When do I use Cica Reti-A Essence 0.5 in my routine?

Use Cica Reti-A Essence 0.5 after cleansing and toner, before your moisturizer or cream. It is a leave-on step, so apply it to a clean face and let it settle for a minute before layering the next product. Most people use it once in the morning and once at night, though a single evening application is fine while your skin adjusts to a new step.

Can I layer it with other serums or ampoules?

Yes. Apply thinner, more watery formulas first and heavier creams last, so this ampoule generally goes after a toner and before a thicker serum or moisturizer. If you use it alongside an actives-heavy routine, introduce it on its own for the first week so you can tell what any reaction is coming from.

Does it feel greasy or heavy on the skin?

No. It has a water-forward, leave-on base rather than a heavy oil or wax base, so it absorbs into the surface rather than sitting on top of it. Most people describe the feel as light and quickly absorbed, not tacky or greasy.

Is this the same formula sold in Korea?

Yes. This is the Korean-market VT Cosmetics release, imported with its original Korean-language packaging, barcode, and batch code intact, rather than a version reformulated or repackaged for US retail. We check that batch code against the one on the box before it ships, instead of relying on the listing alone.

How long does one bottle last with daily use?

At roughly a few drops per application, twice a day, a 30 ml bottle typically lasts about six to eight weeks, though usage varies with how much product a person applies each time.

VT Cosmetics

VT Cica Reti-A Essence 0.5 30ml

Name: VT Cosmetics VT Cica Reti-A Essence 0.5 30ml
Brand: VT Cosmetics
SKU: 9439920237
Price: 57.5 USD
Availability: InStock

VT Cosmetics Cica Reti-A Essence 0.5 30ml carries five separate centella asiatica forms on its own ingredient panel, including Centella Asiatica Extract, Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid.

Reviewed by Nurcan Saglam, licensed dermo-cosmetic expert (Paris)

No reviews yet

$57.50

30 ml

$191.67 per 100 ml

Korean-market formula
Ships from California or direct from Korea
Korean barcode and batch code intact

Suited to: DryNormalCombinationDehydrated

Helps with: DullnessDehydrationRough textureUneven surface

One-time purchase

$57.50

SubscribeSave 10%

$51.75

In stock. Arrives in 3 to 7 business days

You’re $100.00 away from free US shipping.

30-day returns
Free US shipping on orders of $100 or more
Tracked delivery to your door

Verified authentic Shipping and returns

How it works

The panel on this essence names five forms of centella asiatica rather than one: Centella Asiatica Extract, Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid. Centella Asiatica is the plant behind the whole cica category, sold as gotu kola or Madagascar centella. Its extract is the anchor of Korean formulas built for easily reddened skin, and its work is done by four triterpenes: asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid and madecassic acid. On this panel it sits alongside Niacinamide, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil and Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate. Niacinamide is vitamin B3, and it is the most studied active in Korean formulation. It is used at roughly 2 to 5 percent for the look of uneven tone and visible pores, and it is water soluble, stable and comfortable beside almost every other active, which is why it turns up in so many lists.

Key benefits

Five forms of centella asiatica on one panel, not a single token inclusion
Niacinamide on the same panel, the formula's active
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil on the same panel, the formula's occlusive
30 ml to a unit
Korean GS1 barcode matched against a Korea sourcing supplier's record for this item

