Woman realises fancy skincare ingredient Centella is actually a ₹20 Indian kitchen staple: ‘Mindblown’

For some skincare enthusiasts, Centella or “Cica” has emerged as a holy grail ingredient for soothing irritated skin, calming redness, healing acne marks, and providing hydration. Over the last few years, Centella asiatica has emerged as a powerful and popular ingredient in skincare, driven in part the K-beauty surge of the 2010s.Centella, a premium skincare ingredient, is actually a common herb in Indian households.The craze for this now-popular skincare ingredient is such that a 50ml bottle of Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Serum costs a whopping ₹3,000. A small jar of Laneige Cica Sleeping Mask will set you back ₹2,300.However, few people realise that this herb has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese medicine for wound healing and calming inflammation. In fact, Centella asiatica is not just a premium skincare ingredient — one Indian woman was shocked to discover that it’s a common kitchen ingredient too.‘Mindblown’, says woman after cica realisationThe woman wrote of her shock in a Reddit post that has been going viral online. “Today I learnt, I’ve been eating centella leaves since childhood & I’m mindblown,” she titled the post.She explained that centella is also called “vallarai keerai” and is easily available for as low as ₹20 a bunch. The woman said she had always assumed that centella is some exotic herb that is grown only in Madagascar.“My brain is going crazy with this info & I have to share this here.To this day, I thought the skin care ingredient Centella asiatica used in many Korean skincare products must be some kind of exotic plant that only grows in Madagascar,” she wrote.“Imagine my surprise, when I found out today that Centella is actually something that we call vallaarai keerai… It’s so common here & a bunch of centella leaves cost ₹20” she continued.The woman described the taste of Centella leaves as “slightly bitter”.“We eat this at least twice a month & it tastes slightly bitter. My mom would force me to eat it in my childhood, so that it could improve my memory. Now you are telling me it’s a skin care agent & improves my skin?! I’m shocked speechless & I feel like somebody opened a giant pandora’s box,” she said.What exactly is Centella asiatica?Centella asiatica is commonly known as Indian pennywort. It is a herbaceous, perennial plant native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia. It grows mostly in swampy and waterlogged areas.In India, Centella is known different names in different regions. One of its most common names is Gotu Kola. It is also known as Vallarai Keerai and Thankuni Pata.Centella asiatica’s rise in skincare is rooted in both ancient tradition and modern science. The herb has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese medicine. Its mainstream skincare popularity began more recently, driven largely K-beauty in the 2010s, when South Korean brands started formulating products specifically for sensitive, acne-prone, and over-exfoliated skin.As consumers became more ingredient-aware and wary of harsh actives, centella’s soothing, barrier-repairing properties made it a standout. (Also read: From anti-ageing to hydration, here’s what gotu kola can do for your skin)