The Face Shop Rice & Ceramide Moisturizing Cream for skin with dark spots
Rice Extract
Ceramide Np
Glycerin
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter
Sodium HyaluronateAverage
- AverageNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
Works for skin with dark spots; other moisturizers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dark spots: hyperpigmentation, sun spots, and uneven skin tone. 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
- This product offers moderate suitability for normal skin, as glycerin and sodium hyaluronate provide essential hydration and support barrier function. While rice extract and ceramide NP contribute to soothing and barrier resilience, the formula lacks specialized ingredients to effectively target your pigmentation concerns.
- The cream provides excellent moisturizing benefits, which is beneficial for maintaining overall skin health.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the inclusion of soothing components.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM and PM routine. Start using it 3 times a week and move to daily use if your skin likes it.
- Apply this moisturizer after your cleanser and toner, right before your morning SPF.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin. Avoid rubbing it too hard so it absorbs nicely.
- For the best moisture, you can apply it when your skin is slightly damp. This helps your skin stay soft and happy.
- Remember to avoid the eye area when applying. Always do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 5.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this cream is highly praised for its deep hydration and ability to provide a radiant glow without feeling heavy, making it ideal for dry to normal skin. However, its strong floral scent and rich texture are frequently cited as drawbacks, leading to breakouts or irritation for those with sensitive or acne-prone skin.
Highlights
Deeply hydrating Mostly Mentioned
- “Holy grail for dry skin”
- “saved my winter skin”
- “moisturizes all day”
- “eliminated my dry patches”
Lightweight texture Often Mentioned
- “Creamy but non-greasy”
- “absorbs quickly”
- “doesn't feel sticky”
- “lightweight yet rich”
Strong floral scent Often Mentioned
- “Smell is too strong”
- “perfume gave me a headache”
- “heavily scented”
- “smells like old lady perfume”
Brightening glow Sometimes Noted
- “Gives a healthy glow”
- “skin looks brighter”
- “glass skin effect”
- “radiant morning skin”
Good value Sometimes Noted
- “Great price for quality”
- “little goes a long way”
- “affordable daily moisturizer”
- “lasts a long time”
Causes breakouts Sometimes Noted
- “Caused cystic acne”
- “broke me out immediately”
- “gave me tiny bumps”
- “clogged my pores”
Greasy on oily skin Sometimes Noted
- “Too greasy for summer”
- “made my face shiny”
- “oil slick by noon”
- “heavy on oily zones”
Causes irritation Rarely Noted
- “Stung my face”
- “caused redness”
- “irritated my sensitive skin”
- “burned upon application”
Sources: lovi.care, nykaa.com, iherb.com, influenster.com, yesstyle.com, youtube.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does The Face Shop Rice & Ceramide Cream work for skin with dark spots?
This cream works moderately well for skin with dark spots, as it provides essential hydration and soothing benefits but lacks specialized brightening ingredients. Skin with dark spots needs products that contain effective brightening ingredients alongside moisturizing components to address pigmentation goals while maintaining skin health.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for skin with dark spots?
Rice extract helps soothe skin and supports barrier resilience, but this cream lacks specialized ingredients to effectively target your pigmentation concerns. To properly address dark spots, a moisturizer of this type needs effective brightening ingredients alongside soothing and hydrating components.
What does Rice Extract do for skin with dark spots?
Rice extract helps make dark spots less noticeable by slowing down the pigment production in your skin. Using it regularly also helps brighten your overall complexion while keeping your skin smooth and protected.
What do Ceramides do for skin with dark spots?
Ceramides help keep your skin barrier strong and well-hydrated, which supports overall skin health even though they do not directly fade dark spots. A product for dark spots also needs ingredients like niacinamide or vitamin C to help brighten your skin tone and reduce discoloration.
International Journal of Dermatology, 2008Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2023
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for skin with dark spots?
