It comes from an ancient plant and its properties can be applied both to reduce cellulite and to hydrate or slow down photoaging... Sounds good right?Centella asiatica is therefore not a fashionable ingredient, but a treatment already present in Ayurvedic medicine.Also known as cica or gotu kola, centella asiatica is native to countries in Central Asia, India, Indonesia and Japan, among others.“It is a plant of the Apiaceae family, which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years for its healing properties.It is an antioxidant, a source of amino acids and has calming properties.In concentrations of 5%, it also helps maintain the skin's moisture," explains pharmacist Rocío Escalante, from Farmacia Arbosana.Thanks to its beneficial active ingredients, centella asiatica has been used both for the care of the body inside and out.Its moisturizing or healing properties are the best known and some of the culprits that have crept into creams, gels, serums and lotions for the face, but what else can the cica do for our skin?As it is a "substance that acts on the connective tissue", as indicated by the AEDV (Spanish Association of Dematology and Venereology).One of its most unknown properties among consumers is that centella asiatica can improve blood circulation, an important benefit to combat cellulite.Many anti-cellulite creams include ingredients such as caffeine to activate circulation, so the cica cannot be missing.Since it is a powerful healing agent, which speeds up the process, it helps to treat stretch marks that also benefit from the improvement in skin resistance.In the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health (US National Library of Medicine) we can read that centella asiatica stimulates the proliferation of fibroblasts, increasing collagen synthesis and improving the resistance and smoothness of new skin, which makes it an interesting ally in the fight against stretch marks and cellulite.Put more simply, "normalizes the microcirculation of fat cells and adipose tissue within the skin, thus helping to improve the appearance of cellulite on the surface of the skin," Lesielle explains.But, without a doubt, its most interesting properties in terms of cosmetics are anti-aging and repairing.To its stimulation of collagen synthesis that improves the condition, structure and elasticity of the skin, we must also add its role in the regeneration of the skin, as part of the extra benefit of this reactivation of circulation, which is translates into an interesting ingredient to reduce expression lines.As a good anti-aging treatment, among the immense list of properties of centella asiatica are also antioxidants, "it protects cells from the action of free radicals, delaying skin aging", explains the pharmacist Rocío Escalante.By protecting against oxidative stress, it delays skin aging and protects it from possible aggressions.Of course, hydration and soothing action are its fundamental pillars.Although centella asiatica creams and lotions are usually very light and quickly absorbed, they are very nutritious thanks to the power of the cica to maintain moisture in the skin, preventing it from being lost.Its non-greasy hydration and its soothing power make centella asiatica especially recommended for sensitive and acne-prone skin.Its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial power, together with its power to promote healing, not only treats and prevents the appearance of pimples, but also helps reduce acne scars.CC Crème with Centella Asiatica by Erborian (€40.99), in addition to perfecting the tone thanks to a light coverage with encapsulated pigments, hydrates and illuminates, leaving a perfecting layer on the skin.Treats, protects and evens the tone.Cicapair Color Correcting Treatment with Tiger Grass by Dr. Jart (€39.99) is one of those products that first fascinates you when it changes from green to makeup color on contact with the skin, and then falls in love with it by covering imperfections and treating them , all in one.Aqua Bomb Cica Cream by Belif (€35.99) provides light hydration that instantly soothes the skin thanks to its anti-inflammatory action, treating redness, irritation and, of course, dryness in the most sensitive skin.It comes from an ancient plant and its properties can be applied both to reduce cellulite and to hydrate or slow down photoaging... Sounds good right?Centella asiatica is therefore not a fashionable ingredient, but a treatment already present in Ayurvedic medicine.