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

Last

Fragrance on the list

1 of 4

57 of 57 explained

Water solvent: Water is the base almost every serum, toner and cream is built on. It dissolves the water-loving ingredients and sets how light the finished texture feels. On an INCI list it is usually first, which only means it is the largest single ingredient by weight.
Butylene Glycol humectant: Butylene Glycol is a small glycol that does two jobs at once: it holds water in the top layer of skin and it dissolves plant extracts and actives that plain water cannot. It also thins a formula, which is why watery Korean essences lean on it.
Dimethyl Isosorbide solvent: Dimethyl Isosorbide is a solvent used to dissolve actives that water and oil both reject, and to carry them evenly through the outer layer of skin. It appears in vitamin C and retinoid formulas for exactly that reason.
Hydrogenated Poly(c6-14 Olefin) emollient: Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin) is a synthetic hydrocarbon emollient. It gives a smooth, silicone-like glide and is completely stable, so it does not go rancid.
1,2-Hexanediol humectant: 1,2-Hexanediol is a glycol used for two reasons: it holds water like glycerin, and it makes a formula harder for microbes to live in, so less traditional preservative is needed. Korean formulas use it heavily for that second reason.
Niacinamide active: Niacinamide is vitamin B3, and it is the most studied active in Korean formulation. It is used at roughly 2 to 5 percent for the look of uneven tone and visible pores, and it is water soluble, stable and comfortable beside almost every other active, which is why it turns up in so many lists.
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate emollient: Cetyl Ethylhexanoate is a synthetic ester used as a dry-feeling emollient. It spreads easily, leaves a silky rather than oily finish, and helps disperse pigments and UV filters evenly.
Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate emollient: Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate is a light ester emollient that gives a dry, silky finish and disperses pigment evenly.
Glyceryl Stearate emulsifier: Glyceryl Stearate is glycerin joined to stearic acid, and one of the most used emulsifiers in skincare. It holds oil and water together and thickens the result, and it softens skin at the same time.
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate emulsifier: Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate is a sugar-derived emulsifier known for a light, non-soapy feel. It builds gel-creams that do not read as rich.
Behenyl Alcohol fatty alcohol: Behenyl Alcohol is a long-chain fatty alcohol used to thicken and stabilise a cream. It gives a richer, more velvety body than cetyl alcohol.
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil occlusive: Plant oil hardened by hydrogenation. It behaves as a soft solid, so it gives balms and sticks their body and slows water loss from the surface.

