Centella: A Complete Overview of Its Principles, Effects, and Ingredient Mechanisms

After laser or lifting procedures, or whenever the seasons change, there's a name that appears especially often on cosmetic ingredient lists: 'Centella Asiatica Extract.' It's often called synonymous with soothing ingredients, but it's not well known why it's said to help with soothing or through what mechanism it works. This article covers how Centella ingredients act on the skin, how skin condition changes over time after use, and how it can be utilized in post-procedure home care.

How does Centella work? The principle behind it

Centella asiatica extract mainly contains four triterpene-family components: madecassic acid, asiatic acid, asiaticoside, and madecassoside. Each of these is known to play a slightly different role, and they are explained as working in a way that helps calm irritated skin surface and refine skin texture.

In particular, skin that has become sensitive due to external stimuli, friction, or heat exposure often experiences a temporary weakening of the skin barrier. Centella ingredients are frequently formulated into cosmetics to help soothe and support the condition of the skin surface in such states. However, this doesn't mean that a single ingredient can 'treat' or 'reconstruct' skin problems—it's more accurate to understand it as playing a supportive role in skin condition care.

What course does skin take after irritation?

When skin experiences physical or chemical stimulation, redness and warmth typically appear immediately, followed by a calming trend over several hours to 1-2 days. During this period, the skin barrier function is temporarily weakened, which can make skin react more sensitively than usual.

From day 3-4 onward, the initial redness and warmth subside to some extent, but tightness, dryness, or fine flaking often become more noticeable instead. This is explained by the fact that as the skin barrier damaged by irritation recovers, moisture loss occurs simultaneously. Over time afterward, skin tends to gradually return to its pre-irritation condition, though the speed and degree of recovery can vary depending on individual skin conditions.

Home care by stage: an approach divided by timing

In the initial stage right after irritation, it's good to focus on calming redness and warmth. During this period, gently applying a thin layer of cream containing soothing ingredients—without rubbing—can be helpful.

After redness subsides, the approach should shift slightly. This is the stage where moisture-focused care to address tightness and dryness becomes more important than soothing. Missing this shift and continuing to use only soothing-focused products may delay the deep hydration care that's actually needed, so it's good to observe changes in skin condition and approach care in separate stages.

Formulation design that enhances ingredient effectiveness

Soothing ingredients like centella have meaningful effects on their own, but when combined with components similar to skin lipids—such as ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids—as well as moisturizing ingredients like panthenol, they can create a more favorable environment for caring for irritated skin conditions. In post-procedure care as well, considering this combination of ingredients along with timing of use can help support the recovery process.

Post-procedure recovery is determined by home care

ABIJU Cream is designed as a 2-STEP system that takes this recovery process into account. For days 1-3 right after irritation, the Ultra Cera-Rich Cream—formulated with 5 types of ceramides, panthenol, and allantoin—can be used for redness and warmth care, while from day 4 onward, the Hydro Re-Boosting Cream, containing a high concentration of panthenol and niacinamide, can be used for moisture care to address tightness and dryness. Actual human clinical trials have confirmed condition care results tailored to the skin state at each stage.