As a result of formulating vegan makeup products, the cosmetic industry has started including many plant-based alternatives. One such popular ingredient is gotu kola extract. It was initially found in serums and in sunscreen. In today’s blog, we will discuss how gotu kola extract or Centella Asiatica made its way to makeup formulations and the impact it has on your skin.
Gotu kola is the common name for Centella asiatica, a herb whose extracts are used in cosmetics as skin-conditioning agents and antioxidants. In makeup specifically, it is a comfort and barrier-support ingredient. It helps a formula sit better on skin that is dry, reactive, or tired of being covered up. It is not a treatment step, and no concealer will rebuild your skin barrier by lunchtime.
What Is Gotu Kola Or Centella Asiatica?
Gotu kola is a low-growing herb from the Apiaceae family, the same family as carrots and parsley. It grows across wetland regions of India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and Southeast Asia. In Ayurveda, it has been used for roughly three thousand years, and it made it into the Indian Pharmacopoeia in the 19th century.
You might know it by different names, such as Indian pennywort, Tiger grass, or by Cica, which is what Korean brands shortened it to and what most of the internet now calls it.
The part that matters to a formulator is a group of compounds called pentacyclic triterpenes, sometimes called centelloids. There are four worth knowing:
-
Asiaticoside and madecassoside, the two glycosides that carry most of the soothing and collagen-supporting research
-
Asiatic acid and madecassic acid, their corresponding acids
Alongside those sit flavonoids, tannins, amino acids, and phytosterols. Research on the isolated triterpenes shows they encourage fibroblasts to proliferate and increase collagen synthesis, which is the mechanism behind gotu kola's long history in wound care and scar creams.
Why Brands Are Putting Gotu Kola in Makeup?
Gotu kola, also known as cica, became popular through K-beauty because it is known for its soothing properties. Brands are now adding it to makeup because complexion products stay on the skin for many hours.
Generally, a serum is quickly layered over with other products, whereas a concealer or foundation can remain on the face all day, especially on delicate areas like the under-eyes.
Adding ingredients such as gotu kola helps these long-wearing products feel more comfortable and gentle on the skin. This is why brands use gotu kola in makeup to make products that you wear for hours more soothing and pleasant to use.
Key Benefits Of Gotu Kola In Cosmetic Formulas
Here are some of the benefits of including gotu kola extract in makeup formulations:
Soothing and redness support
This is the best-supported benefit and the main reason it appears in products aimed at sensitive skin. The triterpenes offer proven anti-inflammatory properties. In practice, this shows up as a formula that feels calm rather than tight, which matters most where the skin is thin and easily irritated, especially around the eyes, around the nose, over a healing breakout.
Hydration and barrier support
A four-week in vivo study of 25 volunteers, applying centella-containing creams and gels twice daily, found that formulations at 5% extract improved stratum corneum hydration and reduced transepidermal water loss. Hold on to that 5% figure.
Antioxidant activity
Cica (gotu kola) extract contains compounds such as asiaticoside, madecassoside, and various flavonoids that have antioxidant properties. In makeup formulations, these antioxidants help neutralize free radicals generated by factors like UV exposure and pollution. While the amount of protection they provide is not a substitute for sunscreen or dedicated skincare, they can help reduce oxidative stress on the skin during wear and support a more comfortable, healthy-looking complexion. Their presence also contributes to the growing trend of makeup that not only enhances appearance but also helps care for the skin throughout the day.
Collagen support
Asiaticoside stimulates collagen production and improves microcirculation in the capillaries near the skin surface. This is well established in the wound-healing literature.
Although cica is celebrated for its soothing and antioxidant properties, the amount used in most makeup formulas is typically quite low. In addition, makeup is usually applied in thin layers, which means the skin receives only a small dose of these beneficial compounds.
As a result, you should not expect your foundation or concealer to deliver the same skin benefits as a dedicated cica serum or cream. Instead, think of cica in makeup as a thoughtful bonus, an ingredient that can enhance comfort during wear, while your skincare routine remains the primary source of meaningful, long-term results.
How to Choose Makeup with Gotu Kola
Here are three checks that you need to conduct if a product has gotu kola extract in its formulation:
1. Find its real name, not its nickname
Cica and tiger grass are marketing words. They never appear on an INCI list. What appears instead is one of these:
-
Centella Asiatica Extract
-
Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract
-
Centella Asiatica Root Extract
-
Centella Asiatica Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
-
Centella Asiatica Leaf Water
-
Centella Asiatica Meristem Cell Culture
Or the purified actives on their own, such as Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid. A product listing madecassoside directly is telling you it has paid for the isolated compound rather than a whole-plant extract. Neither approach is automatically better, but they are different decisions.
2. Read where it sits, and know the rule
Ingredients above 1% are listed in descending order of concentration. Below 1%, a brand can list them in any order it likes, and colourants go at the very end regardless.
A botanical extract sitting in the top five, above the preservative and the pigments, is present at a real concentration.
3. Match it to the format
Go back to the table. A water-based cream product that stays on your skin for hours is where this ingredient belongs.
House Of Makeup Products Featuring Gotu Kola
We use centella asiatica root extract in exactly two products, and both are the ones that live on your under-eye area all day.
Zoom In Crease-Free Creamy Concealer
Gotu kola is the fourth ingredient in Zoom In Concealer, after water, squalane, and wax. It sits alongside jojoba seed extract and plant squalane, and the reason all three are in there is the same. A concealer is expected to stay creamy and flexible on skin that creases every time you blink, for twelve hours, without cracking. Dry, tight formulas crease. Comfortable ones do not.
Spot On Anti-Crease Smoothing Corrector
In Spot On Corrector it is the fifth ingredient, again above the pigments that give the formula its peach and orange tones. Correctors are highly pigmented by design, and pigment load is exactly what makes a formula feel dry and sit heavily. Building the corrector on a water base with jojoba, squalane, and centella is what keeps a heavily pigmented product from feeling like one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does gotu kola do in makeup?
It works as a skin-conditioning and soothing agent. In a base product, it supports the skin barrier and helps the formula feel comfortable over long wear, particularly on thin or reactive skin. It is a supporting ingredient rather than an active treatment, and it will not replace your skincare.
Is gotu kola suitable for sensitive skin?
Generally yes, and it is one of the most common botanicals in products formulated for sensitive skin. The CIR Expert Panel found centella-derived ingredients safe at the concentrations used in cosmetics when formulated to be non-sensitising, and noted little concern about sensitisation given typical use levels. As with any new product, a patch test on the inner wrist before first use is sensible.
Is gotu kola the same as cica?
Yes. Cica is an abbreviation of centella asiatica, popularised by Korean beauty brands. Gotu kola, cica, tiger grass, and Indian pennywort all refer to the same plant. Only centella asiatica appears on an official ingredient list.
Which makeup products commonly contain centella extract?
Water-based cream formulas that stay on the skin, such as concealers, colour correctors, skin tints, BB creams, foundations, and emulsion primers. It is rare in pressed powders and loose powders because those have no water phase to carry a water-soluble extract, and uncommon in lipsticks and glosses because those are wax- and oil-based.
How can I identify gotu kola on an ingredient list?
Look for centella asiatica followed by a plant part such as extract, leaf extract, root extract, or flower/leaf/stem extract. It may also appear as one of its isolated compounds such as madecassoside, asiaticoside, asiatic acid, or madecassic acid. Ingredients above 1% are listed in descending order, so an extract in the top five is present at a meaningful level.