This moisturizer goes near the end of your morning and evening routines, right before sunscreen in the morning and after your treatment step at night. Skin with dark spots also needs targeted brightening ingredients like vitamin C or niacinamide to help fade discoloration.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol by applying the retinol first and following it with the moisturizer to help keep your skin calm and hydrated. Using a moisturizing cream with barrier-supporting ingredients like ceramides and glycerin may help reduce dryness and irritation from retinol. To effectively target dark spots alongside this routine, skin of this type needs dedicated brightening ingredients like vitamin C, niacinamide, or alpha arbutin.
How often should I use this cream?
You can use this moisturizing cream twice daily, morning and night, to keep your skin hydrated and support your skin barrier. Regular daily application helps improve overall skin moisture and smoothness with a very low risk of irritation. Skin with dark spots typically needs targeted treatment ingredients such as vitamin C, niacinamide, or retinoids to effectively fade discoloration.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for skin with dark spots?
This cream may cause breakouts for some users, as reviewers moderately complain about this issue. However, it is unlikely to cause severe irritation because it includes soothing ingredients and lacks harsh components.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can safely use this cream around your eyes and on your body, as it has a very gentle formula with no harsh ingredients. The skin around the eyes is exceptionally thin, but this moisturizer is unlikely to cause irritation and provides wonderful hydration for dry body areas.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (benzyl salicylate, citronellol, limonene, hexyl cinnamal, and linalool). Behenyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017A lipid mixture enriched by ceramide NP with fatty acids of diverse chain lengths significantly improved skin barrier recovery rate, stratum corneum integrity, and hydration compared to a vehicle cream in healthy adult male volunteers with corticosteroid-impaired skin.
Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2022Daily 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, 2020A topical xanthan gum nanogel containing gamma-oryzanol-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers and nanosized TiO2 and MBBT filters demonstrated high photoprotection with an SPF of 34 and no skin irritation or sensitization in a rat model.
Pharmaceuticals, 2023The 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, 2016Aspergillus oryzae-fermented broken rice and brewers' rice water extracts inhibit photoaging in UV-irradiated human fibroblasts and co-cultured keratinocytes by downregulating MMP-1, inhibiting elastase, enhancing collagen formation, upregulating elastin gene expression, and lowering pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Cellular and Molecular Biology, 2023The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012A combination cream of stimu-tex AS and saccharide isomerate reduced erythema, increased skin capacitance, and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to placebo in 20 subjects after fractional CO2 laser procedure without causing serious adverse events.
Lasers in Medical Science, 2025A skin barrier restoring cream with shea butter, silkflo, and vitamin E increased type I procollagen synthesis, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, decreased reactive oxygen species generation, and promoted hyaluronic acid production in H2O2-stimulated human keratinocyte cells compared to untreated cells.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019
Why other moisturizers fit skin with dark spots better
Niacinamide significantly decreased hyperpigmentation and increased skin lightness compared with vehicle alone after 4 weeks of use in women by inhibiting melanosome transfer.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Topical oxidized glutathione significantly decreases the skin melanin index and improves moisture content, smoothness, wrinkle formation, and elasticity compared to placebo in healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2014Topical application of Lactobacillus plantarum-GMNL6 enhanced collagen synthesis and SPTSSA gene expression while reducing melanin synthesis, Staphylococcus aureus biofilm, and Cutibacterium acnes proliferation, leading to clinical improvements in skin moisture, color, spots, wrinkles, UV spots, and porphyrins in human volunteers.
International Journal of Medical Sciences, 2021
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Behenyl Alcohol, Betaine, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Tri-C14-15 Alkyl Citrate, Stearic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetearyl Olivate, Rice Extract, Octyldodecyl Lactate, Diisostearyl Malate, Rice Bran Oil, Ceramide Np, Glycosphingolipids, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Sorbitan Olivate, Peg-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Isoceteth-25, Isoceteth-10, Dimethicone Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Polyacrylate-13, Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Lecithin, Trisodium Edta, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Salicylate, Citronellol, Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Linalool
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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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