Centella Serum or Cream? How to Choose and Use Centella Asiatica (Cica) for Sensitive Skin

Centella asiatica is a small creeping herb, also called gotu kola or tiger grass, whose extract is used in skincare for its soothing character. In cosmetic terms it is valued for helping skin look calmer and feel more comfortable, which is why it appears in so many formulas aimed at sensitive or easily flushed skin.

That is all you need for this guide. If you want the full story, including the compounds madecassoside and asiaticoside and how centella came to be called cica, read our explainer What is centella asiatica? first, then come back here to choose a product.

The front of a jar tells you what the brand wants to sell. The ingredients list, known as the INCI list (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients), tells you what is inside. For centella, three things matter.

Find the name it is listed under

Centella appears under several names. On the products in the Botā edit you will see it as Centella Asiatica Extract, Centella Asiatica (Gotu Kola) Extract and Centella Asiatica Callus Conditioned Media, which comes from a plant cell culture rather than from the harvested leaf. Some products list its isolated compounds instead, such as madecassoside or asiaticoside. If you see any of these, centella is in the formula.

Look at where it sits on the list

In Europe, ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration down to the one per cent mark, after which they may appear in any order. Centella often sits in the lower half of a list, which is normal: extracts are used in small amounts. A dedicated cica product will usually place it higher than a moisturiser that includes it among other botanicals.

Check what keeps it company

For sensitive skin, what surrounds the centella matters as much as the centella itself. Scan for parfum (fragrance), essential oils and alcohol denat., which some reactive skin tolerates and some does not. None of these is automatically a problem, but if your skin has objected to scented products before, treat them as a reason to patch test. Hydrators such as glycerin, hyaluronic acid (listed as sodium hyaluronate), panthenol and allantoin are welcome company, because they help skin feel comfortable while the centella does its quiet work.

Many people search for a centella serum first. It helps to know what separates a serum from a cream or a balm, and what the label can and cannot tell you about strength.

Serum, cream or balm

+ A serum is usually a light, water- or gel-based step applied after cleansing. It is designed to sit under a moisturiser, not replace one.

+ A cream or lotion combines oils and butters with water, so it hydrates and softens in one step. For sensitive skin, a centella cream can do the work of a serum and a moisturiser together.

+ A balm is the richest texture, usually made of oils, butters and waxes with little or no water. It suits very dry patches rather than all-over daily use.

Strength and reading the label

Brands in the EU and the UK do not have to state how much centella a product contains. The ingredient list gives you clues instead. Ingredients above 1% are listed in descending order, so centella near the top of a list is present in a larger amount than centella near the end. Some formulas also name its main compounds: madecassoside, asiaticoside, madecassic acid and asiatic acid. A product that names these alongside the extract is making a point of its centella. A higher position is not automatically better for sensitive skin. What matters more is a formula you can use every day without a reaction.

Where it sits in a routine

Apply products from thinnest to thickest. After cleansing, a centella serum goes on before your moisturiser. A centella cream or lotion goes on as your moisturiser, followed by sunscreen in the morning. A balm goes last, over everything else, on the areas that need it.

What Botā stocks today

We do not currently stock a centella serum. The four products in the Botā edit that list centella asiatica are creams and a light micro-emulsion moisturiser: Cloudburst by African Botanics, the Light and Rich Ayuna creams, and the 100% Pure Ultra Riche PM Treatment. For sensitive skin, a centella cream is a sensible way to use the ingredient, because it covers two steps in one. We compare all four in the next section, and you can browse more calm-first formulas in our Sensitive Skin edit.

Start with texture, not marketing. On sensitive skin, a product you enjoy using every day beats a stronger one you avoid. Then match the formula to the moment you will use it. These are the four products in the Botā edit that list centella asiatica, and who each one suits.

If your skin is combination, oily or dislikes richness: a light, water-based moisturiser

Cloudburst Micro-Emulsion Moisturiser by African Botanics lists water, glycerin and sodium hyaluronate at the top, with niacinamide, panthenol and allantoin alongside Centella Asiatica (Gotu Kola) Extract. Its page describes a water-in-oil micro-emulsion with a weightless feel, formulated without synthetic fragrance. It does contain aromatic botanical oils, including Cape chamomile and immortelle, so patch test if scent is one of your triggers. Two pumps, morning and night, over any serum.

If you want a daytime cream that sits well under sun protection: the lighter Ayuna

Natural Rejuvenating Treatment Cream (Light) by Ayuna is a light emulsion built on lemon fruit extract, sweet almond oil and shea butter, with Centella Asiatica Callus Conditioned Media and turmeric from the brand's plant cell cultures. Ayuna suggests it as a daytime base or make-up primer, with sun protection applied over it. The list includes parfum and alcohol, so introduce it slowly.

If your skin is dry or feels tight by evening: the richer Ayuna

Cream II - Natural Rejuvenating Treatment (Rich) by Ayuna is the same idea in a richer emulsion, with olive oil, squalane and shea butter alongside the centella and turmeric cell cultures. Ayuna lists it as suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin. It also contains parfum, so the same patch-test advice applies.

If your skin is very dry or mature and you want an overnight step: the 100% Pure night treatment

Multi-Vitamin + Antioxidants Ultra Riche PM Treatment by 100% Pure is an ultra-rich night cream with avocado oil, shea and cocoa butters, a vitamin complex and Centella Asiatica Extract among its botanicals. There is no added parfum on the ingredients list, though it does include orange oil. Because it contains retinyl palmitate, a form of vitamin A, 100% Pure recommends evening use only and sun protection the following day. If your skin is reactive, start with two or three nights a week.

Whichever you choose, every brand in the Botā edit is screened against our published clean standards, so the label-reading above is a good habit rather than a chore.

Centella rewards patience and a light hand. This is the order of work.

Patch test for three days

Apply a small amount behind the ear or on the inner forearm once a day for three days. If nothing flares, you are clear to try it on the face.

Introduce one product at a time

Add nothing else new for two weeks. If your skin reacts, you will know exactly what caused it; if it settles, you will know what to credit.

Put it in the right slot

After cleansing, apply any watery products first (a toner or serum), then your centella moisturiser or cream, then sun protection in the morning. A night cream such as the 100% Pure treatment goes on last in the evening, over your serum.

Press, do not rub

Warm the product between your fingertips and press it into the skin. Rubbing drags on skin that is already reactive.

Give it four weeks

Judge a centella product after a month of consistent use, not a weekend. Soothing ingredients show their worth quietly and over time.

Keep the rest of the routine quiet

Centella does its best work when it is not competing with strong exfoliating acids or high-strength vitamin A. If you use those, keep them to alternate nights while your skin adjusts.

1. Trusting the word cica on the front. Some products lead with cica in the name and list very little of it. Read the INCI list, as above.

2. Expecting a serum to do a moisturiser's job. A centella serum is a companion step. Sensitive skin still needs a proper moisturiser over it to feel comfortable.

3. Adding it during a flare-up. Even the gentlest new product is a variable. Wait until your skin is settled, then introduce it.

4. Ignoring the rest of the label. Parfum, essential oils and alcohol denat. are the usual suspects when reactive skin objects to a product. Choose the formula whose whole list you are happy with.

5. Chasing a quick fix. Centella is a calm-first cosmetic ingredient, not a medicine. If you have persistent redness, stinging or a diagnosed skin condition, see a dermatologist or pharmacist; skincare should sit alongside that advice, not replace it.

For more calm-first formulas, browse our Sensitive Skin and Redness & Irritation edits.