45 more explained

Dimethicone silicone: Dimethicone is the most used cosmetic silicone. It forms a breathable film that smooths the surface, slows water leaving skin, and gives the slip that makes a primer or cream feel silky. It is inert and does not penetrate.
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate active: Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate is a retinoid ester that binds skin's retinoid receptors directly, with no conversion step. Brands use it where they want retinoid-style results with less of the flaking retinol brings.
Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate emulsifier: Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate is a mild plant-derived emulsifier for oil-in-water creams.
Stearic Acid fatty acid: Stearic Acid is a saturated fatty acid from plant fats, and one of the three lipid classes skin's own barrier is built from. In a formula it thickens, stabilises the emulsion and can be turned into a soap-style cleanser by adding a base.
Cetearyl Alcohol fatty alcohol: Cetearyl Alcohol is a waxy solid, not the drying kind of alcohol. It is a blend of cetyl and stearyl alcohols used to thicken a cream and keep oil and water from separating, and it softens skin as it does so.
Polyacrylate-13 thickener: Polyacrylate-13 is a pre-neutralised thickener that gels instantly and holds an emulsion together, so a formula can be built without heat.
Carbomer thickener: Carbomer is a synthetic polymer that only gels once a base neutralises it, which is why arginine or tromethamine sits nearby on the list. It gives the clear, non-stringy gel texture a xanthan formula cannot reach.
Betaine humectant: Betaine is a sugar-beet-derived humectant that cells use to hold water. In a formula it hydrates and takes the edge off cleansers and acids, which is why it often appears alongside them.
Panthenol humectant: Panthenol is pro-vitamin B5: skin converts it to pantothenic acid. It is a humectant that holds water and leaves skin feeling soft and less tight, and it is one of the ingredients formulators reach for when a formula also contains something harsh.
Tromethamine pH adjuster: Tromethamine neutralises acidic thickeners such as carbomer so they gel, and holds a formula near skin-friendly pH. It is used at a fraction of a percent.
Polyisobutene film former: Polyisobutene is a synthetic polymer that forms a flexible, water-resistant film. It gives gloss and holds a formula in place, which is why it appears in lip products and long-wear textures.
Ethylhexylglycerin preservative booster: Ethylhexylglycerin softens skin and boosts a preservative system, which is why it is nearly always sitting beside phenoxyethanol or 1,2-hexanediol. It also cuts down the odour bacteria produce, so it turns up in deodorising products.
Centella Asiatica Extract plant extract: Centella Asiatica is the plant behind the whole cica category, sold as gotu kola or Madagascar centella. Its extract is the anchor of Korean formulas built for easily reddened skin, and its work is done by four triterpenes: asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid and madecassic acid.
Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate emulsifier: A polyglycerin ester with a long fatty chain. It emulsifies and thickens at the same time, which is how a cream gets body without wax.
Adenosine active: Adenosine is a nucleoside that Korea's own cosmetic authority recognises as a wrinkle-care functional ingredient, which is why it appears on so many Korean lists at a low level. It is used for the look of fine lines and is stable and well tolerated.
Sodium Hyaluronate humectant: Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt of hyaluronic acid, and it is what most products labelled hyaluronic actually contain. The salt dissolves more readily and the molecule is smaller, so it sits in the outer layer of skin rather than only on top of it.
Allantoin active: Allantoin is a comfrey-derived compound used to condition skin and soften the outer layer so it feels smoother. It is one of the standard additions to a formula built for easily irritated skin.
Polysorbate 20 emulsifier: Polysorbate 20 is a solubiliser: it dissolves small amounts of oil or fragrance into a watery formula so nothing separates or floats.
Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract plant extract: Moringa seed extract. The seed is best known for its oil and for the cationic peptides used to clarify water, and in a formula the extract is a conditioning botanical.
Gluconolactone exfoliant: Gluconolactone is a PHA, the gentlest exfoliant class. Its molecule is too large to penetrate quickly, so it smooths the surface without the sting of an AHA, and it is a humectant at the same time.
Bakuchiol active: Bakuchiol is a compound from the babchi seed, used as a plant-derived alternative to retinol. It is oil soluble, stable in daylight and does not carry retinol's acclimatisation period, which is why sensitive-skin formulas choose it.
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid exfoliant: Capryloyl Salicylic Acid is salicylic acid with a fatty tail, sometimes sold as LHA. It stays nearer the surface than salicylic acid and works at a higher pH, so it exfoliates more evenly and more gently.
Sorbitan Isostearate emulsifier: Sorbitan Isostearate is a mild emulsifier that holds water into oil, the direction a cleansing balm or an oil-based cream needs.
Hydroxystearic Acid fatty acid: Stearic acid carrying an extra hydroxyl group. It thickens oil phases and helps pigments and powders spread evenly.
Ceramide Np barrier lipid: Ceramide NP is the most used cosmetic ceramide, the same class of lipid that makes up roughly half the mortar between cells in the outer layer of skin. Added to a cream it slots into that structure, which is why ceramide formulas feel less leaky rather than merely greasy.
Tocopherol antioxidant: Tocopherol is vitamin E. It is an oil-soluble antioxidant that protects the oils in a formula from going rancid and works on skin as an emollient, and it is regularly paired with vitamin C because each keeps the other going for longer.
Ascorbic Acid antioxidant: Ascorbic Acid is pure vitamin C, the most researched form and also the least stable: it needs a low pH and airtight packaging to stay active. It is an antioxidant used for the look of dullness and uneven tone.
Pentylene Glycol humectant: Pentylene Glycol hydrates and, like the other longer-chain glycols, makes a formula less hospitable to microbes so the preservative system can be lighter. It also improves how evenly a product spreads.
Retinol active: Retinol is the alcohol form of vitamin A and the strongest retinoid available without a prescription. Skin converts it in two steps to retinoic acid, and it is used at night, at low percentages, for the look of fine lines and rough texture. It can leave skin flaking while it acclimatises.
Lecithin emulsifier: Lecithin is a soy or sunflower-derived phospholipid, the same class of molecule cell membranes are built from. It emulsifies oil into water and is the basis of the liposomes formulators use to carry actives.
Caprylyl Glycol preservative booster: Caprylyl Glycol is a glycol that conditions skin and, more importantly, strengthens a preservative system so less of the traditional preservative is needed. It appears in most modern formulas built without parabens.
Sodium Phosphate pH adjuster: Sodium Phosphate is a buffer salt. It holds a formula at a steady pH so its actives stay in the form they work in.
Trehalose humectant: Trehalose is a sugar that some desert plants use to survive drying out. In skincare it is a humectant that holds water in the outer layer and helps a formula feel comfortable rather than tight.
Bht antioxidant: BHT is a synthetic antioxidant used in traces to stop the oils in a formula going rancid. It protects the product, not the skin.
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 peptide: Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 is a six-amino-acid peptide used for the look of expression lines, particularly around the eyes. It is the peptide sold under the name Argireline and is water soluble and stable.
Propolis Extract plant extract: Propolis is the resin bees collect from tree buds and use to seal the hive. It is rich in flavonoids, carries a warm amber colour and scent, and is used for the look of dull, stressed skin. It is a bee product, so it is worth knowing about if you react to those.
Madecassoside active: Madecassoside is the centella triterpene most associated with the look of redness, and the one brands lead with in cica products. It is water soluble and stable, so it appears in essences as readily as in creams.
Asiaticoside active: Asiaticoside is one of the four active triterpenes isolated from centella and the most studied of them. Korean formulas name it separately when they want to show which fraction of the plant they standardised.
Asiatic Acid active: Asiatic Acid is the third of centella's four triterpenes and the aglycone form, meaning it has no attached sugar. It is oil soluble, so it turns up in cica creams and balms more than in watery layers.
Madecassic Acid active: Madecassic Acid is the fourth centella triterpene. A list that names all four is telling you the extract was standardised rather than simply pressed, which is the difference between a cica claim and a cica formula.
Bha exfoliant: BHA is short for beta hydroxy acid, which on a Korean list almost always means salicylic acid or one of its salts. It is the oil-soluble exfoliant class, the one that can work inside a pore.
Sh-Oligopeptide-1 peptide: sh-Oligopeptide-1 is a peptide made by yeast fermentation rather than synthesis, which is what the sh prefix records. It is used for the look of firmness and skin recovery after irritation.
Sh-Polypeptide-1 peptide: sh-Polypeptide-1 is a longer fermentation-produced peptide. It is used in formulas built around the look of resilience and recovery.
Disodium Edta chelator: EDTA is a chelator: it locks up trace metal ions from water and packaging that would otherwise turn a formula cloudy, off-colour or rancid. It does nothing to skin and appears at a fraction of a percent.
Fragrance fragrance: Fragrance, or Parfum, is a single declaration standing for a whole scent blend, which can be dozens of materials. Regulators allow it as a trade secret, so a list showing only this word does not say what the scent is made of. It is the most common trigger named by people with reactive skin.

