SKIN1004 Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum and the Cica Family

In 1942, a French chemist named Bontemps isolated asiaticoside from centella grown in Madagascar. It was the compound later sold as Madecassol, and the plant it came from was the clue: per an ethnopharmacology paper by Emboden, the same compound could not be extracted from Ceylonese plants. Later work by Boiteau and colleagues in 1949 looked at its use against leprosy. So a weed from a tropical island ended up in a French laboratory. Every jar of cica on your shelf descends from that one awkward, very specific result.

SKIN1004 is the Korean brand that built its name on that plant. It calls itself an award-winning hypoallergenic and natural skincare brand, and the "1004" is a pun, because the number sounds like the Korean word for angel. The brand says its centella is grown in Madagascar at 700 metres and harvested with clean hands and tools, never blades. Third-party sources disagree on when the company was founded, so I will leave the date out. What I can say is that the SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum is the product that made the brand a sunscreen name too.

The trick is knowing which one you are buying. The sun serum in this grid is the US version, sold as Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum UV at SPF 50, with avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate and octocrylene as the filters. The international tube is a different formula, with SPF50+ PA++++ on the front, and the brand notes that it updates its ingredient list regularly. The US one is described as airy and serum-like, with no white cast.

Around it, the Hyalu-Cica First Ampoule and the Moisture Cream belong underneath, and the Brightening Toner, Jelly-Fit Ampoule Pads and Gentle Cleansing Milk fill out a routine. The Air-Fit Suncream Light and Plus are the lotion-style alternatives to the serum.

Sunscreen lives or dies by how much you are willing to put on, so pick the texture you will actually use. Swatch a line on your jaw and wait a minute before you judge it.

The Korean sunscreens here cover three formats. ma:nyo's Air Light Moisturizing Sunscreen SPF 50 is the light cream, Round Lab's Birch Juice Moisturizing UV Lock Korean Sunscreen is the hydrating one, and Mixsoon's Bean Sunscreen SPF 50 Deep Hydration Facial Moisturizer is a moisturiser and sunscreen in one, going by the name. make p:rem's Matte Airy-Fit Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 has a soft matte finish, and numbuzin's No.9 NAD+BIO Super Defense Glow Sunscreen is the glowy one.

Purito Seoul's Sun Day Adventure Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50 is the outdoor one. Dr. Jart+'s Every Sun Day Fluid Korean Sunscreen SPF 50+ is the fluid. Abib's Airy Sunstick Protection Bar SPF50+ is the one I keep in a bag, because a stick is the easiest thing to reapply over makeup at lunchtime.

A pairing I like: the sun serum in the morning, the Abib stick in the bag for midday. Two formats, one habit. Apply it as the last skincare step on skin that will see daylight, and follow the brand's advice to reapply every two or three hours.

What I would skip: a sunstick as your only layer for a full day outdoors. It is a top-up, not a base.

Put sunscreen on in front of a window, in daylight, before you leave the bathroom. Artificial light forgives a white cast that daylight will not.

The Western row leans towards invisible finishes. Supergoop's Unseen Sunscreen SPF 50 is the famous one, and the brand's Glowscreen SPF 40 is its radiant sibling, good under a bare face. Shiseido's Urban Environment Fresh-Moisture Sunscreen SPF 40 is the quiet, well-mannered option. Dior's Invisible UV Fluid Hydrating Face Sunscreen makes the same promise in a more formal bottle.

Youth To The People's Youthscreen Daily Hydration Invisible Sunscreen SPF 60 is the skincare-minded choice, Lesse's Every Tone SPF 30 is named for every skin tone, and Summer Fridays' ShadeDrops SPF 50 Daily Mineral Milk Sunscreen is the mineral one. Saie's Sunvisor Radiant Moisturizing Face Sunscreen SPF 35 is for those who want a little glow.

I would hand the Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen to anyone who hates feeling sunscreen on their face. The Shiseido is the one for anyone who wants it to behave like a moisturiser, light and non-greasy.

What I would skip: a mineral SPF if you are in a rush and do not want to blend. Give it a minute, or choose a fluid.

Patch-test a cica cream on your jawline before it goes all over your face. Centella has a reputation for being gentle, which is exactly when people skip the test.

The centella family is large, and this row shows the range. Erborian's Centella Barrier Cream Cica Repair Balm is the rich one, made to strengthen the skin barrier and soothe, going by the name. LANEIGE's Cica Sleeping Mask is the overnight treat. Avène's Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream is the restorative one.

Beauty of Joseon's Revive Serum: Ginseng + Centella is the serum in the row. Purito Seoul's Wonder Releaf Centella Toner Unscented and ma:nyo's Our Vegan Heartleaf Cica Toner are for the step after cleansing, and ma:nyo's Our Vegan Heartleaf 98 Cica Serum sits above that. Torriden's BALANCEFUL 5D Cica Complex AHA Pore Refining Toner is the one for pores and texture.

Think of these as the evening half of the day. Sunscreen does the protecting, and the centella goes on after you wash it off, when skin wants soothing.

What I would skip: expecting centella to do the sunscreen's job. The filters in the sun serum do that, and the plant is the extra.

For most people, the sun serum is the one to try first, as long as you check which version you are buying: the US SPF 50 one, or the international SPF50+ PA++++ one. I put sunscreen on last in the morning and top it up through the day, and I keep the filters and the plant as separate jobs in my head.

Then let the rest of the centella family work the night shift. A French chemist pulled something useful out of a Madagascar plant in 1942. You only have to remember to reapply, which is a smaller ask than it sounds. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Madeca Cream, the Korean Centella Tube That Finally Reached US Shelves and The Ordinary Soothing & Barrier Support Serum Gets Its Pink From a Vitamin.