Centella Asiatica Benefits for Skin: Your K-Beauty Guide

Centella asciatica (also known as Gotu Kola, Asiatic Pennywort or Spadeleaf) grows in a variety of places all over the world. It grows in tropical environments, with juicy and hydrating leaves that have been using in medicinal practices for thousands of years. The thing that it does best? Soothing skin ✨ It’s soo good at it, that it’s been carefully cultivated in the 21st century to help deliver all those healing, soothing molecules into your skin better and better.  

Not at all! It’s commonly used in food, especially in Burmese and Sri Lankan cuisine, blended with refreshing salad, rice and coconut. It’s a herbal treat that packs a punch and delivers enhanced brain power, improves circulation, calms anxiety and gives a little energy boost to your day.

Essentially, centella leaves are brimming with a variety of molecules that help boost your skin and heal your glow✨: 

Asiaticoside - stimulates fibroblasts to skin cells, supporting collagen production and instantly firming skin, boosting elasticity. 

Madecassoside - deeply soothing extract that helps fade dark spots and clear skin for brighter, even skin texture. 

Triterpenoids – boosts the extracellular matrix and increases natural hyaluronic acid intake for a bouncy, dewy skin complexion. 

Saponins – forms a natural cleansing foam when mixed with water, soothing redness and irritation from skin and acting as a natural oil-balancing agent (excellent for oily skin and acne). 

Flavonoids – including catechin, epicatechin (similarly found in soothing green tea), designed to support skin health and slow premature aging.

These nourishing molecules help deliver a refreshing, soothing (yet all natural) healing remedy for a damaged skin barrier, that is addicting enough to have inspired several skincare companies to base their entire model solely on centella. 

So, centella sounds amazing! But what is the best way to get all these benefits into your skin? It's best to get a gentle formula and have the highest concentration of centella you can (to get the best benefits):

• Can be used in AM or PM routine
• Best used in a high-concentration ampoule or soothing face mask
• Always follow with a barrier cream to seal in those nutrients
• Couple with a gentle exfoliator to enhance natural skin hydration

Centella is also paired really well with plumping ceramides, hydrating hyaluronic acid and other soothing antioxidants.

So, what are our top pics to upgrade your skincare routine? Check out the best of centella below ~ to get that unique glow 💚

Looking for that easy, soothing tone-up boost for your routine? Mixsoon infuses pure centella, allantoin, ceramides and vitamin E. This soothing toner pad comes with a triple layered gauze, that gentle exfoliates, clears the skin and can even be used as a tiny spot mask for deep hydration. It helps clear make-up and SPF as part of a cleansing routine and provides a versatile boost to any sensitive/acne-prone skin routine.

Looking to reduce acne and clear redness? This is the ultimate, soothing serum to hydrate and refresh your skin. With 7 types of cica blended with 3 types of hyaluronic acid, it creates a perfect 10/10 skincare experience. It’s compatible with sensitive skin and balanced with nourishing green tea extract and aloe vera.

Give yourself deep, soothing pore care with the combined power of exfoliating LHA, blended with exfoliating retinol and hydrating centella, which calms irritation, enhances hydration and clearing skin. This amazing mask pack gives you a month worth of daily hydration and skin treatments, boosting fine lines, balancing oils and reducing pores for a restorative boost to oily skin.

If you want to experience the best firming effect of centella, this boosting ampoule is infused with Matrixyl 3000 and mini spicules, which come together for a deep firming effect that you will see benefit from fast! It’s amazing for fine lines, dull skin and helps instantly firm and lift skin.

After deep, calming and soothing care that clears redness and enriches the skin with pure hydration and centella. All infused in a lightweight, cotton sheet mask it holds well to skin and gives you a deep, caring treatment that helps reduce heat, redness and reduce appearance of spots. Made with traditional ingredients, Beauty of Joseon helps celebrate pure centella in a luscious spa-like treatment.

This viral skin treatment has never left true fans behind. It’s a mixture of make-up and refreshing centella, with a deep colour-changing moisturizer that helps reduce acne, clear spots and provide coverage to redness and irritation. It treats your skin, improves it over time and provides a smooth foundation-like coverage for easy, everyday wear.

This is forever one of our top pics for SPF+ care, with a perfect balance of deep hydration (with hyaluronic acid) and calming, soothing care (with purified centella extract). It comes in a lovely, airy cream that absorbs into the skin instantly, leaves no cast and helps provide deep protection for your daily wear. Easily blends under make-up and provides the boost of a moisturizer and SPF in one. 

