Tatcha The Rice Polish, Gentle for oily acne-prone skin

Rice Powder
Papain
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Tocopherol
Average
- HighOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily acne-prone skin; other products fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers moderate exfoliation for your oily skin due to rice powder and papain, which help smooth texture and regulate desquamation, but lacks targeted ingredients to address your specific concerns of acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- The presence of Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate and Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate provides some soothing and antioxidant benefits, which are generally beneficial for oily skin.
- The product is safe for your oily skin as it contains no harsh ingredients and poses no risk of irritation.
How to apply
- You can use this enzyme powder exfoliant PM as part of your weekly routine. Start once a week and slowly build up if your skin likes it.
- Apply it after cleansing and before your hydrating toner and moisturizer. This fits right into your weekly steps.
- Mix a small amount with a little water in your hands to create a foam , then gently massage it onto your face while avoiding harsh rubbing.
- Apply this to slightly damp skin to help the powder activate smoothly and work its magic on blemishes.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use to keep your acne-prone skin safe.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 1.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users with dry, sensitive, and mature skin frequently report that this enzyme powder effectively refines texture and dullness, leaving skin feeling exceptionally soft and smooth without irritation or tightness. The formula is noted for being non-stripping and maintaining moisture. Some users find the price point to be high for a daily cleanser.
Highlights
Extremely gentle Mostly Mentioned
- “non-abrasive and soothing”
- “doesn't sting sensitive skin”
- “gentle enough for daily use”
Softens and smooths Mostly Mentioned
- “skin feels baby soft”
- “leaves face smooth as silk”
- “texture is significantly refined”
Long-lasting value Often Mentioned
- “a little goes a long way”
- “jar lasts for months”
- “only need a half-teaspoon”
Non-stripping, hydrating Often Mentioned
- “doesn't strip natural oils”
- “no tight feeling afterwards”
- “feels moisturizing while cleansing”
Expensive cleanser Often Mentioned
- “very expensive for a cleanser”
- “luxury splurge, not necessity”
- “pricey but worth it”
Luxurious experience Sometimes Noted
- “creates a creamy, cloud-like foam”
- “feels like a spa ritual”
- “fun to mix with water”
Packaging issues Sometimes Noted
- “water can get inside jar”
- “dispensing can be messy”
- “hard to get last bit out”
Not exfoliating enough Rarely Noted
- “didn't feel exfoliated enough”
- “prefer a grittier scrub”
- “underwhelming results for the cost”
Scent not for all Rarely Noted
- “weird earthy/brownie smell”
- “smells like rice water”
- “wish it was fragrance-free”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, influenster.com, mecca.com, tatcha.com, skinsort.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Tatcha The Rice Polish, Gentle work for oily acne-prone skin?
Tatcha The Rice Polish, Gentle works decently for oily acne-prone skin by offering moderate exfoliation and soothing benefits, but it lacks targeted ingredients to address blemishes and breakouts. A product of this type needs high-quality ingredients that effectively address acne and blemishes while safely performing its cleansing function and maintaining a balanced complexion.
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Rice powder and papain help smooth texture by gently clearing away dead skin cells, while soothing ingredients like dipotassium glycyrrhizate help calm your skin. However, this skin type needs targeted blemish-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid, niacinamide, or ascorbic acid, along with gentle cleansing and safe balancing agents to get a top-tier fit.
What does Rice Powder do for oily acne-prone skin?
Rice powder helps absorb excess oil and gives oily, acne-prone skin a smoother feel. It is unlikely to irritate your skin, but this skin type also needs soothing and oil-controlling ingredients to truly stay clear and calm.
What does Papain do for oily acne-prone skin?
Papain helps clear oily acne-prone skin by gently exfoliating the surface and breaking down dead skin cells that can clog pores. This gentle smoothing action may reduce breakouts and blemishes, though some people might experience mild irritation as the skin adjusts.
Giornale Italiano Di Dermatologia E Venereologia, 2015International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2022
Where does this exfoliant go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This exfoliant goes in your weekly routine once a week after cleansing and before a mask, toner, and moisturizer. It has a great safety profile and is unlikely to cause irritation on oily skin, but an average fit for acne-prone skin needs added ingredients that target breakouts and blemishes.
Can I use this exfoliant with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this exfoliant in your weekly routine, but avoid using it on the same nights you apply retinol to keep your skin calm and safe from irritation. This product type works for oily skin by smoothing texture, but for acne-prone skin it also needs targeted blemish-fighting ingredients.
How often should I use this exfoliant?
Start by using this exfoliant once a week, and if your skin handles it well and you see good results, you can carefully use it more often. Oily acne-prone skin also needs products with targeted acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide to properly address breakouts and blemishes.
Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This exfoliant is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for oily acne-prone skin, as it contains no harsh ingredients and has a safe profile that poses no risk of irritation. However, because it lacks targeted ingredients for blemishes, this skin type needs products with acne-fighting actives like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide to properly clear and prevent breakouts.
