Safety · sources checked November 11, 2026
The parts the videos skip.
Rice water is rice and water, which makes it feel harmless. It is also an unpreserved starchy liquid that people keep for days and rub on their faces with ice. This page sets out what official sources say about each of those steps, and is plain about where no one has tested anything.
1. Patch test before it goes near your face
The American Academy of Dermatology's method for trying any new product is longer than most people expect:
“Apply the product to a test spot twice daily for seven to 10 days.”
“Choose a quarter-sized spot on your skin where the product won't be rubbed or washed away, such as the underside of your arm or the bend of your elbow.”
For rice water that means a week or more of dabbing a little on the inside of your arm, twice a day, before your face is involved. Make a fresh small batch every couple of days during the test; testing with one jar as it ages tells you about the jar, not about rice water.
Being able to eat rice does not settle it. A published case describes a man who ate rice without trouble and still reacted to the water it was washed in:
“A 30-year-old man with atopic dermatitis had had erythema and itching of the hands after washing rice in water, though he had always eaten cooked rice without problems.”
That is one patient, and he had atopic dermatitis. One case tells you it can happen, not how often. It is also precisely the liquid this site is about, so we would rather you knew. Redness, itching, swelling or welts at the test spot mean stop and wash it off.
2. Contamination and storage
No one has published a tested shelf life for homemade rice water used on skin. We looked (the search is in the register's gaps section). Shelf life is something a manufacturer establishes by testing a product:
“FDA considers determining a product's shelf life to be part of the manufacturer's responsibility.”
A kitchen jar has no manufacturer and no preservative. The FDA treats plain water as a contamination risk even for products that do have preservatives:
“Don't add water or saliva to cosmetic products, such as mascara. You may be adding harmful microorganisms.”
So the storage rules on this site are borrowed from food safety, because rice water is a perishable food-grade liquid and those are the nearest rules with authority behind them. They are a floor for caution, not a guarantee.
The rules we use
| Rule | Where it comes from | What it was written for |
|---|---|---|
| Into the fridge or freezer within 2 hours of straining (1 hour in a hot room) | FDA's two-hour rule [FDA, storing food safely]; cooked-rice research says the same [Gilbert et al. 1974] | Perishable food |
| Fridge at or below 40 °F (4 °C) | [FDA, storing food safely] | Perishable food |
| Use refrigerated rice water within 48 hours, or freeze it | UK Food Standards Agency rule for leftovers [UK Food Standards Agency] | Leftover food. Not tested on rice water |
| Frozen cubes: no use-by date given | Freezing pauses bacterial growth; long storage is described as a quality matter [UK Food Standards Agency] | Frozen food. We found no number for rice water and will not invent one |
| Use a cube as soon as it leaves the freezer; don't refreeze it | Our own caution. The source is looser: defrosted food is to be used within 24 hours [UK Food Standards Agency] | Defrosted food |
The use-by helper applies these rules to the time you made your batch. It gives a date only where a source gives a number.
Why boiling doesn't make it safe to keep
Raw rice carries the spores of a soil bacterium, Bacillus cereus [Stenfors Arnesen et al. 2008]. Cooking does not kill them:
“The spores of B. cereus survived cooking and were capable of germination and outgrowth.”
That research is about eating rice, and food poisoning comes from swallowing the toxin. What those bacteria do on intact skin has not been studied as far as we could find. We take the cautious reading: boiled rice water is a warm, starchy broth of the kind they grow in, so cool it fast, chill it, and keep any rice water away from your eyes, lips and broken skin.
Smell is a reason to bin it, never a pass
“Be aware that food can make you very sick even when it doesn't look, smell, or taste spoiled.”
If a batch smells sharp, looks stringy or has anything growing on it, throw it out. If it smells fine, that tells you nothing. The clock decides.
Fermented rice water sits outside these rules
Fermenting means leaving the liquid at room temperature for a day or two on purpose, which breaks the two-hour rule by design. We found no source that validates a jar of rice water left on a counter as safe to put on skin, and none that gives it a shelf life. Our fermented recipe stays up because people will make it regardless and a careful method beats a careless one, but we do not give it a use-by date and we do not recommend it for sensitive, broken or rosacea-prone skin.
Clean habits that cost nothing
- Wash your hands, the jar and the tray with hot soapy water first. The FDA's standard for cosmetics is that they “must not contain any harmful microorganisms” [FDA, homemade cosmetics]; you can't measure that at home, so start clean.
- Pour out what you need. Don't dip fingers or used cotton pads into the jar.
- Keep it in the fridge, not the bathroom: “Exposure to moisture, such as in a bathroom, may make it easier for bacteria and fungi to grow.” [FDA, cosmetic shelf life]
- Make small batches. The batch calculator scales the recipes down as well as up.
- Never top up an old jar with new rice water.
