Centella Asiatica (Cica): What the Four Actives Actually Do

Centella asiatica is a medicinal plant sold in skincare as cica. Its four marker compounds are madecassoside, asiaticoside, asiatic acid and madecassic acid. Small human studies report better hydration and less redness, but most of the bigger claims rest on cell and animal work. Below: each compound, the human trials, the claims that outrun the data, and why Korean formulas use it so often.

What is centella asiatica?

Centella asiatica is a medicinal plant also known as gotu kola. A 2013 review in cosmetology notes it has been used in folk medicine for hundreds of years, and in modern medicine too.

Its skincare nickname points at that history. Cica comes from cicatrix, the medical word for a scar. The US National Library of Medicine defines a cicatrix as the fibrous tissue that replaces normal tissue during wound healing. Wound care came first. One centella extract, sold as Madecassol, was already in use as a wound healing agent by 1985.

Skincare is the newer chapter. A 2022 dermatology review describes cica products as popular as moisturizers and anti-inflammatories, and for scars, wounds and atopic dermatitis. That is a long list for one plant. The rest of this article sorts it by evidence.

The four actives: madecassoside, asiaticoside and two acids

The compounds brands name are pentacyclic triterpenes. The 2013 review lists the main ones as asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid and madecassic acid. They come in two pairs.

Asiaticoside and madecassoside are glycosides, which means each carries a sugar chain. Asiatic acid and madecassic acid are their aglycones: the same core without the sugar. A 2021 review of centella and skin disease describes them in exactly those terms, as asiaticoside, madecassoside, and their aglycones.

Compound	Type	Molecular weight	What lab work reports
Asiaticoside	Glycoside	About 959 daltons	Stimulated collagen I synthesis in cultured human fibroblasts
Madecassoside	Glycoside	About 975 daltons	Raised water channel and outer layer proteins in keratinocytes, and hyaluronan output in fibroblasts
Asiatic acid	Aglycone	About 489 daltons	Stimulated collagen I synthesis in cultured human fibroblasts
Madecassic acid	Aglycone	About 505 daltons	Stimulated collagen I synthesis in cultured human fibroblasts

Molecular weights come from the PubChem entries for asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid and madecassic acid. The collagen results come from a 1994 fibroblast study, which found the sugar was not needed for the effect. The madecassoside results come from a 2019 cell culture study.

Every row in that table describes cells in a dish. None of it shows what happens on a face.

Size is the next hurdle. A widely cited paper proposed 500 daltons as the upper limit for skin absorption. The two glycosides weigh nearly twice that. Even so, one in vitro study found asiaticoside in skin layers after 48 hours. Some even crossed into the fluid beneath the skin sample. Size lowers the odds. It does not settle the question.

What does centella asiatica do for the skin barrier?

The most direct human evidence is small. A 2016 study enrolled 25 volunteers. They applied creams and gels with 2.5 or 5 percent centella extract to their forearms, twice daily for four weeks. The 5 percent versions did best. They raised surface hydration and lowered transepidermal water loss, the rate water escapes through skin.

Hold that result loosely. Twenty-five people is a small sample. Forearm skin is not facial skin, and four weeks is short.

Cell work suggests a route. In cultured keratinocytes, madecassoside raised aquaporin-3, a water channel. It also raised loricrin and involucrin, two proteins that help build the outer layer. In fibroblasts, it increased hyaluronan output (2019 cell study). That is a plausible mechanism, not proof that a cream does the same.

One larger trial is worth knowing. It enrolled 159 people with type 2 diabetes and dry skin. The group taking oral centella plus a 1 percent ointment improved more on dry skin measures. That held only among people whose blood glucose was well controlled (2020 randomized trial). The reported benefit belonged to the pill plus ointment group, so the ointment's own share is unclear.

Keep one distinction in view. The mortar of the outer layer is ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids. Our guide to ceramides and the skin barrier covers it. Centella is not one of them. A cica cream without barrier lipids or an occlusive is doing a different job. The full recovery sequence is in how the skin barrier breaks and recovers.

Is cica soothing? What the redness evidence shows

Soothing is the claim cica is sold on. The evidence is real but thin.

The same forearm study also tested redness. It used methyl nicotinate, a compound applied to provoke mild, measurable redness on purpose. After four weeks, the 5 percent formulas showed anti-inflammatory activity in that model.

The cleanest trial comes from laser recovery. Thirty people had facial acne scars treated with an Er:YAG laser. One side of each face got a gel with 0.05 percent of a standardized centella extract. The other side got a placebo gel. The centella side had a lower erythema index across follow-up, but only by 0.03 units. Blinded dermatologists also rated redness and wound appearance better on that side during the first week. Instrument readings of skin function did not differ (2020 split-face trial).

That is a genuine result. It is also small, early, and measured on laser wounds rather than everyday redness.

Many post-procedure studies test centella inside a blend. One randomized trial gave 60 people either a mask with panthenol, madecassoside and bisabolol, or a saline dressing, after non-ablative fractional laser. The mask group had less redness and lower water loss at days 3, 7 and 14 (2025 randomized trial). Three actives against salt water cannot tell you which one did the work.

The mechanism story is mostly molecular. The 2021 review traces centella's effects to inflammatory signaling pathways such as NF-κB, in cell and animal studies. It closes by calling for rigorously controlled long-term clinical trials.

Wound healing and wrinkles: where the big claims come from

Wound healing is centella's oldest use and its most cited one. The 2013 review credits it with helping small wounds, hypertrophic wounds and burns, through fibroblast growth and collagen synthesis.

