Cited skincare — every flag names its source, no upsell.Ri
Rice Water
Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract · Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran WaterHydrator
Strained rice water or rice extract, sold for brightening and smoothing. Those claims lack studies in people.
What it does
It’s usually the strained water from cooked or fermented rice, sometimes dried into an extract. It’s sold for brightening and smoothing, but studies in people haven’t tested rice water itself. The closest used a rice-starch bath, which helped damaged skin recover, and a cream of ferulic acid, a compound from rice bran.
The EU’s ingredient database lists it as a skin conditioner, its general term for an ingredient that keeps skin in good condition.European Commission, CosIng (© European Union, CC BY 4.0) · uses put in plain words by Drop ↗
The evidence, graded
expert consensusUS safety reviewers (2006) assessed 14 rice ingredients, rice extract (made from the grains), rice bran wax and hydrolyzed rice protein among them. In people, rice oils, fatty acids and waxes were at most mildly irritating. Rare cases of allergy to raw rice exist, but rice is generally considered not to cause allergy. They judged these ingredients safe as used, with pesticides and heavy metals kept no higher than current levels.Cosmetic 2006 · International Journal of Toxicology ↗ Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
Also known as
rice ferment, rice extract water
Browse all 1238 ingredients — grouped by what they do, each with whatever evidence we can cite.
This page is public so a shared ingredient card always has its sources behind it — and so you can check them without an account.
Want more like this?
Every evidence-based flag cites its source, Drop tells you when your routine is complete, and it helps you simplify — instead of selling you more. The app launches on iOS and Android in October 2026. Rate my routine works today at /rate — no sign-in.