SKIN1004 Centella Soothing Cream review: vs the Centella Cream
Updated October 22, 2026
Buy the SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Soothing Cream if you want a light, fragrance-free gel moisturizer for oily, combination or easily irritated skin. Buy the Madagascar Centella Cream instead if your skin runs dry and you want a richer cream with plant oils, shea butter and squalane, and you don't mind lavender and orange oil in the formula.
Both come in 30 ml and 75 ml, and the 75 ml size of each costs $10.99 at Sleepy Hello, checked October 2026. So the choice is about texture and ingredients, not price. The names are close enough that people order one expecting the other, but the two formulas are built on different bases and do different jobs.
This is a researched comparison of current SKIN1004 product information on our US product pages, checked October 2026. We haven't worn or tested either cream; texture descriptions are the brand's, and the buying advice comes from comparing formulas, directions, sizes and prices.
What you're buying in the Centella Soothing Cream
The is a gel moisturizer meant to be the last step of your skincare. SKIN1004 describes it as a translucent, light-brown jelly gel that glides on, absorbs quickly and leaves a lightweight, non-sticky finish with a cooling sensation.
The ingredient list starts with water, glycerin, propanediol, cyclomethicone and dipropylene glycol. Glycerin is a humectant, meaning it draws water into the top layer of skin. Cyclomethicone is a volatile silicone: it gives slip while you spread it and then largely evaporates, which is part of why gel moisturizers like this feel light. Next come Centella asiatica flower/leaf/stem extract, 1,2-hexanediol, trehalose and caprylyl methicone, a second silicone.
Two amounts are printed on the product page: 22,124 ppm of Centella asiatica extract and 10,000 ppm of trehalose. Parts per million convert simply, since 10,000 ppm is 1%. That puts the centella extract at about 2.2% of the formula and trehalose, a sugar that helps skin hold on to water, at 1%.
Further down the list are sodium hyaluronate, beta-glucan, dipotassium glycyrrhizate (a licorice-root derivative), tranexamic acid, five ceramides including ceramide NP, AP and EOP, cholesterol and phytosphingosine. Ceramides and cholesterol are lipids your skin barrier already uses, which is why SKIN1004 talks about barrier support. Tranexamic acid often shows up in tone-evening products, but SKIN1004 doesn't publish its amount here or make a brightening claim for this cream.
What the list leaves out matters just as much. There are no plant oils, no butters and no squalane. The cushion comes from silicones, gel thickeners, humectants and the ceramide blend rather than from oils.
The 30 ml Centella Soothing Cream shows the same ingredient list as the 75 ml, so the smaller size is the same product at $4.89, checked October 2026.
What is the difference between SKIN1004 Centella Soothing Cream and Centella Cream?
The Soothing Cream is a water-and-silicone jelly gel with no oils and no fragrance ingredients, while the Centella Cream is an emollient cream built on an ester, plant oils, shea butter and squalane, with lavender and orange oil later in the list. Same brand and same centella theme, but one is for skin that wants less and the other for skin that wants more.
The SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Cream, 75 ml starts with water, cetyl ethylhexanoate, glycerin, pentylene glycol, hydrogenated lecithin, niacinamide, macadamia seed oil, shea butter, meadowfoam seed oil and squalane. Cetyl ethylhexanoate is an emollient ester, an oil-like ingredient that softens skin and adds slip. Those first ten slots are where the richer feel comes from. Further down sit panthenol (listed at 1,500 ppm, or 0.15%), trehalose, betaine, adenosine, olive fruit oil, ceramide NP, sodium hyaluronate, and linoleic and linolenic acids.
SKIN1004 describes the Centella Cream's texture as smooth and "rich yet lightweight," from an oil-in-water-gel base that leaves a soft, hydrated finish. Our product page calls it the richer cream-texture option next to the jelly-gel Soothing Cream.
The centella is handled differently too. The Soothing Cream lists 22,124 ppm of centella extract. The Centella Cream lists only 150 ppm of extract, then adds four isolated centella compounds, madecassoside, asiaticoside, madecassic acid and asiatic acid, which SKIN1004 groups under the name TECA. Those four compounds have no printed amounts, so the ppm figures can't tell you which cream has more centella overall. We wouldn't choose on that number.
The other differences, in plain terms:
Niacinamide (vitamin B3) is only in the Centella Cream. SKIN1004 doesn't publish its percentage.
Tranexamic acid, beta-glucan and the five-ceramide blend with cholesterol are only in the Soothing Cream. The Centella Cream's list names one ceramide, ceramide NP.
Plant oils, shea butter and squalane are only in the Centella Cream.
Silicones are only in the Soothing Cream.
Fragrance components (lavender oil, orange oil, hexyl cinnamal and linalool) are only in the Centella Cream.
Skin types: the Soothing Cream is listed for normal, sensitive and dry skin, with a note that normal-to-oily skin can use it depending on texture preference. The Centella Cream is recommended for normal and sensitive-looking skin.
Is SKIN1004 Centella Soothing Cream good for oily skin?
