How to use centella in your routine

Wondering how to use centella? Centella asiatica, shortened to cica in Korean skincare, is a plant extract used for lightweight hydration and everyday skin comfort. The simplest approach is to work from the thinnest texture to the richest: a centella toner or ampoule after cleansing, then a centella cream as your last step, morning and night. Add one new product at a time and patch test first.

Centella asiatica is a herb also known as tiger grass, and cica is simply the K-beauty shorthand for it. Most of the activity is credited to a group of compounds often listed together as TECA: madecassoside, asiaticoside, asiatic acid and madecassic acid. On a label you will usually see Centella Asiatica Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Water, or one of those named molecules. Brands tend to pair it with hydrating ingredients such as panthenol, hyaluronic acid and ceramide, which is why you find centella across toners, ampoules and creams rather than in a single product type.

Pick the format by the step you want to fill, not by the ingredient alone.

• A daily prep step: the Torriden Balanceful Toner Pad uses a five-type cica blend with PHA and LHA to wipe away excess oil and lift dull, flaky skin. Torriden lists it for sensitive, combination and oily skin, so if your skin feels tight, use it every other day rather than daily.
• A full starter routine: the SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Travel Kit bundles five mini sizes (a cleansing oil, a foam, a toner, an ampoule and a gel cream), all built on Centella Asiatica Extract. SKIN1004 describes the line as soothing and hydrating, which makes the kit a low-commitment way to try centella across a whole routine.
• A last-step cream: two creams sit at opposite ends. The Centellian24 Madeca Cream Time Reverse is rich, blending several centella extracts with panthenol and ceramide (the formula also contains retinol), so it suits drier skin at night. The Dr.Althea 345 Relief Cream is lighter, pairing centella with niacinamide and ceramide and no added oils, which suits combination skin that wants comfort without weight.

Here is a simple order for morning and evening:

1. Cleanse. At night, use an oil cleanser first if you wear sunscreen or make-up, then a water-based wash.
2. Toner or pad. Sweep on a centella toner, or use a toner pad a few times a week for gentle exfoliation.
3. Ampoule or serum. Press a centella ampoule into slightly damp skin so it absorbs before the next step.
4. Cream. Seal everything in with a centella cream as your final leave-on step.
5. Sunscreen in the morning, always as the last daytime step.

Give any new centella product two to four weeks before you judge it, and change only one thing at a time so you can tell what is doing the work.

Yes, and buffering stronger actives is one of centella's most useful roles. Because centella creams tend to be light and comfortable, they are often layered around actives to keep skin feeling settled. Dr.Althea suggests a sandwich approach for its 345 cream: a small amount of the cream first as a buffer, then your active such as retinol, then a little more cream over the top. If you are also working in niacinamide, our guide on how to use niacinamide explains how to slot it into the same routine. Whatever you add, keep changes small and give each one time.

Match the product to your skin and to the step you are missing.

• New to centella and unsure: a starter kit or a single gentle cream keeps things simple.
• Combination or oilier skin that wants smoother texture: begin with a toner pad, used a few times a week.
• Drier skin that wants a comfortable last step: reach for a richer cream at night and a lighter one by day.

You can browse by step through moisturisers and creams, toners and essences and serums and ampoules. Whatever you choose, give it a few weeks of steady use before you decide.