TL;DR
Centella from Madagascar is mostly wild-harvested and asiaticoside-dominant. Centella from Korea is cultivated and madecassoside-dominant. The two have meaningfully different soothing profiles. Same plant, different chemistry. The bottle rarely tells you which version you bought.
Centella asiatica is one of the more genuinely useful botanical ingredients in modern skincare, with reasonable clinical evidence for barrier repair, redness reduction, and post-procedure healing. The bigger surprise is how much the source country changes what you actually get. Two centella products at the same percentage, from different supply chains, can produce noticeably different results. I learned this the slow way, by switching between brands and wondering why my skin reacted differently to nominally identical ingredient labels.
The four active compounds
Centella’s pharmacological activity comes from a group of triterpenes: asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid, and madecassic acid, collectively often called the TECA complex. The ratios of these four compounds vary by growing conditions, season, soil, and altitude. The plant looks the same in both Madagascar and Korea. The internal chemistry is not.
Asiaticoside is associated more with wound healing and collagen synthesis effects. Madecassoside skews toward anti-inflammatory effects on already-irritated skin. Both are useful; they are not interchangeable.
Madagascar: wild-harvest, asiaticoside-dominant
Most Madagascar centella enters the supply chain through wild collection in highland regions. The plants grow in poor soils at moderate altitude, and the resulting chemistry tends toward higher asiaticoside levels, often in the 35 to 45% range of the total TECA fraction. The harvest is seasonal and the yield varies year to year. The supply chain is harder to trace because collection is decentralized.
The skin effect, broadly, is more in the rebuild and repair direction. Madagascar-sourced TECA is the form behind some of the better post-procedure skincare on the European market.
Korea: cultivated, madecassoside-dominant
Korean centella is cultivated on managed farms, often in greenhouse or polytunnel conditions. The controlled environment pushes the chemistry toward higher madecassoside, sometimes above 50% of the TECA fraction. The supply is more consistent year to year and the traceability is significantly better, because the farms are documented.
The skin effect is more in the calm-down direction. Korean K-beauty centella products are tuned for redness, post-acne irritation, and reactive skin.
The contrarian take
The K-beauty boom has made Korean centella the default, and a lot of brands now use “Cica” as a category signal without thinking carefully about which compound profile they actually want. For a product aimed at compromised barrier from over-exfoliation, the Korean profile is genuinely well-matched. For a product aimed at supporting skin recovery after microneedling or moderate-depth peels, the Madagascar profile is arguably more useful. Treating centella as a single ingredient with one set of properties misses the chemistry.
I would also push back on the idea that wild-harvest is automatically more virtuous. Wild collection in Madagascar has well-documented sustainability problems when demand spikes, and traceability is poor enough that cultivated supply, if from responsible farms, may have a lower environmental cost.
The real numbers
A 2017 study in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology compared TECA composition across 14 commercial centella extracts sourced from Madagascar, Korea, and India. Madagascar samples averaged 41% asiaticoside, 22% madecassoside, with the remainder split between the two acids. Korean samples averaged 24% asiaticoside, 53% madecassoside. The difference was statistically significant across all sample groups. A 2019 PubMed-indexed clinical trial showed both profiles reduced erythema in post-procedure skin, with the madecassoside-dominant extract performing slightly better on inflammation markers and the asiaticoside-dominant extract performing better on collagen synthesis markers over 8 weeks.
What to look for on a product
The ingredient list rarely specifies origin. The brand’s website sometimes does. Korean-formulated products usually use Korean centella, although not always. European post-procedure products often use Madagascar TECA, sometimes specifying “Madecassol” or “TECA” specifically on the label. A brand that lists a percentage of the four compounds, rather than just “centella asiatica extract,” is signaling formulation seriousness.
If the product names asiaticoside specifically as an active at a stated percentage, you are looking at the Madagascar-style chemistry. If it names madecassoside specifically, you are looking at the Korean-style chemistry.
How I choose
For everyday calming and reactive skin, Korean-sourced madecassoside-leaning products. For post-procedure or barrier-rebuild work, Madagascar-sourced asiaticoside-leaning products. The two can also be layered. Cost difference is modest.
For more on plant ingredient sourcing, see bakuchiol sourcing and rosehip oil truth. For the broader soothing skincare landscape, see the tag hub.
FAQ
Is Cica the same as centella? Yes. Cica is short for Centella Asiatica, used widely in K-beauty marketing. The two terms are interchangeable.
Does centella have side effects? Rarely. Contact dermatitis in sensitive individuals has been reported but is uncommon. Test on a small area first if you have reactive skin.
Can I use centella with retinol? Yes, and the combination often works well. Centella reduces retinoid irritation while preserving retinoid benefit. One of the more useful pairings in modern skincare.
What is TECA? The four-compound triterpene complex extracted from centella: titrated extract of Centella asiatica. It is the standardized form behind several medical-grade post-procedure products.
Is centella safe in pregnancy? Topical use is generally considered low risk. Oral use is contraindicated. Discuss with your physician before introducing any new active in pregnancy.
More articles in the centella archive.
Sources
James JT, Dubery IA. Pentacyclic triterpenoids from the medicinal herb Centella asiatica. Molecules, 2009. Bylka W et al. Centella asiatica in cosmetology. Postepy Dermatologii i Alergologii, 2013. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2017 TECA composition survey. NIH PubMed, clinical trial data on centella post-procedure use.