3. Arsenic in rice
Rice is a recognised dietary source of arsenic, and regulators treat that as a food-safety issue [Karagas et al. 2019] [FDA, arsenic in food]. Two findings matter for rice water on skin.
First, some of the arsenic on and in the grain moves into the water you rinse it with:
“Rinse washing was effective at removing circa. 10% of the total and inorganic arsenic from basmati rice, but was less effective for other rice types.”
Second, arsenic dissolved in water does cross skin, in small amounts. In monkeys:
“absorption rates (0.6-4.4% absorption) are consistent with prior research using the more sensitive, radiolabeled technique”
Put together: only a small share of dissolved arsenic crosses skin, but nobody has measured how much is in cosmetic rice water, so nobody can say how much reaches you. No source we found reports harm from cosmetic rice water, and none shows it is free of risk either. The U.S. toxicology summary notes only that direct skin contact with inorganic arsenic “may cause redness and swelling” [ATSDR, arsenic ToxFAQs], a statement about much heavier exposure. Our practical line:
- Pour away the first rinse. Make your rice water from the second soak. Every recipe here does this.
- Don't drink rice water made for your face, and don't give it to children.
- Don't use it on broken, weeping or freshly shaved skin.
- Treat it as an occasional step, not something to leave on overnight every night for months.
4. Ice on skin
The ice-cube version adds a second set of risks that have nothing to do with rice.
“Don't let the ice rest on any portion of your skin for too long, as it could cause the aforementioned irritation and redness — and even frostbite.”
“Also, it's best not to apply ice cubes directly to the skin.”
- Wrap the cube in a thin clean cloth. No bare ice on bare skin.
- Keep it moving and keep it brief. If it stings or burns, stop.
- Once a day at most; the aesthetician Cleveland Clinic interviewed says “You shouldn't do it more than once a day.”
- One cube, one use. Don't put a half-melted cube back in the tray.
The site's full method is in the ice-cube guide.
5. Who should skip it
| If you have | Skip | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Rosacea or easy flushing | The ice cubes, and fermented rice water | “cold can be a trigger for flare-ups in many sufferers” [National Rosacea Society 2016]. The AAD's rosacea advice is also “Never use an astringent or toner” [AAD, rosacea skin care]. More in the rosacea article. |
| Visible broken capillaries | The ice cubes | “avoid ice, which can make them worse and prevent healing” [Cleveland Clinic, facial icing] |
| Hives or welts from cold | The ice cubes, entirely | Cold is a recognised trigger for hives [AAD, hives], and an ice cube on skin is how clinicians test for it [Claudy 2001] |
| A rice allergy, or atopic dermatitis with food-contact reactions | Rice water in any form, unless a clinician says otherwise | Contact reactions to rice-washing water are documented [Yamakawa et al. 2001] |
| Broken skin, an active rash, infection, or a recent peel, laser or surgery | All of it, until healed | An unpreserved liquid and ice are both poor company for a damaged barrier; “skip facial icing” after procedures is the Cleveland Clinic advice [Cleveland Clinic, facial icing] |
| A weakened immune system | Homemade, unpreserved skin preparations generally | Our caution, based on the contamination sources above. Ask your care team |
6. When to see a clinician
Stop using rice water and get medical advice if:
- You get hives, swelling of the lips, eyelids or face, or any trouble breathing. Treat breathing trouble as an emergency.
- A patch of skin stays red, burning, blistered or numb after icing.
- A rash, itching or stinging doesn't settle within a day or two of stopping.
- You develop redness, pain or discharge in or around an eye.
- You have a spot or patch that is changing, bleeding, or not healing. That was never a job for a home remedy.
- You have a diagnosed skin condition and want to add this. NIH's advice for rosacea is simply “Treat your skin gently” [NIAMS, rosacea]; your own clinician can tell you whether a rinse fits.
Rice water is at best a pleasant extra. It is not a reason to delay seeing someone about a skin problem that worries you.
Sources for this page
Each line is an entry in the evidence register. The quoted passage was found in the source, word for word, on November 11, 2026.
- AAD, testing products · guidance · tested: Dermatologist guidance for the public
“Apply the product to a test spot twice daily for seven to 10 days.”
American Academy of Dermatology. How to test skin care products. - Yamakawa et al. 2001 · case report · 1 patient · tested: Water used to wash rice, on one patient's skin
“A 30-year-old man with atopic dermatitis had had erythema and itching of the hands after washing rice in water, though he had always eaten cooked rice without problems.”
Yamakawa Y, Ohsuna H, Aihara M, Tsubaki K, Ikezawa Z. Contact urticaria from rice. Contact Dermatitis. 2001;44(2):91-3. - FDA, microbes in cosmetics · guidance · tested: U.S. regulator guidance
“Don't add water or saliva to cosmetic products, such as mascara. You may be adding harmful microorganisms.”
