There are many benefits of rice bran oil for your skin.
Rice bran oil can nourish your skin, soften your skin, strengthen your skin barrier and prevent free-radical damage.
- What is rice bran oil oil?
- What are benefits of rice bran oil oil for skin?
- Rice bran oil oil can nourish your skin
- Rice bran oil can soften and condition your skin
- Rice bran oil can strengthen your skin barrier
- Rice bran oil can protect your skin
- Summary
- References
What is rice brain oil?
INCI: Oryza sativa (Rice) bran oil
Extraction Method: solvent extracted, refined
Appearance: yellow to golden brown
Texture: light to medium consistency, absorbs into skin at average speed
Aroma: very little scent
Rice bran oil is extracted from the bran or outer coat of the brown rice grain removed during the milling process.
Rice bran oil is unique due to its rich source of important actives such as gamma- oryzanol, lecithin, ceramides and vitamin E - tocopherols and tocotrienols.
In general, rice bran oil is considered to be a lightweight and non-greasy oil, making it suitable for various skin types.
Rice bran oil is perfect for dry, flaky, sensitive, mature and delicate skin.
Learn more: What is Rice Bran Oil?
Rice bran oil can nourish your skin
Rice bran oil is rich in nutrients and contains fatty acids, gamma-oryzanol, lecithin, squalene, vitamin E, phytosterols and ceramides.
Rice bran oil can nourish your skin with essential nutrients that have benefits for your skin.
Rice bran oil is composed of fatty acids:
- 37–41% oleic acid (omega 9)
-
37–41% linoleic acid (omega 6)
-
22–25% palmitic acid (C16:0)
-
2.9% stearic acid (C18:0)
-
2.2% alpha-linolenic acid (omega 3)
Rice bran oil contains high amounts of oleic acid, an omega 9 fatty acid found naturally in your skin barrier.
Rice bran oil contains high amounts of linoleic acid, the major essential n-6 fatty acid found naturally in our skin.
Linoleic acid is an essential fatty acid that cannot be made by the body, and must be supplied through the diet, supplements and skincare.
Learn more: What is Linoleic Acid? Omega 6 Essential Fatty Acid for Dry Skin
Rice bran oil also contains palmitic acid and stearic acid, saturated fatty acids found naturally in your skin barrier, that have been shown to decline with age (Kim et al, 2010).
Rice bran oil is rich in minor components, including:
- 1-2% lecithin
- 1-2% gamma-oryzanol
- 18.91 mg/g phytosterols
- 0.35 - 3.18 mg/g squalene
- 0.411 mg/g vitamin E tocotrienols
- 0.29 mg/g vitamin E tocopherols
- Ceramides and glucosylceramides
(Patel et al, 2004; Jala et al, 2015; Górnaś et al, 2016; Shahidi et al, 2016; Yang et al, 2019; Shimizu et al, 2019; Miyasaka et al, 2022).
The nutrients in rice bran oil are essential for skin health and can improve the appearance of your dry skin.
Rice bran oil can soften and condition your skin
Rice bran oil is a lightweight oil and is easily absorbed into your skin.
Rice bran oil is an emollient and can soften your skin.
Rice bran oil is rich in beneficial fatty acids, including n-6 linoleic acid, n-9 oleic acid and palmitic acid. These fatty acids act as emollients and can soften your skin and smooth your skin.
What are the benefits of emollients?
The function of emollients in skincare is to soften the skin, help the skin retain its moisture and to support the skin’s barrier function.
Skin that does not have sufficient lipid content on its surface can appear dull, dry and rough. Emollients "fill in the gaps" in the skin barrier and soften it along with giving it a healthier look.
The role of emollients in the treatment of dry skin conditions is often underestimated. Emollients promote optimal skin health and prevent skin breakdown, and their use can improve quality of life (Moncrieff et al, 2013; Newton et al, 2021).
Emollients are skin conditioning – the give skin a soft and smooth appearance, restoring suppleness and improving elasticity (Brown et al, 2005).
Emollients:
- Make your skin feel soft and smooth.
- Help reduce flaking and roughness from dry skin.
- Help assist the skin barrier by filling in gaps between cells.
Learn more: What are Emollients? Benefits for Your Dry Skin
Rice bran oil can strengthen your skin barrier
Rice bran oil contains ~40% linoleic acid, the major essential n-6 fatty acid found naturally in our skin barrier. Linoleic acid is a precursor for ceramides, which are bioactive lipids that play a role in keeping our skin barrier firm, smooth and healthy.
Rice bran oil also contains 40% oleic acid and 25% palmitic acid, fatty acids which are found naturally in the protective outer layer of the skin barrier, and help the skin retain moisture.
Learn more: Beneficial Fats Found Naturally in Your Skin Barrier
Rice bran oil also contains ceramides and their precursors glucosylceramides.
Rice bran oil has been shown to contain 13 glucosylceramides and ceramide "elasticamide" (Miyasaka et al, 2022).
Ceramides are lipids found naturally in your skin barrier and play a crucial role in maintaining the skin's barrier function and moisture retention.
What is your skin barrier?
The skin barrier includes the outermost layers of skin, called the stratum corneum.
Your skin barrier is essentially what you can see and touch on the surface of your body.
When your skin barrier is healthy, it feels and appears smooth, soft, and plump.
In contrast, a damaged skin barrier looks dry, rough, dull, and dehydrated, and may become irritated and inflamed.
Learn More: What is The Skin Barrier?
Rice bran oil can protect your skin
Rice bran oil is a rich source of antioxidants such gamma-oryzanol, squalene, phytosterols, vitamin E tocopherols and tocotrienols (Patel et al, 2004; Górnaś et al, 2016; Shahidi et al, 2016; Yang et al, 2019; Shimizu et al, 2019).
What is an antioxidant?
Antioxidants protect your skin by preventing free radical damage.
Free radicals are unstable molecules or atoms that can damage skin cells.
Free radicals are generated from normal aging, and by daily environmental damage - such as UV radiation from the sun and air pollution. Free radicals cause destruction to your cells and tissues, and accelerate skin aging (Masaki et al, 2010).
Antioxidants protect your skin by neutralizing unstable free radicals.
Summary
There are many benefits of rice bran oil for your skin.
Rice bran oil is rich in fatty acids, gamma-oryzanol, lecithin, squalene, vitamin E, phytosterols and ceramides.
Rice bran oil can nourish your skin, soften your skin, strengthen your skin barrier and prevent free-radical damage.
In general, rice bran oil is considered to be a lightweight and non-greasy oil, making it suitable for various skin types.
Rice bran oil is perfect for dry, flaky, sensitive, mature and delicate skin.
Our Dry Skin Love Apple Elixir 5% Vitamin E Face Oil is made with rice bran oil that contains vitamin E and gamma-oryzanol.
Dry Skin Love Apple Elixir 5% Vitamin E Face Oil is launching soon!
Sign up for our Newsletter to stay updated on our latest product launches.
References
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Author Information
Dr. Natasha Ryz is a scientist, skin care expert and an entrepreneur. She is the founder of Dry Skin Love Skincare, and she creates skincare products for beauty, dry skin and pain relief.
Dr. Ryz has a PhD in Experimental Medicine from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and she is a Vanier scholar. She also holds a Master of Science degree and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.
Natasha is the former Chief Science Officer of Zenabis Global, and she oversaw extraction, analytics, and product development. Her team brought 20 products to market including oils, sprays, vapes and softgels.
Why I Started A Skincare Company