By Sally B · Founder, Sally B’s Skin Yummies · 30 Years of Botanical Formulation
I was scrolling through my social media feed when the ad popped up.
A miracle care product. Extraordinary claims. The kind of language that makes a thirty year old brewer either laugh or reach for the ingredient label and I always reach for the ingredient label.
Buried in the marketing copy was a reference to their ingredient. Something called CICA.
A revolutionary botanical, they said. An important discovery. The next great thing in skincare.
I had never heard of CICA. So I did what I always do when something doesn’t add up: I researched it.
CICA Is Gotu Kola. Dot.
Centella asiatica – known as Gotu Kola – has been used in traditional medicine throughout Asia for centuries.
It appears in Ayurvedic texts. It has been documented in traditional Chinese medicine for generations. In Sri Lanka, it was so widely associated with longevity that elephants, known for their long lives, were seen grazing on it regularly.
It is not a discovery.
It’s an ancient herb that’s been quietly doing remarkable things for human skin for longer than most skin care brands.
What some brands have discovered is that Western consumers don’t always recognize the name Centella asiatica or Gotu Kola — but may respond to a dramatic new word with a vaguely scientific sound.
Thus CICA was born.
Ancient ingredient. New story. Premium price.
This is what the skin care industry does when it runs out of genuine new ideas. He goes to the pharmacy, pulls out something that has worked for ages, gives it a new name, and sells it back to you as a breakthrough.
I’m not interested in doing that.
And I don’t think you should be either.
Because Gotu Kola really earns its place in a formula
Marketing theater aside, let me tell you what Centella asiatica actually does — and why I use it.
Gotu Kola is rich in compounds called triterpenoids, mainly asiaticoside and mandcassoside. These are the active ingredients responsible for many of its documented skin benefits, and the research behind them is truly substantial.
Collagen synthesis support
Asiaticoside has been shown to support collagen production, which is extremely important for skin repair and for aging skin that has lost its structural integrity.
Anti-inflammatory action
Madecassoside helps calm inflammatory responses in the skin, making it valuable for sensitized, reactive or diseased skin.
Wound healing and skin barrier restoration
Its traditional use for wound healing has been supported by modern research, which shows that Centella asiatica can help support the skin’s natural repair processes at the cellular level.
This is a serious botanical with serious documented benefits.
No need for a new name.
It needs a modder who understands how to use it properly.
The part no one tells you: How to actually use it in a formula
This is where most of the CICA content falls silent — because much of it is written by marketers, not shapers.
The active compounds of Gotu Kola are sensitive to heat.
Asiaticoside and madecassoside can begin to degrade at high temperatures, meaning that if you add Centella asiatica extract during the heated phase of your formula—the way you would add many oils and emulsifiers—you risk reducing the very compounds you’re paying for.
Modifier note
Gotu Kola belongs to the cool-down phase of your formula.
Once your emulsion is below 40°C, then you add your extract.
Not before.
This is the difference between a formula that contains Centella asiatica and a formula that actually delivers what Centella asiatica can do.
I use it in the form of an extract, it is added to the cold. Extracting gives you a standardized, consistent concentration of active compounds — much more reliable than trying to DIY an infusion with dried plant material, where the concentration of active ingredients can vary wildly depending on the plant’s growing conditions, harvest time, and your extraction method.
Phase placement and form selection.
Two decisions that most consumers never think about and most brands never mention.
But it’s the difference between decoration and efficiency.
What does this tell us about the industry — and about us?
I have been dealing with skin care for thirty years. I spent a decade of that working alongside a dermatologist.
In all this time, the thing that has frustrated me the most in this industry isn’t the bad actors – they’re obvious when you know what to look for. It’s how good ingredients get buried under bad marketing until consumers can’t tell the difference between a genuine herbal story and a brand story.
Gotu Kola need not be CICA.
Centella asiatica has earned its reputation long before the skin care industry existed.
Once you know that, you can’t be sold the story again.
That’s why I believe that educated producers and educated consumers are the most powerful forces for integrity in this industry.
Not regulation — although that matters.
No certifications – although those help.
But people who know what an ingredient actually is, where it comes from, what it does, and how to use it properly.
This knowledge is not complicated.
It just requires someone to teach it directly.
Carefully formulated botanicals, no skincare trends
Gotu Kola is a perfect example of why composition matters.
The ingredient itself is not new. The story around it is.
What matters is knowing what the herb actually is, why it belongs in a formula, and how to use it in a way that protects its benefits.
This is the difference between trend chasing and wording with purpose.
You can find Sally’s approach to botanical composition in products such as; Anywhere Balm and Lip Assistwhere ingredients are chosen for what they actually do — not because they’re having a marketing moment.
Explore Anywhere Balm
Explore Lip Assist
Sally B is the founder of Sally B’s Skin Yummies, a pure botanical skincare brand that has been in business since 2005. She has thirty years of formulation experience and spent a decade working alongside a dermatologist. Its products are EWG Verified and are made using the highest concentration of certified organic ingredients available.