Of these two, yes: the Soothing Cream is the one we'd point oily and combination skin toward, because its formula has no plant oils or butters and SKIN1004 describes a quick-absorbing, non-sticky finish. The product page also says normal-to-oily skin can use it according to skin condition and texture preference.
There are two limits to keep in mind. SKIN1004 doesn't publish a non-comedogenic claim for either cream, so reading the formula is the best guide available, not a promise about breakouts. And a light gel is still a moisturizer: on very oily skin in summer, a thin layer may be plenty, with a little extra only where you feel tight.
For combination skin, the Soothing Cream all over is the simple answer. If your cheeks still feel tight by evening, use the Centella Cream on just those areas at night instead of layering both over your whole face.
Dry skin is where the Soothing Cream may fall short, even though the 75 ml page lists dry skin among its suited types. It relies on humectants, silicones and ceramides rather than oils and butters, so it may feel too light on very dry skin in winter. The Centella Cream's oils, shea butter and squalane are the better match for that job.
Is SKIN1004 Centella Soothing Cream fragrance-free?
Yes. Our product page describes it as fragrance-free, and its ingredient list includes no fragrance (parfum), no essential oils and no fragrance components such as linalool. It does include ginger root extract and peppermint leaf extract. SKIN1004 doesn't say what creates the cooling sensation it describes, and it doesn't present these extracts as scent ingredients, but if you already know peppermint bothers your skin, they're worth spotting.
The Centella Cream is not fragrance-free. Its ingredient list includes lavender oil and orange oil, plus hexyl cinnamal and linalool, which are fragrance components. The product page says the cream has a natural aroma. If you avoid essential oils, that settles the choice for you.
Neither list includes denatured alcohol or ethanol. The Soothing Cream does contain cetearyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol used to thicken and soften formulas, which is a different ingredient from the drying kind.
How do you use the SKIN1004 Centella Soothing Cream?
Use it as the last step of your skincare, morning or night: after toner and serum, smooth an appropriate amount over your face, massage gently, then press it in with both palms and leave it on. The 75 ml listing adds the neck. SKIN1004 doesn't specify an amount, so start with a thin, even layer and add a little more on drier areas.
A simple order using SKIN1004's own ampoule looks like this:
The Centella Soothing Cream, or the Centella Cream if your skin is dry.
Sunscreen in the morning, after your moisturizer.
The Centella Cream's directions are the same: apply an appropriate amount as the last step and pat gently with both palms until absorbed. Because either cream is the final layer, you don't need another moisturizer on top, and the Soothing Cream's product page FAQ says as much.
If you're changing several products at once, start the cream on its own first. That way you can tell how your skin responds to it rather than guessing which new step made the difference.
Which size is better value, 30ml or 75ml?
The 75 ml size is cheaper per ml for both creams, though the saving on the Soothing Cream is small. Here are the Sleepy Hello prices, checked October 2026:
Centella Soothing Cream, 30 ml: $4.89, about 16 cents per ml.
Centella Soothing Cream, 75 ml: $10.99, about 15 cents per ml.
Centella Cream, 30 ml: $5.59, about 19 cents per ml.
Centella Cream, 75 ml: $10.99, about 15 cents per ml.
Our take: the 30 ml Soothing Cream is a low-cost way to find out whether a jelly-gel texture suits you, and it costs less than half the price of the 75 ml. Once you know you'll finish it, the 75 ml is the better buy, by about 11% per ml. The gap is wider for the Centella Cream, where the 30 ml costs roughly a quarter more per ml, so if you already know you want the richer cream, go straight to 75 ml.
The ingredient lists match across sizes for each cream, so you aren't trading formula for price. The 30 ml is also the easier size for travel or for keeping one of each cream on hand for different seasons.
Is the SKIN1004 Centella Soothing Cream a gel or a cream?
It's a gel moisturizer despite the name. SKIN1004 describes a jelly-gel texture, and the product page FAQ calls it a moisturizing gel cream for the final step of your routine.
Does the Centella Soothing Cream contain niacinamide?
No. Niacinamide is in the Centella Cream. The Soothing Cream's notable extras are tranexamic acid, beta-glucan and a ceramide and cholesterol blend.
Does the Centella Soothing Cream contain silicones?
Yes. Cyclomethicone, caprylyl methicone and a dimethicone crosspolymer are in the list, and they account for much of the slip and light finish. The Centella Cream's list has no silicones, if that matters to you.
Is the SKIN1004 Centella Cream good for sensitive skin?
SKIN1004 recommends it for normal and sensitive-looking skin, but its ingredient list includes lavender oil, orange oil, hexyl cinnamal and linalool. If fragrance is what sets your skin off, the Soothing Cream is the more cautious pick of the two.
Can you use both SKIN1004 centella creams?
Yes, in different places or at different times: the Soothing Cream in the morning or over oily areas, the Centella Cream at night or on dry patches. Layering both over your whole face cancels out the reason to choose the light one.
Which SKIN1004 cream goes with the Centella Ampoule?
Either. The ampoule's directions say to follow with moisturizer, so pair it with the Soothing Cream if you're oily or combination and with the Centella Cream if you're dry.
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