Sali Hughes on beauty: why cica creams belong in every first-aid kit

More than mere beauty products, these rich, multipurpose emollients are perfect for soothing and comforting sore skin

If you were to open the smallest cupboard in my kitchen, you’d find some Elastoplast, paper-wrapped wound dressings, sterile latex gloves, surgical tape and some La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume (£11). I could name a good handful of consultant dermatologists who would probably say the same.

Some cosmetic creams are more – at least in practice – than mere beauty products, and no home should be without them. A rich, no frills, multipurpose emollient is essential family kit to support the soothing and healing of scalds, grazes, rashes and any other signs of vexed skin. And what the best ones generally have in common is the inclusion of cica, AKA Centella asiatica or (as it’s known in much South Korean skincare) tiger grass. This wild plant is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and is known for its skin-calming benefits and ability to support a skin barrier compromised by illness, everyday injury and lifestyle.