What are the benefits of rice water for the skin?

For generations, rice water has been one of those simple little rituals passed down to gently care for the skin. Easy to prepare and pleasant to use, it is often appreciated for the sensation of comfort and suppleness it leaves after application, like a light veil of hydration. This reputation could be explained by its natural richness in polysaccharides, amino acids and B-group vitamins, compounds known to help the skin better retain water and preserve its balance.

However, independent scientific data directly assessing its moisturising effect remain scarce. In a study conducted on twenty volunteers, a rice water hydrogel was applied to the forearm for 28 days, while a placebo formulation was used on the other forearm and an untreated control site received no application. After four weeks, skin hydration measured in the area treated with the rice water hydrogel was approximately 10% higher compared to the placebo and the control, a modest improvement but one that suggests a potential moisturising effect.

Although these results remain modest and call for further research, they suggest that rice water could contribute to slightly improving skin hydration.

Rice water is also acclaimed for its potential effects on the visible signs of skin ageing, notably wrinkles, loss of elasticity and skin sagging. These phenomena are largely linked to oxidative stress, meaning the accumulation of free radicals capable of damaging skin components. This oxidative stress particularly promotes the activation of enzymes such as elastase, which degrades elastin, one of the supporting proteins of the dermis. When elastin and, more broadly, the extracellular matrix deteriorate, the skin gradually loses firmness, contributing to the appearance of wrinkles and sagging.

An experimental study compared different rice waters according to their preparation method and showed that those obtained by boiling or from ground grains were the richest in antioxidant polyphenols (approximately 3.15 to 3.33 mg/L, compared with 0.23 mg/L for a whole‐grain preparation). In human keratinocytes exposed to chemical oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxide) or UV‐induced stress, boiled rice water was able to reduce reactive oxygen species production by approximately 80%, an effect similar to that of ascorbic acid used as a positive control.

Moreover, rice water appears capable of protecting elastin from degradation by elastase. Indeed, certain preparations have demonstrated a strong capacity to inhibit the activity of this enzyme, suggesting a protective effect of rice water on the extracellular matrix.

Taken together, these results suggest that rice water may help to limit certain biological mechanisms involved in skin ageing (oxidative stress and elastin degradation), although clinical studies are still needed to confirm these effects in humans.

Rice water, particularly when used in the form of tonic lotion, is often recommended for caring for sensitive or redness-prone skin. This reputation is based on the idea that it possesses soothing and anti-inflammatory properties capable of alleviating skin discomfort. To date, no independent clinical study has, however, clearly demonstrated these effects upon topical application. In contrast, several experimental studies, conducted in vitro or following ingestion, suggest an anti-inflammatory potential for rice water.

Studies on certain polyphenol-rich rice varieties have, for instance, shown a significant decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), indicating a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect. Furthermore, rice proteins appear capable of curbing inflammation by inhibiting the NF-κB signalling pathway, thereby reducing the production of inflammatory mediators such as TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in animal models. Other studies have also demonstrated that rice enriched with resveratrol could modulate the expression of pro-inflammatory genes and block key immune signalling pathways, notably NF-κB and MAPK, involved in the inflammatory response.

These experimental results are encouraging and suggest that rice water may be of potential benefit for skin prone to redness or inflammation. Nevertheless, clinical studies remain essential to confirm this.

Rice water is also often credited with a role in cellular regeneration and the support of skin healing. This concept is based on rice’s richness in antioxidant compounds, nutrients and molecules capable of modulating inflammation, all of which are mechanisms involved in tissue repair following injury.

Some experimental data support this notion. A study conducted on diabetic rats evaluated the effect of a gel containing fermented red rice (5% or 10%) on skin wound healing. The results show a faster wound contraction, accompanied by a reduction in oxidative stress (decreased malondialdehyde, increased superoxide dismutase and catalase) and reduced inflammation, with lower expression of NF-κB and TNF-α. The treatment also stimulated several important markers of tissue repair: increased hydroxyproline and expression of the collagen COL1A1, along with an increase in growth factors involved in angiogenesis and regeneration, such as PDGF-B, VEGF-A and TGF-β. Altogether, these mechanisms help accelerate the reconstruction of damaged skin tissue.

These results should, however, be interpreted with caution.

The study was carried out in animals and focused on fermented red rice incorporated into a gel, not on rice water applied directly to humans. To date, no clinical study has confirmed a healing effect of rice water on human skin. In practice, it should not be used on an open or deep wound: at best, it may serve as a gentle adjunct to support the repair of minor superficial irritations, without replacing appropriate medical care.

Rice water is also credited with a sanitising effect, capable of limiting the proliferation of certain micro-organisms on the surface of the skin or scalp. This hypothesis rests on the presence of bioactive compounds capable of inhibiting bacterial or fungal growth. An experimental study thus evaluated the antimicrobial activity of various rice waters derived from different varieties and preparation methods. The results show that certain rice waters — particularly those from rice brought to the boil or from specific varieties such as Kerala or Saffola rice — exhibit significant zones of inhibition against diarrhoea-causing bacteria, such as Salmonella and Shigella.

These observations suggest that rice water has antimicrobial potential, although this varies with the rice variety and the preparation method.

Rice water could therefore be of interest in addressing certain skin issues associated with microbial overgrowth, such as acne, where the bacterium Cutibacterium acnes contributes to inflammatory processes, or even seborrheic dermatitis, characterised by an increased presence of yeasts of the genus Malassezia. Nevertheless, this remains purely hypothetical as to date, no study has demonstrated an effect of rice water on these microorganisms, nor confirmed any clinical benefit in patients affected by these conditions. Further research would therefore be required to validate these traditionally cited uses of rice water.

To prepare rice water suitable for skin use, we recommend that you opt for rice produced by organic farming, in order to minimise exposure to pesticide residues or other contaminants. All types of rice can nevertheless be suitable — white, brown, basmati, Thai or round-grain — since the desired water-soluble compounds naturally diffuse into the water. After rinsing the rice carefully, several preparation methods exist: recovering the rice cooking water, soaking the raw rice in two to three volumes of water for around fifteen minutes, or fermenting this mixture for approximately forty-eight hours to enrich the solution with fermentation-derived metabolites.

In all cases, the water obtained must be filtered to remove solid particles and, when it comes from cooking, cooled before any application to the skin.

Once ready, rice water can simply be applied to clean skin using thoroughly washed hands, a cotton pad or a wipe, then left in contact for around ten minutes before rinsing with clear water. To preserve its microbiological quality, rice water should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container and used within no more than about five days. Beyond this, the risk of microbial growth increases. It is therefore preferable to prepare small quantities of rice water regularly rather than making a single large batch at once.

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• YANG L. & al. Rice protein exerts anti-inflammatory effect in growing and adult rats via suppressing NF-κB pathway. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2019).

• SANTHAKUMAR A. B. & al. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of pigmented rice consumption in an obese cohort. Food & Function (2019).

• GEDOAN D. & al. Characterization of natural face toner from rice-washed water. Jurnal Ilmiah Berkala: Sains dan Terapan Kimia (2022).

• BHATIA L. & al. Use of rice water in cosmetology: A review. International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology (2025).

• ABOUBAKR E. M. & al. Red yeast rice expedites wound healing in diabetic rats: Emphasis on its pro-collagen and angiogenic activities. Future Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (2025).