What is it?
An extract of rice bran, the outer layer of the rice grain (Oryza sativa) that is removed when brown rice is milled into white rice. It contains proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and lipids, including palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids, along with antioxidants such as tocopherols (vitamin E compounds). In cosmetics it is used as a skin-conditioning and skin-protecting ingredient.
Key information
- The CIR Expert Panel concluded that rice bran extract and related rice ingredients are safe as used in cosmetics.
- Rice-derived ingredients are generally considered non-allergenic, though isolated cases of allergy to raw rice have been reported.
- Rice bran naturally concentrates inorganic arsenic, at 10 to 20 times the level in the bulk grain in one study.
More information
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel reviewed rice bran extract together with rice bran oil, rice starch, rice proteins and other rice-derived ingredients, and in its 2006 amended final report concluded that they are safe as cosmetic ingredients in the practices of use and concentrations described. At that time rice bran extract was reported in only six products.
The Panel noted that rice bran extract contains small amounts of compounds that absorb ultraviolet light, but said clinical experience suggested it would not cause phototoxic reactions. It regarded rice-derived ingredients as generally non-allergenic. Studies of individual rice bran components were reassuring: gamma-oryzanol and phytic acid were negative in oral cancer studies, and gamma-oryzanol was negative in bacterial and mammalian mutagenicity tests.
The main concern with rice bran is contamination. Rice carries more arsenic than other grain crops tested, and a 2008 study found inorganic arsenic in rice bran at about 1 mg/kg, 10 to 20 times higher than in the bulk grain. That study was concerned with rice bran eaten as food and supplements. For cosmetics, the CIR Panel judged current levels of heavy metals and PCBs in rice ingredients not a safety concern, but said pesticide residues and heavy metals should not exceed the levels reported to it.
On labels it appears as Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract. It is a different ingredient from rice bran oil, which has its own profile.
Sources: International Journal of Toxicology (2006): CIR amended final report on the safety assessment of rice-derived ingredients, including Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract; Environmental Science & Technology (2008): Inorganic arsenic in rice bran and its products are an order of magnitude higher than in bulk grain
