Some rice extracts have been shown to exfoliate skin and even protect from the sun. But rice flour itself may not be potent enough to have these effects.

“It’s hypothesized that the primary ingredients found in rice flour act as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents that function to prevent skin aging, reduce UV damage, promote skin lightening, and improve skin and hair regrowth. Brown rice protein has been touted as a natural exfoliant,” says Friedler.

Several skin care and hair care products also use rice starch to absorb excess oil.

Here’s a quick look at the research on each of these uses.

Sun protection

Some beauty influencers claim that rice flour can help with sun protection due to a couple of compounds it contains: ferulic acid and PABA. Experts say it’s not known whether these compound are concentrated enough in rice flour to have the same benefits of an extract.

Rice flour contains para-aminobenzoic acid (aka PABA or vitamin B10), which stimulates cell regrowth, says Friedler.

PABA also has been shown to protect against UV rays and was once used in sunscreen. Because it causes allergic reactions, it’s no longer generally recognized as a safe sunscreen ingredient by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Trusted Source.

Ferulic acid is an organic compound with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. It’s extracted from rice bran as well as many other plants, including oats, eggplant, citrus, sweet corn, rye, and beets.

Ferulic acid may also help protect skin from damaging UV rays, especially in combination with vitamins C and E.

“It’s often found in skin care serums. There have been several studies published in conventional dermatology journals that support its use as an antioxidant and photoprotective compound,” says Friedler.

Plants make vitamins C and E to protect themselves from the sun. In people, getting vitamins C and E from food (or supplements) protects against photodamage (or damage to the skin from the sun’s UV rays), especially when these vitamins are applied to skin.

But vitamins C and E aren’t very shelf-stable. Some research suggests that ferulic acid greatly improves the stability of both vitamin C and E in skin care solutions.

Ferulic acid itself is actually a strong UV protectant that’s easily absorbed by the skin. In skin care products, it may also increase the sun protection of vitamins C and E.

Acne and hyperpigmentation treatment

Some rice flour fans say it can help improve acne and lighten skin. That’s likely due to another compound extracted from rice — phytic acid — that has exfoliating effects. It’s uncertain how much of this compound is in rice flour itself and what effect it has on skin.

Phytic acid is an antioxidant alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). It can be extracted from many plants, including beans, seeds, nuts, and whole grains. It’s then added to skin care products.

Phytic acid has been found to be as effective but gentler on skin than other AHAs like glycolic acid. A small 2019 studyTrusted Source found that phytic acid is as effective at treating acne and hyperpigmentation (dark spots) as glycolic acid and salicylic acid.

Because phytic acid helps skin shed dead cells, it can help minimize the signs of aging, says Dr. Bruce Robinson, FAAD, a board certified dermatologist in New York City and clinical professor of dermatology at Lenox Hill Hospital. It’s used in chemical peels to reduce the appearance of dark spots (melasma) and scarring.

“Phytanic acid seems to be beneficial in the treatment of mild to moderate acne and post-acne inflammation,” adds Friedler.

Wound healing

Another organic compound in rice: allantoin, which has soothing and anti-inflammatory properties, says Friedler. Some research in animals and in vitro (in lab studies) suggests it may support the wound-healing process.

Oil absorption

Rice flour’s main benefit may be its ability to absorb excess oil in skin and hair. Rice starch is rice flour with all of the protein and fat removed, so all that’s left is the carbohydrate. Rice starch binds to water and stabilizes fat. Rice flours are mostly made up of starch.

Rice starch is found in many commercial skin care and hair care products. It’s used to absorb oil, control shine, and minimize pore appearance. try OUAI Superdry Shampoo, Skin Regimen Enzymatic Powder or REN Clean Skincare Mattifying Face Sunscreen SPF 30.

Rice starch “could possibly help absorb oil if in the proper preparation,” says Robinson.

Why rice flour might not work

Extracts are made by soaking a plant (in this case, rice) in a liquid for many hours. The resulting extract has a higher concentration of bioactive components, like ferulic acid or phytic acid.

Depending on how it’s done, you can end up with varying levels of these ingredients in the final product. But extracts are generally a lot stronger than the amount of the ingredient in the plant itself.

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