerably more than a low inclusion such as 75 ppm of extract. The same ingredient name across two products can mean two completely different things.
Is centella asiatica a pigmentation or anti-aging ingredient?
No. Centella is not an anti-aging active in the retinoid sense and not a pigmentation treatment. It is also not a substitute for clinical care of a damaged barrier or an inflammatory skin condition.
Related reading
Products containing centella asiatica and the cica triterpenes
- Hyaluronic Skin Repair NanoSerum
- Hyaluronic Skin Repair NanoSerum Ampoule
- Hyaluronic Skin Repair ProSerum
- Soothing Recovery Gel
Listed because this ingredient appears in each product's declared composition. This is a commercial link from a reference page; it is not a recommendation, and approved uses and availability vary by market.