If you in for the cleansing power of centella, this carefully balanced face cleanser is one of our favourites! With a refreshing, low pH formula, it helps foam gently and easily clear away all impurities, make-up and SPF+ for a clean, soothed face. Balanced with salicylic acid for deep pore care, it’s the ultimate soothing cleanser for oily skincare.

Experience the healing trio of niacinamide, high-concentrated centella (with TECA) and calming heartleaf. This ultimate serum is delicate, soothing and hydrating and an excellent gentle addition to treat redness, irritation and calm spots. Balanced with healing panthenol, it delivers rich hydration to skin, firms and soothes.

This is the ultimate, easy way to add deep, healing centella extract to your skincare routine. With a purified extract of centella, this ampoule cools the skin, vanishes redness and gives you all the benefits of centella without any of the potential irritants for sensitive and acne-prone skin. If you are in love with a minimalist, simple routine – this is one of the ongoing superstars. With only high-quality centella hand-picked from Madagascar, Skin1004 shows off just how good they are with their best-selling ampoule.

Not excited enough by our pics? Check out the massive range of specialist centella asciatica/cica skincare available on Arktastic!

Want to upgrade your skincare knowledge? Check out the star of centella asciatica - the origins of Skin1004. Or check out our review of the awesome Anua Azelaic acid serum.

1. What is Centella Asiatica, and why is it popular in Korean skincare?

Centella Asiatica, also known as Gotu Kola or Cica, is a botanical ingredient widely used in Korean skincare for its soothing and moisturising properties. It is especially popular in products designed for sensitive, dry or redness-prone skin.

2. What are the main benefits of Centella Asiatica for skin?

Centella Asiatica can help soothe irritated skin, support the skin barrier, improve hydration and reduce the appearance of redness. Its naturally occurring compounds, including madecassoside and asiaticoside, are also studied for their antioxidant and skin-supporting properties.

3. Is Centella Asiatica good for sensitive skin?

Yes, Centella Asiatica is commonly included in skincare designed for sensitive skin because of its soothing properties. However, individual formulations may contain fragrance or other ingredients that cause irritation, so patch testing is recommended.

4. Can Centella Asiatica help with acne and redness?

Centella Asiatica may help calm visible redness and support the skin barrier, particularly when skin is irritated or dehydrated. However, it is not a replacement for established acne treatments.

5. Can I use Centella Asiatica every day?

Yes, most gentle Centella Asiatica skincare products can be used daily, both morning and evening, depending on their formulation. Always follow the individual product’s instructions.

6. Is Centella Asiatica suitable for oily and combination skin?

Absolutely. Centella Asiatica is available in lightweight toners, ampoules, serums and moisturisers that can work well for oily and combination skin. Choose a formula suited to your skin type rather than relying on the ingredient alone.

7. What is the difference between Centella Asiatica, Cica and TECA?

Centella Asiatica is the botanical plant, while Cica is a popular skincare name for ingredients derived from it. TECA stands for Titrated Extract of Centella Asiatica, a refined extract containing selected active compounds from the plant.

8. Can I combine Centella Asiatica with retinol, niacinamide or hyaluronic acid?

Yes. Centella Asiatica is commonly combined with niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and ceramides in Korean skincare.

It can also be used alongside retinol as part of a moisturising routine, although it cannot guarantee prevention of retinol irritation.

9. Which Korean skincare products contain Centella Asiatica?

Popular examples featured in our Arktastic guide include:

SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Ampoule

Abib Heartleaf TECA Capsule Serum

Beauty of Joseon Centella Asiatica Calming Mask

SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum

Mixsoon Centella Toner Pad

These products offer different textures and skincare benefits, making it easier to find a suitable option for your routine.

10. How long does Centella Asiatica take to show results?

Some people may notice an immediate improvement in skin comfort and hydration. More sustained changes in dryness, redness and skin-barrier condition can take several weeks of consistent use. Results depend on the formulation, your skin condition and your overall routine.

11. Is Centella Asiatica the same as Madecassoside?

Not exactly. Madecassoside is one of the naturally occurring active compounds found in Centella Asiatica. It is frequently used in soothing skincare formulations because of its skin-supporting properties.

12. Where can I buy Korean Centella skincare in Australia?

You can explore a range of Korean Centella Asiatica skincare products at Arktastic Australia, including serums, ampoules, moisturisers, masks and other K-beauty essentials.