Is your new Centella Asiatica a.k.a Cica skincare product breaking you out or does it seem like your skin is going through a purge? Let’s get to the bottom of why this is happening, and how to tell the difference between purging and breakouts caused by Centella.
Is Centella causing your skin to purge or just breakout?
Centella Asiatica by itself will not cause your skin to purge. Purging only happens when your skin’s cell turnover cycle is sped up after using a chemical exfoliant like an AHA or BHA.
Exfoliating removes the top layer of dead skin cells which can cause acne under the surface of the skin to emerge faster which can create a “purging” effect. Many brands claim that any bad skin reactions caused by their product is just your skin “purging” to try to keep consumers buying their product. This has unfortunately caused a lot of confusion among skincare beginners.
Centella does not have any exfoliating effects and won’t cause purging. So if you’re seeing more blemishes than usual after adding Centella to your routine it’s just a normal breakout. This could be due to multiple reasons, either you may be allergic to Centella or something else in the formula, there’s something comedogenic (clogs pores) in the product, or it’s too harsh and is irritating your skin so much it causing breakouts.
Is Centella Asiatica Comedogenic?
Centella Asiatica is non-comedogenic and is actually a miracle worker for treating acne, it accelerates wound healing and is a powerful inflammatory. I actually wrote a piece on the numerous benefits of cica for acne prone skin.
Unless you are allergic to Centella itself, it’s highly unlikely that it’s the culprit of your acne breakouts. If you’re experiencing an increase in acne after starting a new product I highly recommend that you search the ingredient list on the website CosDNA. It’s an amazing ingredient cataloging website that will show you the exact purpose of each ingredient, if it’s an acne risk, and if it’s an irritant. Here’s an example showing a breakdown of the It’s Skin Tiger Cica Gel Cream:
Need some acne-safe product suggestions that feature Centella Asiatica? Check out some of these reviews that I’ve posted over the years: