Centella or Heartleaf: Which Calming Ingredient Suits Your Skin?

Heating season has started, and many customers in our shop tell us the same thing: their skin feels tight, a little red, or simply stressed. In Korean skincare, two plant ingredients are the go-to answer: centella (also called cica or tiger grass) and heartleaf (Houttuynia cordata). Both calm the skin – but they are not interchangeable. Here is how to choose.

Centella: calming and barrier support

Centella asiatica has been used in skincare for a long time. Its best-known components – madecassoside, asiaticoside, asiatic acid and madecassic acid – are valued for calming the skin and supporting a stressed skin barrier. Centella is the classic choice for dry, sensitive or irritated skin, and it fits well in winter.

SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica First Ampoule – 92% centella extract, combined with niacinamide and hyaluronic acid. A light, watery first step after cleansing.

Torriden Balanceful Cica Calming Serum – centella extract plus the isolated centella components madecassoside and asiaticoside, with panthenol, allantoin and several types of hyaluronic acid. For skin that needs calming and moisture at the same time.

Heartleaf: calming for oily and blemish-prone skin

Heartleaf (Houttuynia cordata) became famous through Anua. It is used to calm redness and is especially popular with oily, combination and blemish-prone skin – skin that feels irritated but does not want a rich texture.

Anua Heartleaf 77 Soothing Mask – heartleaf extract as the main ingredient, plus ceramide NP, allantoin, hyaluronic acid and a little centella. A quick calming boost after a long day.

Anua Heartleaf Quercetinol Pore Deep Cleansing Foam – based on heartleaf water with mild cleansing agents and a small amount of salicylic acid (BHA) for the pores. It also contains eucalyptus oil, so if your skin is very sensitive, test it on a small area first.

Which one should you choose?

• Dry, tight or sensitive skin, or a damaged barrier → start with centella.
• Oily skin, visible pores, occasional blemishes → heartleaf is often the better match.
• Combination skin → you can combine both: for example a heartleaf cleanser and a centella serum.

Whichever you choose: introduce one new product at a time, and give your skin two to three weeks before you judge the result. And even in autumn and winter, sunscreen in the morning protects a stressed skin barrier.

Try before you buy

You can test the textures in our shop in the Shopping City Seiersberg near Graz – we are happy to help you find the right match for your skin. Or take our skin type test online.