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I'm From

Rice Serum.

I'm From Rice Serum
Serums

About this product

A lightweight gel serum designed to brighten and hydrate the skin, formulated with rice extract, niacinamide, licorice root, hyaluronic acid, and squalene.

Full ingredients

Guru Score

69%

Mixed

4 experts · Moderate agreement
4Gurus
3Yay
0Mixed
1Nay

What they liked

  • Absorbs quickly without feeling wet or sticky
  • Lightweight gel texture, silky but not greasy
  • Hydrates and moisturizes well for the price

What they flagged

  • Brightening claims don't show up in practice

What the gurus are saying

The silicones give this serum a silky, breathable texture that absorbs quickly without feeling wet or sticky, while a light occlusive effect gently seals in hydration from products underneath. Brightening actives like niacinamide and licorice root make it worth considering if you have dark spots or uneven tone. At under twenty pounds, it works well for sensitive, dry, or combination skin, and won't block other treatments from sinking in.
Synthesized from 4 expert reviews · most recent take March 2025

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
~Yay
"The I'm From Rice Serum is a lightweight gentle brightening serum that soaks in quickly and leaves skin feeling nice and soft and hydrated and smooth. [...] It's got squalene, licorice root, niacinamide for some nice brightening ingredients, so if you have some dark spots or hyperpigmentation this has some nice known brightening ingredients. It also has alpha glucan and hyaluronic acid, so this one's nice if you have sensitive or drier skin, [...] or if you have oilier skin sometimes in the winter when things get a little bit drier this would certainly work well for that too. It's worth checking out at under 20 bucks at $19 exactly."
~Yay
"I bought this together with the rice toner and it's even way much better than the toner. I have like 15 different serums at my studio and it's hard to use this much, I don't know why people don't know about this. I love it, not too heavy, it absorbs quickly and moisturizes so well. If you love the rice toner, just believe me, you will love this more. It contains niacinamide and it says it brightens your skin, but I don't think so, that's just a theory, but I can guarantee you it moisturizes your skin so well."
~Yay
"The silicones really do their job because as you spread this onto your skin it feels really good, it feels like hydrating, it feels moisturizing and silky too. It's a really beautiful elegant type of gel. It absorbs into the skin really quickly and it doesn't feel wet [...] as it's absorbing. [...] It creates this really nice layer that feels silky and skin conditioning and smooth at the top but not sticky, not greasy, not heavy. For offering a good amount of moisture and comfort to the skin, it actually doesn't carry a lot of weight to it. [...] The silicones are responsible for this really breathable texture while also offering a little hug to the skin, which I really like. [...] It's just this slightest whisper of occlusivity, a little bit of hugging everything that you put on before into your skin. If you like to use a hydrating toner or an essence, this just helps to gently hug that hydration just a little deeper into the skin. It helps your skin resist dehydration just a little bit more. It's not petrolatum, it's not thick, it's not a barrier, it's not going to stop anything else from absorbing into your skin that you put on top of it."
~Nay
"After about four months of use, I was just so underwhelmed. It literally felt like the products did nothing. The Rice Serum felt like a thicker version of the toner, and I felt like I could have just used one of those products. They felt very generic. I felt like I'd used these products a thousand times before from other brands, and they were nothing compared to the toner. The brightening, smoothing, and hydrating benefits I got from the toner did not translate into a serum at all."

What the evidence says.

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

Niacinamide

Niacinamide has evidence behind it for redness, uneven tone and supporting the skin barrier, and it is usually well tolerated even by skin that reacts to most things.

Source: DermNet

Tranexamic acid

Tranexamic acid has a growing body of clinical evidence for melasma and the stubborn patches of pigment that other ingredients struggle with.

Source: DermNet

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is I'm From Rice Serum?

A lightweight gel serum designed to brighten and hydrate the skin, formulated with rice extract, niacinamide, licorice root, hyaluronic acid, and squalene.

Is I'm From Rice Serum worth it?

The gurus mostly approve it, but with enough reservations to keep it in the middle at a Guru Score of 69%.

What is I'm From Rice Serum's Guru Score?

I'm From Rice Serum holds a Guru Score of 69%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 4 expert reviewers we have collected.

Who is I'm From Rice Serum best for?

I'm From Rice Serum is generally suited to combination skin and normal skin.

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