Review: I’m From Rice Toner

Before testing it, its liquid milky texture reminded me a lot of Laneige’s hybrid essence, the Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer (which I reviewed a few months ago).

As a result, I approached it a bit like a replacement for the Laneige for the summer season.

But as I discovered later, there are quite a few differences between these two products. Even if they both have the same kind of “milky” texture, the I’m From Rice Toner essence is still much lighter. I don’t really see myself using it instead of my moisturizer as I so often do with the Laneige one.

And above all, Laneige’s Cream Skin Refiner is “only” a moisturizing product, while the I’m From Rice Toner essence has other beneficial effects on the skin!

Skincare Review: LANEIGE Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer A product as liquid as water to replace your moisturizer? This is the claim of the Korean brand LANEIGE, with its Cream Skin Refiner, a product so innovative and popular right now in Korea that the brand is struggling to keep it in stock! Read more

The brand I’m From:

“Nature as it is, it’s It’s From” This simple slogan perfectly embodies the identity of this Korean skincare brand. I’m From products are inspired by the purest natural ingredients.

The brand makes a point to source only the highest quality ingredients exclusively from South Korea.

Each range highlights one particular ingredient, and offers several products according to its benefits: there is the Rice range for regeneration and radiance, the soothing and purifying Artemisia range (which I mentioned in my dedicated Focus article), the stimulating and anti-aging Ginseng range…

I’m From is also characterized by its approach of transparency. Each product proudly lists all its ingredients, as well as their origin and the name of the farm where it was harvested. The brand favors environmentally friendly farms, because they’re committed to preserving the natural resources of their beautiful regions!

The Rice Toner essence is one of the brand’s most popular products!

Product presentation: I’m From Rice Toner

I’m From Rice Toner is an essence, this pre-care liquid treatment, which boosts the effectiveness of the products applied on top.

What I find particularly interesting about this one is that it’s directly inspired by an ancient beauty ritual practiced for centuries by women concerned about the beauty of their skin in Asia.

Indeed, instead of throwing away the water from cooking rice, the tradition is to put it aside and used it as facial ablutions by women, in order to preserve the fairness of their complexion.

Rice has brightening and regenerating properties for the skin. It’s also a very affordable ingredient and an integral part of Korea’s culinary heritage, so it’s quite easy to find.

It’s From has chosen a high-quality rice extract, Oryza Sativa rice from the Yeoju region in central South Korea. This area is very popular for agriculture because of the quality of its soils, which makes it a very prosperous region.

Oryza Sativa rice has a higher fiber content than conventional rice and contains active ingredients such as aminosine and lysine, which are protein derivatives, and excellent for the health of your skin!

The rest of the formula is quite simple, with a few other brightening ingredients (niacinamide in particular) and also hydrating (Purslane, Amaranth seed extract…).

The formula contains no perfume or dyes.

According to the brand, the Rice Toner essence acts mainly on:

• the radiance of the complexion,
• the texture of the skin (which it helps to smooth gently),
• the hydration and comfort of the skin,
• wrinkles and fine lines (smoothing effect),
• the regeneration of the skin,
• the firming effect,
• reducing the hyperpigmentation.

The texture of this essence has 2 phases. You need to shake it to mix the two phases before using it.

The Rice Toner doesn’t leave any “rich” and emollient effect at all, if I compare it to the essence of Laneige for example. It leaves the skin comfortable but without feeling heavy or greasy. Its texture is really soft when I apply it, it’s very pleasant to use!

On my dehydrated combination skin, it’s very effective at keeping it moisturized for long periods of time without “greasing” it. I use it more in the evening at the moment, just before my treatment serums.

On drier skin type than mine, or if the skin is exposed to more extreme weather conditions, it will probably be perfect to use morning and evening!

My experience and the result:

I started using the Rice Toner in late spring. Summer in Dubai though: it’s very hot, so I spend my days locked in the air conditioning that literally sucks up all the hydration of my skin.

This essence is a real joy to use at this time of the year, because it’s very comfortable without being too rich (nobody wants to use heavy texture in summer).

Regarding the effect on the radiance of my complexion, I think it contributes to it but I use other ingredients in my routine that also help to brighten my skin so I didn’t see a glaring difference based solely on starting to use this product!

The bottle is quite large, 150ml. So it will probably last me a few more months (I’m halfway through after 4 months to give you an idea).
That’s good though, summer is not yet over in the Emirates, we still have a long way to go!

In conclusion:

I really like this Rice Toner essence. It allows me to spend the summer with a more comfortable skin and I find it really pleasant to use!

It’s often on sale on websites that sell the brand, so if you live in a place where you have a proper winter, I think it can be a good investment for the upcoming cold season!

The essence I’m From Rice Toner retails between $20 and $28 depending on the retailers for 150ml.