Centella Asiatica has been used in traditional medicine for centuries. Its appearance in modern skincare is more recent — and, unlike many ingredients that arrive via trend and depart the same way, its presence is likely to be sustained. Here’s why.
Centella Asiatica is a small herbaceous plant native to Asia, where it has long been valued in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine for soothing and conditioning the skin. The active compounds responsible for most of its documented effects are a group of triterpenoids: asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid, and madecassic acid.
These compounds have been studied in cell culture, animal models, and human clinical trials, and the evidence is broadly consistent. They have been studied for their role in supporting the skin’s own collagen, for calming the look and feel of stressed skin, and for supporting barrier function. And they have a safety profile that is excellent, including for sensitive and reactive skin.
This last point is why Centella features prominently in the Arc collection, which is designed for pregnancy and postpartum skin — two periods when skin is often at its most reactive and the stakes of introducing a sensitising ingredient are highest.
The Centella Asiatica Extract we use is standardised for its triterpenoid content, which matters because the activity of botanical extracts varies significantly depending on how they’re processed and concentrated. An extract with a known, consistent triterpenoid level behaves predictably in a formula. One that isn’t standardised may not.
We use it in both the Arc Oil and Arc Balm because the evidence for what it does is strong enough that we couldn’t justify leaving it out.