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Microbiological Safety and Cosmetics. - FDA, homemade cosmetics · guidance · tested: U.S. regulator guidance
“Cosmetics do not have to be sterile, but they must not contain any harmful microorganisms, and the number of aerobic microorganisms per gram must be low.”
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Small Businesses & Homemade Cosmetics: Fact Sheet. - FDA, cosmetic shelf life · guidance · tested: U.S. regulator guidance
“Exposure to moisture, such as in a bathroom, may make it easier for bacteria and fungi to grow.”
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Shelf Life and Expiration Dating of Cosmetics. - FDA, storing food safely · guidance · tested: U.S. regulator guidance for food
“Stick to the "two-hour rule" for leaving items needing refrigeration out at room temperature.”
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Are You Storing Food Safely? - UK Food Standards Agency · guidance · tested: UK regulator guidance for food
“Eat leftovers within 48 hours or freeze them if you think this won't be possible.”
Food Standards Agency (UK). How to chill, freeze and defrost food safely. Published 18 December 2017. - Gilbert et al. 1974 · laboratory (food microbiology) · tested: Boiled rice stored at 4 to 55 °C
“The spores of B. cereus survived cooking and were capable of germination and outgrowth.”
Gilbert RJ, Stringer MF, Peace TC. The survival and growth of Bacillus cereus in boiled and fried rice in relation to outbreaks of food poisoning. J Hyg (Lond). 1974;73(3):433-44. - Stenfors Arnesen et al. 2008 · review · tested: Review of Bacillus cereus
“Bacillus cereus is widespread in nature and frequently isolated from soil and growing plants”
Stenfors Arnesen LP, Fagerlund A, Granum PE. From soil to gut: Bacillus cereus and its food poisoning toxins. FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2008;32(4):579-606. - Raab et al. 2009 · laboratory · tested: Rinsing and cooking of basmati, long-grain, white and brown rice
“Rinse washing was effective at removing circa. 10% of the total and inorganic arsenic from basmati rice, but was less effective for other rice types.”
Raab A, Baskaran C, Feldmann J, Meharg AA. Cooking rice in a high water to rice ratio reduces inorganic arsenic content. J Environ Monit. 2009;11(1):41-4. - Wester et al. 2004 · animal · tested: Arsenic dissolved in water, applied to monkey skin
“absorption rates (0.6-4.4% absorption) are consistent with prior research using the more sensitive, radiolabeled technique”
Wester RC, Hui X, Barbadillo S, et al. In vivo percutaneous absorption of arsenic from water and CCA-treated wood residue. Toxicol Sci. 2004;79(2):287-95. - Karagas et al. 2019 · review · tested: Epidemiology of eating rice
“Rice is a major staple food worldwide and a dietary source of arsenic.”
Karagas MR, Punshon T, Davis M, et al. Rice Intake and Emerging Concerns on Arsenic in Rice: a Review of the Human Evidence and Methodologic Challenges. Curr Environ Health Rep. December 2019. - FDA, arsenic in food · guidance · tested: U.S. regulator guidance
“For adults, long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic has been associated with skin disorders and increased risks for skin, bladder, and lung cancers, and for cardiovascular disease.”
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Arsenic in Food. - ATSDR, arsenic ToxFAQs · guidance · tested: U.S. government toxicology summary
“Skin contact with inorganic arsenic may cause redness and swelling.”
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC). ToxFAQs for Arsenic. - Cleveland Clinic, facial icing · expert opinion · tested: Plain ice on the face; an aesthetician's advice, not a study
“Don't let the ice rest on any portion of your skin for too long, as it could cause the aforementioned irritation and redness — and even frostbite.”
Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials. Facial icing (interview with aesthetician Lori Scarso). - National Rosacea Society 2016 · guidance · tested: A reader's question about ice cubes on rosacea-prone skin
“Although the exact mechanism of cooling has not been extensively studied scientifically”
National Rosacea Society. Q&A: Skin Sensitivity & Ice Cubes. Rosacea Review, Spring 2016. - Claudy 2001 · review · tested: Clinical review of cold urticaria
“The diagnosis is based on history taking and the ice cube test.”
Claudy A. Cold urticaria. J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 2001;6(2):141-2. - AAD, hives · guidance · tested: Dermatologist guidance for the public
“Something physical touching your skin (e.g., sunlight, pressure, or cold)”
American Academy of Dermatology. Hives: FAQs. - AAD, rosacea skin care · guidance · tested: Dermatologist guidance for the public
“Never use an astringent or toner.”
American Academy of Dermatology. 7 rosacea skin care tips dermatologists recommend. - NIAMS, rosacea · guidance · tested: U.S. government health guidance
“Treat your skin gently. Wash your face with cleansers made for sensitive skin, and moisturize regularly. Avoid exfoliants and products that contain alcohol.”
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIH). Rosacea: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Steps to Take.