Is this exfoliant fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Encapsulation of ferulic acid in phosphorylated rice starch enhanced its stability against heat and light and improved skin lightening, elasticity, smoothness, roughness, scaliness, and wrinkles compared to free ferulic acid in 16 volunteers over 1 month.
Molecules, 2022Application of Galactomyces ferment filtrate skin care formula significantly reduced the net values and daily fluctuation of facial pore area, roughness, and redness in young Japanese women.
Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2021Daily application of a cream containing niosomes loaded with purple glutinous rice extract in 20 human volunteers for 28 days resulted in a significant decrease in melanin index and skin roughness by -14.05% and -9.95%, and increases in skin hydration and elastic recovery by +48.73% and +35.98% compared to initial values.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2020The iontophoretic delivery of hyaluronic acid nanogel-loaded Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate significantly reduced advanced glycation end products and mitigated skin stiffening in an ex vivo skin tissue glycation model.
International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2025Red rice extract suppressed UVB-induced inflammation and skin aging in human skin fibroblasts by inhibiting the MAPK signaling pathway, leading to decreased NF-kappa B and AP-1 activation, reduced ECM degradation, and increased ECM synthesis compared to UVB-irradiated controls.
Natural Product Communications, 2016Topical papain treatment may slightly decrease pain within 30 minutes in humans stung by Chrysaora chinensis compared to placebo.
Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 2016A fixed combination of hydroxypinacolone retinoate, retinol glycospheres, and papain glycospheres in aqueous gel applied once daily for 12 weeks achieved a 41% mean reduction in GAGS score and a 40.8% mean reduction in total lesions, with 15.3% of patients experiencing mild to moderate local side effects, in 94 evaluable patients with comedonal-papular, mild to moderate acne of the face.
Giornale Italiano Di Dermatologia E Venereologia, 2015Reflux extraction of Carica papaya leaves yielded higher antioxidant capacity and superior in vitro wound-healing activities including fibroblast proliferation, cell migration, and collagen synthesis in human skin fibroblasts compared to ultrasonic-assisted extraction and agitation.
Molecules, 2020Combining 755 nm alexandrite laser with topical licorice gel significantly reduces terminal hair counts compared to alexandrite laser with placebo in women with idiopathic hirsutism.
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015Licochalcone A activated Nrf2 signaling, elevated cytoprotective enzymes, increased the reduced-to-oxidized glutathione ratio, and decreased reactive oxygen species in human fibroblasts and neutrophils, while a LicA-rich licorice extract lowered UVA-induced oxidative processes in vivo.
Experimental Dermatology, 2015Bioactive glycyrrhizic acid and oxymatrine ionic liquid self-assembled nanomicelles significantly promoted the transdermal permeation, subcutaneous retention, and anti-photoaging efficacy of palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 in cellular and animal models compared to unformulated peptide.
Advanced Science, 2025Topical application of an antioxidant serum containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented particulate matter-induced degradation of extracellular matrix components, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the skin of 15 female volunteers compared to untreated controls.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Dermatological products containing d-alpha tocopheryl acetate showed non-comedogenic potential with less than a 50% increase in microcomedones in 12 healthy male subjects compared to octyl palmitate.
Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 2021Topical application of an antioxidant mix containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented PM and UV-induced skin barrier perturbation, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, MMP9 activation, and Type I collagen loss in 15 healthy females compared to untreated exposed skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Why other products fit oily acne-prone skin better
Two percent supramolecular salicylic acid showed similar efficacy to 0.01% adapalene plus 5% benzoyl peroxide in reducing acne lesions in 31 patients over 28 days.
Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2019Chemical peels with 30% supramolecular salicylic acid effectively treated acne and reduced facial sebum secretion while improving skin hydration and barrier function in 25 patients.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022A moisturizing cream containing 2% l-carnitine and 5% EGCG significantly reduced sebum levels and improved skin hydration in ninety subjects with seborrhea over 4 weeks, showing greater anti-sebum efficacy in the combination group compared to the l-carnitine group alone.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023
Ingredients
Phenoxyethanol, Rice Powder, Papain, Rice Bran, Propanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Silica, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Sodium Lauryl Phosphate, Sodium Palmoyl Glutamate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Lauryl Betaine, Sodium Lauroyl Methylaminopropionate, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Dextrin, Phytosteryl Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Tocopherol, Mica, Iron Oxides Ci 77491, Ultramarines, Hadasei-3
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
-

Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-

Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-

Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-

Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-

Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
-

Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
-

Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-

Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.
