Acne Ingredients | Cenetella Asiatica: Cica Cream for Acne & Calming Care
by Wendy Kim on Jun 02, 2019
How often does your skin cry for ‘calming' care? And how does your calming skincare look like? There are days when the skin is in need of calming care - times when skin has been burnt like raspberries after a long beach day, when skin feels extra sensitive after shaving, when skin becomes irritated and heated after your soul cycling class. Before we get into any details, let me put this out there, “calming care is as important as moisturizing the skin”. "So, when do we need calming care?"
Calming care is most welcomed to those with sensitive skin. Sensitive skin reacts very easily to a number of factors such as weather, products, and hormones. And the skin reacts is different ways:
- becomes extra-sensitive
- light irritation
- redness
- skin dryness
- rosacea
- skin peeling
- inflammation
- and etc.
When skin is not taken care of properly with the right method and ingredients, the sensitivity and the irritation can go worse.
"Here comes in the ingredient, Centella Asiatica, aka Cica, Gotu Kola or Tiger Grass."
One of the most hyped skincare ingredient for the past few years, known for its great calming properties, is, Centella Asiatica. Centella Asiatica has been around the realm of skincare for a very long time, and is known to contain a bunch of active ingredients known as terpenoids, which make up around 8% of the weight of the plant. The main four that have been studies for their skincare benefits are asiatic acid, adecassic acid, asiaticoside and madecassoside.
A little more detail on Centella Asiatica
Rich in amino acid, beta carotene, fatty acids, and phytochemicals. Super blend of nutrients offers fantastic benefits for the skin, including powerful anti-aging properties. Improves circulation as well as the synthesis of collagen and skin tissues. Collagen is absolutely essential for maintaining a taut and youthful complexion. Will be supporting your skin’s underlying structure.
5 Major Reasons Why You Need Centella Asiatica
We now have a rough idea on how good this ingredient is, but let's get into more detail on why Centella Asiatica attracts acne prone skin and sensitive skin.
1. Heals the skin
Centella asiatica is known to contain chemicals known as triterpenoids that appears to speed wound healing and increase blood supply to the wounded area. It is known to increase cellular proliferation and collagen synthesis at the wound site, as evidenced by increase in DNA, protein and collagen content of granulation tissues. The studies show that wounds treated with Centella asiatica leaf extract contracted and healed the wounds significantly faster than untreated wounds.
2. A rising star of antioxidant care
Skincare ingredients that carries antioxidant properties always attract a large group of people who actively searches for skincare products and actively curates their own skincare routine. Vitamin C is one of the most popular ingredient with antioxidant effects but recently, centella asiatica has been noted to have a great antioxidant property. Especially the centella asiatica leaf extract is known to have the highest level of antioxidants.The antioxidant content protects neurons from oxidative damages caused by free radicals which continues to prove its effect for its healing property.
3. Improves moisture retention
Not only Centella Asiatica is effective in skin repairing and skin calming, but it also helps to improves moisture-retention on the skin. Topical application of Centella Asiatica products help bolster skin's barrier function and strength leading up to enhancement in skin's ability to retain moisture rather than loss of moisture. This then of course leads to improvement in alleviating skin's dryness and we all know how skin can turn bad when it's dry.
4. Great soothing ingredient
When you look at the leaves of Centella Asiatica, you'll notice a lot of resemblance with the leaves of green tea. They share similarity in terms of their look but not only that, they also share a myriad of skin benefits when it comes to application on the skin. Green Tea is known to have great antioxidant properties but also a great soothing effect on the skin. And so does Centella Asiatica. And that is why, Centella Asiatica is beloved by those with sensitive skin and even acne prone skin.
5. Anti-Inflammatory
Centella Asiatica is full of amino acids, beta-carotene, fatty acids, and phytochemicals, including vitamin C, A, B1, and B2. The combination of these ingredients, not only stimulate collagen production but also give skin an antimicrobial boost and anti-inflammatory benefits. And whenever an ingredient carries an anti-inflammatory effect, it is the greatest news for those who wishes to combat breakouts and calm and soothe inflamed acne or post-extraction wounds.
2 Ways to Maximize Centella Asiatica in Your Routine
Regarding all the benefits centella Asiatica carries from skin calming to antioxidant care, this question follows, "how can I add centella asiatica in my skincare routine?". Here are two different ways to add Centella Asiatica in your routine and maximize the benefits it can deliver to your skin. This will help your skin under control and stay healthy whenever it turns sensitive or irritated.
The Blue Cream to Keep Skin Calm & Cool
Whenever skin feels sensitive, the least we want is our skin to feel uncomfortable. At these times, we want to avoid heavy moisturizers more than anything. We want our skin to feel at ease and be hydrated even with the lightest and smallest layer of a cream. This would be the best time for Centella Asiatica to step in. Having a cream that can calm and soothe skin will always come in handy at times when your skin is in emergencies.
Best way to use it?
The Midnight Blue Calming Cream by Klairs has become a staple for everyone who's into skincare. If your entire skin feels irritated and in need of calming care, you can apply a generous layer of the blue cream all over your face. But if certain parts of your face, for instance, your cheeks or your forehead, feels extra sensitive and irritated, you can simply add a thick layer on top of those areas to give special care overnight. Think of it as a treatment cream rather than a moisturizer that will soak your skin with hydration. When applied, it will focus on calming and repairing your skin so that the your skin can continue to function and stay healthy the next day.
For detailed review on the Midnight Blue Calming Cream
In-Depth: The Recovery Cream that will Help you in Acne Emergencies! Klairs Blue Cream!
The Calming Potion in a Green Bottle
Best way to use it?
This lightweight, liquid-type solution doubles as a toner and serum that quickly absorbs into the skin to deliver a calming, regenerative experience for irritated skin. Enriched with more than 59.12% Centella Asiatica extract, a superstar ingredient highly lauded for thousands of years as a part of reparative skincare in Asia, and snow fungus-derived polysaccharides, which keeps the skin moisturized and comfortable, the Advanced Calming Solution is a one-stop solution to hydrate, heal and soothe.