Centella & Cica

Centella asiatica — cica for short — is the ingredient Korean brands reach for when skin is angry. It calms redness, supports healing and strengthens a barrier that has been over-exfoliated or wind-burnt, without doing anything aggressive in return.

It is the safest place to start if you have reactive skin, or if you have been overdoing actives and need a few weeks of nothing but repair. SKIN1004 built its entire Madagascar range on it, and PURITO and VT are close behind.

Pairs naturally with hyaluronic acid and PDRN. If your skin is currently unhappy, see Sensitive Skin too.