The Receipt
- 01Plausible and pleasant to use, but the clinical receipt is short.
Education, not a diagnosis. If something changes quickly, hurts, bleeds, or worries you, see a dermatologist.
Ingredient Receipt · Barrier & soothing
Centella asiatica (cica)
INCI: Centella Asiatica Extract, Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid
Centella asiatica (“cica”) is a botanical used in soothing and “repair” creams. What its compounds may do, and why the human evidence is still early.
- Redness & sensitivity
- Barrier
01 · In plain English
Cica creams are marketed for calming irritated, reactive skin. It’s a traditional wound-care plant with interesting lab data.
02 · What it does
Centella’s active compounds (asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid) have shown anti-inflammatory and wound-healing effects in lab and some small clinical studies.
Products vary a lot in which compounds they use and how much, which makes general claims hard to verify.
03 · Who it’s for
- Reactive or irritated skin looking for a soothing moisturizer.
04 · What the evidence says
- Soothing and supporting irritated skin as part of a moisturizer.limited evidence
05 · Myths, checked
“Cica repairs a damaged barrier in days.”
Barrier recovery takes time. A plain moisturizer and fewer actives do most of the work.
insufficient evidence
06 · Insufficient evidence
- Specific cosmetic claims at the unknown concentrations used in most products.
07 · How to use it
- As a moisturizer or serum when skin feels irritated.
- Patch test; plant extracts can cause reactions in some people.