What Rice Bran Oil Does for Your Skin

Rice has been part of Japanese beauty rituals for more than a thousand years. But the grain has more to offer than what we see at the table.

One of its most useful parts for skin is komenuka, or rice bran, the nutrient-rich outer layer removed when rice is milled. Its oil is naturally rich in skin-conditioning lipids and antioxidant compounds, making it particularly suited to formulas designed to leave skin soft, comfortable and luminous.

At DAMDAM, rice bran oil appears in two very different rituals: cleansing with Silk Rice Cleansing Oil and nourishing with Rice Drops Balancing Oil Serum.

Same ingredient, different purpose.

What is rice bran oil?

Rice bran oil comes from komenuka, the outer bran layer of the rice grain.

Naturally rich in fatty acids and antioxidant compounds including Vitamin E and γ-oryzanol, rice bran oil has a lightweight feel that makes it particularly versatile in skincare.

DAMDAM uses rice bran as part of a wider approach to Japanese rice. Rather than treating rice as one ingredient, we work with different parts and transformations of the grain, from rice bran oil and rice-derived phytic acid to fermented rice bran and slow-fermented rice.

Each has a different role.

What does rice bran oil do for skin?

Rice bran oil is primarily valued for its ability to condition skin and support moisture, softness and luminosity.

It helps keep skin soft and moisturized

Rice bran oil contains skin-conditioning lipids that help leave skin feeling supple and comfortable.

This makes it useful in both leave-on skincare and cleansing formulas, where maintaining softness after cleansing matters as much as removing what is on the skin.

It contains antioxidant compounds

Rice bran oil contains γ-oryzanol and forms of Vitamin E, including tocopherols and tocotrienols.

These antioxidant compounds help address oxidative stress, which is why DAMDAM considers rice bran more than simply a carrier oil.

It supports a smooth, luminous finish

DAMDAM’s approach to rice bran centers on moisture, softness and luminosity.

In Silk Rice Cleansing Oil, it helps create a cleansing experience that leaves skin feeling nourished rather than tight or stripped. In Rice Drops Balancing Oil Serum, it becomes part of a lightweight oil blend designed to replenish dry or sensitized skin.

Why has rice been used in Japanese beauty rituals?

Rice has a long relationship with beauty in Japan.

As early as the Heian period, rice-rinsing water was used in beauty rituals. By the Edo period, rice bran was placed inside small cloth bags known as nukabukuro and used to cleanse and polish the face and body.

DAMDAM carries that relationship with rice into modern formulation, using different parts of the grain according to what they can do for skin.

The connection is not about recreating an old ritual exactly as it was. It is about understanding an ingredient that has been used for generations, then formulating it with greater precision for modern skin.

How does DAMDAM use rice bran oil?

Rice bran oil appears in two DAMDAM formulas with very different purposes.

Silk Rice Cleansing Oil

Silk Rice Cleansing Oil uses Japanese rice bran oil to dissolve waterproof makeup, SPF, sebum and daily buildup while supporting the skin’s moisture barrier.

Apply the oil to completely dry skin first. Once water is added, the formula transforms into a soft, milky emulsion that rinses away cleanly.

The formula also contains Vitamin E and sunflower seed oil and is designed for all skin types, particularly dry and sensitive skin.

In a DAMDAM consumer-perception study of 69 participants after two weeks of daily use, 91% reported softer, smoother skin.

ELLE named Silk Rice Cleansing Oil its Best Cleansing Oil for Waterproof Makeup in its 2024 tested roundup of cleansing oils.

Rice Drops Balancing Oil Serum

Rice Drops Balancing Oil Serum uses rice bran oil in a different way: as part of a lightweight facial oil designed to nourish and support the skin barrier.

Rice bran oil is blended with plant oils including olive, avocado, jojoba and sunflower seed oils in a formula that feels rich in nourishment without a heavy finish.

It is particularly suited to dry, dehydrated or sensitized skin and can be used morning or night.

Massage 3 to 5 drops onto freshly cleansed, slightly damp skin, or mix 1 to 2 drops into your moisturizer when skin needs additional nourishment.

Is rice bran oil the same as fermented rice?

No. They come from the same grain, but they are not the same skincare ingredient.

Rice bran oil comes from the bran layer of the rice grain. It is lipid-rich and used by DAMDAM to support moisture, softness and luminosity.

Fermented rice bran is created through fermentation. DAMDAM ferments rice bran with yeast to create a bioactive filtrate studied for its ability to support hydration, barrier integrity and skin renewal. This form appears in Ume Plum Firming Serum.

Biofermented rice is another distinct ingredient. DAMDAM ferments rice for more than 1,000 hours to amplify skin-supporting ceramides and amino acids. This form is used in Ginkgo Bouncy Water Cream.

One grain can therefore become several very different skincare ingredients depending on which part is used and how it is processed.

Rice bran oil vs fermented rice: which is better for skin?

They are designed to do different jobs, so one is not inherently better than the other.

Rice bran oil is useful when a formula needs lipid-rich conditioning, softness and nourishment.

DAMDAM’s fermented forms of rice are used differently, with fermentation transforming the grain into skin-conditioning components that support hydration, barrier health, resilience and renewal depending on the specific ferment.

This is part of DAMDAM’s approach to precision formulation: considering which form of an ingredient delivers the skin benefit we want to achieve.

Is rice bran oil good for dry or sensitive skin?

Rice bran oil can work particularly well within formulas designed for dry or sensitive skin.

Both Silk Rice Cleansing Oil and Rice Drops Balancing Oil Serum are formulated for all skin types and are particularly suited to dry and sensitive skin.

The role of the finished formula matters, however. Silk Rice is a rinse-off cleansing oil designed to remove makeup and SPF without unnecessarily stripping the skin, while Rice Drops is a leave-on oil serum designed to nourish and support the moisture barrier.

Is rice bran oil good for oily skin?

Having oily skin does not automatically mean avoiding facial oils.

DAMDAM describes rice bran oil as lightweight, and its training materials identify rice bran as non-comedogenic. Silk Rice Cleansing Oil is formulated for all skin types and emulsifies with water so that the cleansing oils rinse away rather than remaining as a heavy layer on the skin.

Rice Drops Balancing Oil Serum is also formulated without clogging pores, although the richer leave-on format may appeal most to skin experiencing dryness, dehydration or sensitivity.

The more useful question is not simply whether an ingredient is an oil, but how that oil is formulated and what role the finished product is designed to perform.