The Korean Face Cream That Broke the Internet

I first came across the Centellian 24 Madeca Cream Time Reverse on a trip to Seoul in January 2025. Dermatology-derived creams, originally developed for medical or post-procedure recovery sold in pharmacy shops, were just starting its quiet rise there. Friends told me about the latest trend and told me to look up certain products online. And once I started looking online, the Madeca Cream Time Reverse kept showing up, how it was made by the pharmaceutical company that was famous for making Madeca-sol, a Neosporin-type of ointment that lived in every household in Korea for healing small scratches and cuts. So I went ahead and ordered a tube to try for myself. I figured, at this price point, it’d be worth just trying it out even if it ends up not being worth it. 

My skin had gotten quite dry and tired from my travels and busy schedule meeting up with friends and old colleagues, going out every day in the cold weather. A few days in, using the cream, I could see the noticeable difference and got super excited. So I ordered another few extra tubes for myself and one for Silna to try too. I knew we were in on something special.

We added the Centellian 24 line to Mask Marie last fall, Time Reverse included. Silna had begun hearing about the cream herself and was excited to try it. And she had the same response I did. Ten months later, it’s our most repurchased product at Mask Marie, and it’s since picked up a wave of attention well beyond Korea. 

If you’re skeptical of viral skincare, fair enough. We wanted to look closer at what’s actually in this one, so you can decide for yourself whether it holds up.

The Formula, Plainly

Centellian 24 built its reputation on pharmaceutical-grade Centella Asiatica research, and that lineage is legible in this formula. At its center is TECA, a refined Centella (also known as cica) complex that supports a calmer, more even-looking complexion over time, joined by niacinamide for tone and ceramide NP for the skin barrier's moisture retention.

The Time Reverse cream distinguishes itself from the regular Madeca Cream in two further additions: a gentle formulation of retinol, and Sodium DNA, a PDRN-derived ingredient that supports the appearance of firmer, more resilient skin, though at a lighter concentration than our dedicated PDRN products like those from Rejuran. This cream’s formula is calibrated for daily maintenance rather than intensive repair.

The name isn't incidental, either. "Time Reverse" is a deliberate claim about what this formula is built to visibly soften — the look of fine lines, the loss of firmness, the dullness that reads as tired rather than rested, and it's the reason retinol earned a place in this version when the original Madeca Cream didn't.

On the Retinol

Worth stating plainly, since most product pages leave it out: this cream contains retinol. It's formulated gently, buffered by centella and panthenol, which is why it's positioned for daily rather than every-other-night use. If you're new to retinol, we'd still suggest easing in over the first week or two. Not because this formula is harsh (it’s not!), but because that's simply good practice with any retinol, regardless of how it's marketed.

What Actually Convinced Us

We could point to what this cream claims to target — fine lines, firmness, dullness — and much of the moisturizing creams available in the market claims the same. What persuaded us was quieter than that: watching our own skin improve gently, not to mention our own sales and reorder data, month after month, and finding this at the top of it, by a distance nothing else has closed. I still reach for it daily. So do the customers who bought it once and never went looking for anything else.

Shop Madeca Cream Time Reverse in the size that fits your routine — a single tube, a two-pack for less per use, or one of our exclusive Time Reverse Repair Sets, bundled with the Madeca masks at a genuine value for anyone ready to making this cream a steady member of your skincare routine.