Centella asiatica (cica): what the evidence really shows

“Cica” creams are now easy to find in Canadian pharmacies, usually with promises to calm, repair or rescue stressed skin. The ingredient behind the name is a real medicinal plant with a long history and some interesting lab science. The human evidence is thinner than the marketing suggests, so let’s look at what’s actually known.

What is centella asiatica?

Centella asiatica is a small creeping plant in the same family as carrots and parsley. It grows in warm, wet places across Asia, parts of Africa, Central America and the tropical Pacific. It goes by many names, including gotu kola and tiger grass, and it’s been used on wounds and skin problems in traditional medicine for a very long time.

“Cica” on a label is a shortened form of the Latin name. It isn’t a regulated term. A product called a “cica cream” might contain a whole-plant extract, a leaf extract, or a single purified compound from the plant.

Madecassoside and friends: the active compounds

The compounds researchers care about most are four triterpenes (plant molecules with a ring-shaped backbone):

• asiaticoside
• madecassoside
• asiatic acid
• madecassic acid

You’ll often see madecassoside or asiaticoside listed on their own. A 2013 review in a Polish dermatology journal describes what these compounds did in laboratory work: they encouraged fibroblasts (the cells that build the skin’s support structure) to multiply and make more collagen, the protein that gives skin its strength. They also dampened some of the chemical signals involved in inflammation.

Those are lab and animal findings. They explain why researchers are interested, but they don’t tell you what a cream will do to your cheeks.

What wound-healing research found

Wound healing is where centella has the longest research history, so it’s the fairest test.

A 2022 systematic review searched four databases for clinical trials of centella on wounds and found only four that met its standards. They covered very different situations: diabetic wounds treated with swallowed capsules, second-degree burns treated with an ointment, anal fissures treated with a combination of pills and ointment, and facial skin after laser treatment. Most showed some benefit, but one didn’t reach statistical significance, and one didn’t describe what it used as a placebo. The authors said there weren’t enough studies to pool the results, and more research was needed.

The laser study is the most relevant to skin care. In 30 people treated for acne scars, one half of the face got a gel with a standardized centella extract and the other half a placebo gel. The centella side had less redness and better-looking wounds in the first week, as judged by dermatologists who didn’t know which side was which. Measurements of skin hydration and water loss didn’t differ between sides.

Encouraging, but a far cry from solid proof: four small, very different trials can’t tell you how well centella works, and none of them was about everyday redness or sensitive skin.

Does “cica” actually calm sensitive skin?

This is the claim you’ll see most, and it has the least direct evidence.

We found no good trials testing a centella product against a plain moisturizer in people who simply have sensitive or easily irritated skin. The closest was a 2007 German trial in 88 adults with mild to moderate eczema. Each person put an herbal ointment containing centella and two other plants on one side of the body, and the same ointment base without the plants on the other side, for four weeks. The herbal side improved slightly more, but the difference wasn’t statistically significant. A later look at people treated in cold weather found a benefit, but that kind of after-the-fact analysis is a hypothesis, not a result. And with three plants in the mix, you can’t credit centella anyway.

The 2013 review also describes small trials for other uses, such as a 20-woman study of madecassoside with vitamin C for sun-aged skin, and trials of combination creams for stretch marks and cellulite. They’re small, often test mixtures, and are mostly older.

So the honest evidence level is: plausible from lab work, supported by a handful of small human studies on wounds, and largely untested for the everyday soothing claims.

Is centella safe on your skin?

Generally, yes. In 2023 the Cosmetic Ingredient Review expert panel, a US scientific body that reviews cosmetic ingredient safety, looked at nine centella-derived ingredients. It concluded they’re safe as currently used in cosmetics, when products are formulated to be non-sensitizing (unlikely to trigger allergy).

That said, no plant extract is allergy-proof. Allergic contact dermatitis (an itchy rash from an immune reaction to something touching the skin) from centella has been reported in medical journals for decades, including a 2024 report of two patients in Turkey. These are individual case reports, which tells you reactions are possible but uncommon, not how often they happen.

A practical point for sensitive skin: many “cica” products also contain fragrance or essential oils. The 2024 report, for instance, involved fragrance allergens as well as centella. If your skin reacts, it may not be the centella at all.

How to think about centella when you shop

• Treat it as a nice-to-have, not a treatment. A centella serum or cream may feel soothing, but there’s no good evidence it beats a plain, fragrance-free moisturizer for sensitive skin.
• Look at the whole ingredient list. Fragrance and essential oils are more likely to bother sensitive skin than the centella.
• Patch test new products. Apply a little to the inner arm or behind the ear for a few days before using it on your face.
• Don’t use it on real wounds instead of care. Burns, deep cuts or wounds that aren’t healing belong with your doctor or pharmacist, not a beauty serum.

If you want to compare options, you can browse serums and treatments reviewed by the panel or filter for products suited to sensitive skin.

Centella asiatica is a genuinely interesting plant with a real track record in wound-healing research. But most of what makes it sound impressive comes from lab dishes and small trials, and the everyday claim that “cica” calms sensitive skin has barely been tested. It’s usually well tolerated, so enjoy it if your skin likes it, and don’t pay a premium expecting more than a good gentle moisturizer can do.