Ingredient profile
- Japanese name
- 米発酵 / 酒粕 (Kome-hakko / Sake-kasu)
- Botanical / INCI
- Aspergillus/Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Extract Filtrate; Saccharomyces/Rice Bran Ferment Filtrate Extract
- Sustainability verification
Essential takeaways
- Fermented rice is rice and rice bran broken down by fermentation into filtrates rich in amino acids, peptides, and, from the bran fraction, ceramides.
- A yeast/rice fermentation filtrate has been studied in an 8-week topical study for the appearance of periorbital (eye-area) wrinkles (Yang 2025, studied alongside another active).
- Fermented rice draws on Japan's koji and sake-brewing traditions.
- It is a different ingredient from rice bran (komenuka): fermented rice is a water-based ferment, rice bran oil is a pressed oil.
Kome Hakko (Fermented Rice): What It Does for Your Skin
Kome hakko means fermented rice in Japanese. Through fermentation, rice is transformed into a more complex blend of amino acids, ceramides and other skin-conditioning compounds that help support hydration, the skin barrier and resilience.
At DAMDAM, fermentation brings together two things deeply rooted in Japan: rice and the knowledge of how time and microorganisms can transform an ingredient.
What is fermented rice?
Fermented rice is rice that has been transformed through microorganisms such as koji and yeast.
During fermentation, components in the grain are broken down and changed, creating amino acids and other skin-conditioning compounds that are different from those found in rice alone.
In skincare, fermented rice is valued for helping support moisture, softness and a healthy skin barrier.
What does fermented rice do for skin?
Fermented rice helps hydrate, condition and support the skin barrier. The fermentation process creates skin-supporting compounds including amino acids and ceramides.
Supports hydration
Helps skin hold onto moisture for a softer, more comfortable feel.
Supports the skin barrier
Fermented rice compounds help reinforce the skin's natural barrier and support moisture retention.
Helps keep skin smooth and resilient
Amino acids and other conditioning compounds help support smoother, more supple-looking skin.
Why is fermentation important in Japanese culture?
Fermentation has shaped Japanese food culture for centuries.
Koji and yeast are used to transform everyday ingredients into staples such as sake, miso and amazake. At the heart of many of these traditions is the same idea: given the right conditions and enough time, fermentation can unlock something new from a familiar ingredient.
DAMDAM brings that principle into skincare, combining Japan's long relationship with rice fermentation with modern biotechnology.
How does DAMDAM ferment rice?
DAMDAM works with different forms of fermented rice across its skincare.
One of our biofermented rice ingredients undergoes more than 1,000 hours of fermentation, a slow process that amplifies skin-supporting ceramides and amino acids.
DAMDAM also uses fermented rice bran, created by fermenting the nutrient-rich outer layer of the rice grain.
Each process creates a different ingredient, but they share the same purpose: transforming rice into skin-conditioning compounds that support hydration, the barrier and resilience.
Rice bran oil vs fermented rice: what is the difference?
They both begin with rice, but they are very different ingredients.
Rice bran oil is pressed from the bran of the grain and is rich in nourishing lipids. It is mainly used to soften, condition and support moisture.
Fermented rice is transformed through microorganisms, creating amino acids, ceramides and other skin-conditioning compounds.
DAMDAM uses both because each transformation of rice offers different benefits for the skin.
Why DAMDAM uses fermented rice
Rice is one of DAMDAM's hero ingredients, but we believe its potential goes far beyond the grain itself.
Fermentation allows us to take an ingredient with centuries of history in Japan and advance it through modern biotechnology.
By working with time, microorganisms and different parts of the rice grain, we create ingredients designed to support the qualities we value in healthy-looking skin: hydration, resilience and a strong moisture barrier.
Find fermented rice in DAMDAM
Ume Plum Firming Serum
A firming serum powered by Nanko Ume and a Dual Rice Ferment System.
Fermented rice bran helps support moisture retention, barrier function and smoother, more resilient-looking skin, complementing the serum's anti-glycation approach.
Best for: Firmness · Barrier support · Hydration · Resilience
Ginkgo Bouncy Water Cream
A lightweight moisturizer featuring DAMDAM's 1,000+ hour biofermented rice, rich in skin-supporting amino acids and ceramides.
It helps support hydration and resilience while contributing to the soft, bouncy finish DAMDAM associates with mochi skin.
Best for: Lightweight hydration · Barrier support · Bouncy, supple skin