The systematic reviews are more careful. A 2022 review found only four clinical trials that met its criteria, too few to pool into a meta-analysis. A 2026 meta-analysis took the animal route instead. Sixteen preclinical studies qualified, and 11 had usable numbers. Its authors described the result as preclinical evidence and called for clinical trials.

Collagen claims trace back to cell culture. In 1994, asiatic acid, madecassic acid and asiaticoside each stimulated collagen I synthesis in human fibroblasts. Fibroblasts in a dish do not sit under an intact outer layer.

The wrinkle evidence is the most organized. A 2020 systematic review with network meta-analysis found five double-blind randomized trials, covering 172 Asian women. Two applied centella or asiaticoside around the eyes for 12 weeks against placebo. One applied asiaticoside to the lips for 8 weeks. The authors concluded centella improved lip and eye-area wrinkles and raised skin hydration. Their network estimate ranked it above a Pueraria mirifica comparator and possibly below tretinoin. They also flagged weak reporting and a lack of standardization across products.

What is overstated about cica

Put the pieces together and a pattern appears. The lab work is broad and plausible. The human trials are few, small and short. Here is where the copy on the box outruns them.

• "Heals." The wound meta-analysis is preclinical, and the human wound trials were too few to pool. Open wounds belong with a clinician, not a cosmetic.
• "Repairs the barrier." The direct human evidence on water loss is one four week forearm study in 25 people. That is a start, not a verdict.
• "Calms redness." The best redness trial measured laser wounds, and the instrument difference was 0.03 units. Persistent facial redness can be rosacea, which a dermatologist should diagnose.
• "Rich in madecassoside." Labels rarely say how much of each compound a product holds. The wrinkle review names missing standardization as a core limit.

Why is centella a K-beauty staple?

Korean skincare favors gentle, layered formulas and prevention over correction. Our explainer on what K-beauty is covers how that developed. Centella fits the pattern in three ways.

It has a calm reputation. A plant with centuries of folk use and a wound healing record is an easy story for a soothing product. A 2020 review of ingredients common in Korean cosmeceuticals lists tiger grass extract among the plant-derived ones. Tiger grass is centella's marketing name. It comes with a story about wounded tigers rolling in the plant. We found nothing on that story in the research literature.

It travels in a team. Cica products rarely lean on centella alone, and the published trials mirror that. One 2025 study tested a cream with centella leaf extract, ceramide NP and panthenol in 88 women with sensitive skin. Their sensitive skin questionnaire scores fell 66 percent by week two and 76 percent by week four (2025 observational study). There was no comparison group. Without one, you cannot separate the cream from the passage of time.

It suits daily layering. A well tolerated extract can go into toners, essences, creams and sheet masks alike. That fits the Korean habit of several thin layers a day. It is formulating logic, not evidence of a larger effect than the trials show. Our look at snail mucin found the same gap between popularity and proof.

Can you be allergic to centella? How to use it sensibly

Allergy is documented, mostly as case reports. A 1985 report described contact dermatitis from Madecassol, the centella wound product. A 2024 report described two patients with allergic contact dermatitis from centella extract and fragrance allergens.

Tolerance in trials looks good. In the wrinkle review, one study counted 10 adverse events with centella and 35 with tretinoin. That compares centella with a known irritant. It does not tell you how often allergy occurs in the wider population.

• Patch test a new product on the jaw or inner arm for several days.
• Favor fragrance-free formulas if you react easily. The 2024 cases involved fragrance allergens as well.
• Give it time. The trials above ran from four weeks to three months.
• Keep it off open wounds and freshly treated skin unless the clinician who treated you says otherwise.
• See a board-certified dermatologist for a rash that spreads, weeps or keeps coming back.

Frequently asked questions

Is cica the same as centella asiatica?

Yes. Cica is the skincare nickname for Centella asiatica and ingredients made from it. A product may use the whole extract or single compounds such as madecassoside. The word cica on the front tells you nothing about how much is inside, so read the ingredient list.

What is the difference between madecassoside and centella asiatica extract?

Madecassoside is one purified compound from the plant. The extract is a mixture that also holds asiaticoside, the two acids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, amino acids and sugars. Extracts vary with the plant and the process, which is why reviewers flag standardization. A single compound is easier to dose consistently.

Does centella asiatica help acne?

The evidence is mostly laboratory work. In one cell study, madecassoside dampened inflammatory signals from immune cells exposed to acne bacteria. We found no strong human trial showing that centella treats acne. For persistent or scarring acne, see a board-certified dermatologist, because prescription options exist.

Is centella asiatica good for sensitive skin?

It was generally well tolerated in the trials covered here, and allergy appears mainly in case reports. Sensitive skin studies usually test it in blends with panthenol and ceramides, so the credit is shared. Patch test first, favor fragrance-free formulas, and add one new product at a time.

How long does centella take to show a difference?

The published trials ran from four weeks to three months. Hydration changes appeared in the four week forearm study. Wrinkle trials ran eight to twelve weeks. Judge any product on a similar timescale, using photographs taken in the same light.

Can centella repair a damaged skin barrier?

It may help, but it is not the main tool. The direct human evidence is one small forearm study showing better hydration and lower water loss. Barrier recovery rests mainly on gentle cleansing, barrier lipids such as ceramides, and an occlusive layer. Centella is a reasonable passenger in that routine, not the driver.

Related reading: what the heartleaf research shows and mugwort and the allergy question.