Anua

Anua Rice Enzyme Brightening Cleansing Powder.

Cleansers

About this product

A dual-use powder cleanser that works as both an exfoliating cleanser and a hydrating mask, using rice powder and extract with ceramides to provide gentle exfoliation and brightening.

Full ingredients

Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Kaolin (Ci 77004), Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Citric Acid, Sodium Polyacrylate, Diglycerin, Allantoin, Water, Maltodextrin, Papain, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Powder, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Lees Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Water, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ceramide NP, Ascorbic Acid, Alpha-Arbutin, Glucose, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Protease, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Tartaric Acid, Lactic Acid, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Seed Protein, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Caprylyl Glycol

Guru Score

67%

Mixed

3 experts · Moderate agreement

What they liked

Skin feels soft and hydrated immediately after
Works as both a cleanser and hydrating mask
Gentle enough to use a few times weekly

What they flagged

Too slippery and hard to rinse off
Can feel tight on dry skin after cleansing

What the gurus are saying

This dual-use powder works as both a gentle exfoliating cleanser and a hydrating mask, earning praise for immediate softness and brightening potential. For sensitive skin, it works best as a mask rather than a cleanser; if you do use it as a cleanser, a few times a week is the right frequency. However, the slipperiness is problematic: it requires extended rinsing and may leave dry skin feeling tight.

Synthesized from 3 expert reviews · most recent take November 2025

Best for

Dry skin Sensitive skin

Type

CleansersPowder

Key actives

Vitamin CAHACeramides

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

Ulta → Amazon → Google → iHerb →

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What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

Dr. Jenny Liu

323k subs

~Yay

"If you're super sensitive or you have really active redness, it's something you may want to hold off on or try the mask version instead. But this is one of the best rice powder cleansers that I've really used in the sense it really makes my skin feel more supple and soft and hydrated after using. It has great ingredients that helps to brighten the skin as well with time, over time with use, and great for an instant pick-me-up in brightening your skin tone."

All 3 takes from Dr. Jenny Liu

K-Beauty at Ulta: What’s Actually Worth Buying?!? | Dermatologist's picks | Dr. Jenny Liu

"I personally just love using it as a polish cleanser. [...] The ingredients make it great because it's hydrating, really helps to soften your skin at the same time, and with continued use may offer some brightening benefits. It contains rice powder and rice extract that offers some gentle exfoliating and brightening properties along with alpha arbutin, which is a gentle derivative of hydroquinone that helps to fade discoloration, and ceramides that help to strengthen the skin barrier."

My Top Picks from Anua Skincare | Dermatologist Dr. Jenny Liu

Fall PM Skincare Routine with Kbeauty | Dr. Jenny Liu

"This is the Anua Rice Enzyme Brightening Cleansing Powder, and this one definitely you probably have seen it gone viral. You can use it in a couple ways as like an exfoliating cleanser that's fairly gentle or as like that marshmallow rice mask that people make that's really sticky and tacky. [...] My favorite way of using it is just [...] as an exfoliating cleanser so it's a powder that you pour out and depending on the ratio of product to water you can either create a cleanser or that mask."

CYoung

95k subs

~Nay

"If you are expecting the slimy TikTok effect you will need to use a ridiculous amount, and seriously, why would you even mix it with toner? If that worked, then just washing your face with toner should give you perfect skin. It was so slippery that I had to rinse for over five minutes, and at that point any cleanser would leave your face squeaky clean anyway. After rinsing, my dry skin felt tight. If you want deep cleansing, melt down your sebum with a cleansing oil instead."

Nipun Kapur

412k subs

~Yay

"That is why my first impression of this product was nah, but as I kept using it and I used it for two weeks straight, oh my God, your skin shines, your skin feels soft, it feels beautiful. For normal to dry skin, especially now in India with cooler weather coming and [...] intense winters, you need that extra moisturization on your skin. This powder cleanser is going to be fabulous because this cleanses your face and it moisturizes it at the same time."

All 2 takes from Nipun Kapur

Best Products from Anua for All Skin Types | Best Korean Skincare for Indian Skin | Nipun Kapur

How to Protect & Build Your Skin Barrier with This Hydrate Night Routine | Nipun Kapur

"The thing I don't like about this product which is very necessary for this product is the time it takes to take it off because it becomes completely gooey sticky because of the rice and the enzymes so it's a bit difficult to remove"

Translated from the guru's original language.

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Vitamin C

Topical vitamin C is an antioxidant with reasonable evidence for dullness and uneven tone. It breaks down in light and air, so how a product is formulated and packaged matters as much as the percentage on the front.

Source: DermNet

Alpha hydroxy acids

Alpha hydroxy acids loosen the bonds holding dead cells at the surface. The evidence supports smoother texture and more even tone over time, and they can leave skin more sensitive to sun.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Ceramides

Ceramides are part of the skin's own barrier, and moisturisers built around them have evidence for holding water in and settling the tightness and flaking that come with a damaged barrier.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is Anua Rice Enzyme Brightening Cleansing Powder?

A dual-use powder cleanser that works as both an exfoliating cleanser and a hydrating mask, using rice powder and extract with ceramides to provide gentle exfoliation and brightening.

Is Anua Rice Enzyme Brightening Cleansing Powder worth it?

The gurus mostly approve it, but with enough reservations to keep it in the middle at a Guru Score of 67%.

What is Anua Rice Enzyme Brightening Cleansing Powder's Guru Score?

Anua Rice Enzyme Brightening Cleansing Powder holds a Guru Score of 67%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 3 expert reviewers we have collected.