How to use

Cleanse and tone first so the skin is clean and slightly damp, not dripping wet.
Dispense a few drops of Cica Reti-A Essence 0.5 into the palm or fingertips and press it over the face and neck.
Pat gently until it is absorbed rather than rubbing it in.
Follow with a moisturizer or cream within a minute or two to seal the hydration in.

Worth knowing

Patch test on the inner arm before the first full-face application, as with any new ampoule.
Stop use and rinse if stinging, redness, or itching develops after application.

Complete the routine

This itemVT Cosmetics VT Cica Reti-A Essence 0.5 30ml$57.50
An as-needed step, in place of the prep layerVT Cica Collagen All In One 3step Mask 1.5g+24g+1.5g$12.50
The treatment step of this routineVT Reedle Shot 1000 15ml$102.50

Total for 3 items$172.50

Reviews

No reviews yet. Tell us how much you love the product!

Write a review

VT Cica Reti-A Essence 0.5 30ml

How it felt, how your skin took it, what you layer it with. Straight answers help the next person choose.

Read every customer review

We’re on gram!

Creators trying on authentic Korean skincare routines and products from us.

Watch on YouTube
Rating a shelf of Dr. Althea products one by one.
Jasmine Loo · YouTube
Watch on YouTube
Two hydrating serums side by side, IUNIK and Dr. Althea.
Kristin · YouTube
Watch on YouTube
A walk through the Dr. Althea serum lineup and who each one suits.
auraofmahmuda · YouTube
Watch on YouTube
A blunt first take on the Dr. Althea range.
Lexi Chang · YouTube
Watch on YouTube
A first look at the viral 345 Relief Cream before buying.
Shelley Nayak · YouTube
Watch on YouTube
A first try of the Dr. Althea serum on camera.
Hannah Ziad · YouTube

VT Cosmetics, Korean-market original

VT Cosmetics ampoule, 30 ml.

Verify your unit when it arrives

Korean-market stock with the original barcode and batch code intact, exactly as it left Korea.

On the unit itself

The Korean-market barcode, unaltered from the retail package.
The manufacturer’s batch code, exactly as the maker printed it.

정품Genuine article, Korean-market stock

What professionals say

What skin-care professionals say about skin care, quoted from the medical sources linked beside each.

Your skin barrier is basically your outer layer of the skin.
Melissa Piliang, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic
Pretty much every step of a Korean skin care routine is going to have some component of hydration.
Alok Vij, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic