By Wishtrend TECA 1% Barrier Cream — Review

According to Wishtrend, TECA (otherwise known as titrated extract centella asiatica) 1% cream is a cream that creates a protective barrier in order to retain moisture and any active ingredients you apply to the affected area. It also strengthens and calms the skin, making it the perfect post pimple popping ointment. 

Now, if you don’t know anything about TECA (like I did) know that it is a mixture of the four compounds (asiatic acid, madecassic acid, asiaticoside and madecassoside — note that madecassoside is omitted from the ingredients list below) that comprise the popular ingredient, centella asiatica. Centella asiatica is a wound healing ingredient common to tropical regions that blew up in popularity in Korea last year. 

This popular ingredient also contains vitamins C, A, B1, B2, B3, and carotene. These ingredients contribute to its high antioxidant level that helps brighten skin and fight against premature aging. Among the big four active ingredients mentioned earlier, madecassic acid is great for acne-prone skin since it helps reduce inflammation and redness. 

It comes in this slick, metallic teal tube with a white c
ap. It’s pretty sturdy, so I don’t have to worry about it cracking and product leaking, but the cap cracked in my backpack. It’s not a crack to be concerned with, thankfully! This makes it perfect to tote around whenever you feel the need to touch up. (Did you know you can use this product up to three times?)

On a different note, this teal colour is speaking to me and I’m loving it! I hope to see more of this product in the picture.

Well, here it comes! Actually, you were already expecting it since I opened this post: I didn’t like this product. I didn’t see much of a difference when I used it for both post squeezing a pimple and not squeezing one. I honestly tried and tried again for about two weeks, but nothing happened. So I went without this tube for a couple of weeks until last week.

Last week, a few days before my best friend’s wedding, I decided to get my upper lip waxed. I have never had a negative experience with the ladies and gents at the nail shop in the mall until last week. This gent went HAM on me: he used a thick layer of wax and created a handlebar mustache on my face before applying the fabric and ripping it off. He managed to tear skin off under my nostrils (I was bleeding all evening) as well as in my cupid’s bow. I typically reach for aloe vera to calm anything down on my skin, but I didn’t have it with me during my day trip into the city. What I did have was Vaseline, so I popped that on zealously. When I finally got home, I decided to use TECA religiously and I can say that it reduced any sort of mess that could have potentially happened. I had a little scab in the cupid’s bow in the shape of a line that was barely noticeable but, aside from that, no scabs! (I just checked in the mirror and I have no scabs whatsoever, just normal skin.)

So, do I think this works? I’d have to say I’m partial to the idea of it working. About a month ago, I started using pure centella asiatica (the one by Skin 1004) all over my face and neck), so I don’t know if that changed the game for me. When I first tried TECA, it was by itself and I wasn’t using the Skin 1004, so, again, I don’t know if this was the game changer. All in all, I guess I would give this a

3.5/5 stars

because I really like the packaging since I’ve had issues with tubes getting punctured and leaking in my purse — that and the colour is speaking to me on some sort of zen/spiritual level. 

I had to knock off a few points because I didn’t feel like it really worked but maybe just a little bit? I dunno. I’m conflicted here. It’s supposed to be for post acne recovery, but I didn’t notice anything when I used it for that purpose. I did notice a difference for when I used it for post waxing/tearing off my skin recovery along with Skin 1004′s centella asiatica ampoule. When I used it for that, though, it stung like a MOFO, but that’s probably because my skin was sensitive after (what felt like) a layer was torn off.