How to use fermented rice water on your face

Should you make fermented rice water at home?

Rice water is the starchy liquid produced by soaking or cooking rice. Leaving rice soaking for a day or longer is one way people ferment it, but that longer soak can add bacteria. Water containing cosmetics use antimicrobial preservatives to prevent bacterial or fungal growth. For a homemade facial batch, a safe fermentation time, dilution, storage period and frequency of use remain unsettled. Do not borrow a hair rinse's application time for your face.12

How to use a fermented rice facial product

1. 1Test the finished product first. Apply your usual amount to a spot about the size of a quarter on the underside of your arm or the bend of your elbow, twice daily for seven to 10 days.
2. 2Match the test to normal use. Leave a product intended to stay on in place; for a product intended to wash off, follow its stated contact time.
3. 3If the test area stays free of redness, itching and swelling, begin facial use following the product's label. For a mask, apply gently with your fingertips.
4. 4Use the label's frequency and contact time. Do not extend a mask session or use it more often to chase faster results.
5. 5After washing off a mask, apply moisturizer. Continue your usual cleansing and sun protection.

Testing helps predict a reaction, but an arm test can miss a reaction on thinner facial skin. Home testing also does not assess immediate allergies. Oral antihistamines, oral steroids, other medicines that affect the immune system, and steroid or calcineurin inhibitor creams on the test area can interfere with testing; ask your clinician how to interpret a test if these apply.5

Is fermented rice water good for your face?

Fermented rice ingredients have promising laboratory results, but benefits from homemade facial rice water remain uncertain. A fermented rice filtrate combined with a hyaluronic acid nanogel and electrically assisted delivery reduced glycation in cells and skin tissue outside the body. Glycation is the attachment of sugars to proteins, a process associated with skin stiffness and yellowing. That specialized combination is different from wiping fermented water onto your cheeks.6

Drinking koji amazake, a fermented rice beverage, helped maintain water content in the left cheek over eight weeks in healthy adults concerned about dryness. Water loss through the skin did not differ significantly from placebo. A rice drink belongs in a glass, not automatically in the toner category. There is no established timetable for visible results from homemade fermented rice water applied to the face.7

What should you avoid, and when should you stop?

For a fermented rice mask, avoid fragrance, essential oils and rubbing alcohol. If you already use retinol or exfoliating acids, avoid a mask that duplicates those active ingredients, especially with sensitive skin. Wash the mask off immediately if it itches, burns or stings. If any product causes a reaction, gently wash it off and stop using it. A cool compress or petroleum jelly can help; see a dermatologist if the reaction is severe and does not settle with those measures.34

Facial masks cannot replace treatment for acne or eczema, and fermented rice skincare should stay alongside your regular routine rather than displacing it.4