Why you need to add Japanese Rice Oil to your beauty routine

Product photography by Perkin Gotohio / This story is brought to you by Pantene

Asian beauty is rich in ingredients derived from nature. Here in the Philippines, coconut oil, aloe vera and papaya are used in a wide array of products. K-Beauty products, which are also widely available, contain a lot of green tea, ginseng and centella extract.

The Japanese love their skincare too and it shows. Their secret ingredient? As it turns out, it’s rice! You might be familiar with sake-infused skincare. There’s also rice oil, which is produced by extracting oil from the hull of rice grains. This rice oil is used in a lot of beauty products in Japan. In fact, you can even purchase pure Japanese rice oil essence to fully reap its multitude of benefits!

Japanese rice oil is rich in nutrients like Vitamin B, Vitamin E, omega fatty acids, squalene, and CoEnzyme Q10. When applied topically, Japanese rice oil has antioxidant properties and helps brighten the complexion. It also hydrates the skin and helps soothe irritation but is lightweight and easily absorbed by the skin.

The use of Japanese rice oil is deeply embedded in Japanese culture. Even centuries ago, geishas used Japanese rice oil to wash their hair. It was important for them to keep their hair long and healthy so it could be styled into their iconic, elaborate hairstyles. Geishas knew about the nourishing capabilities and anti-aging benefits that rice had to help achieve and maintain long and healthy hair. They also used Japanese rice oil to wash their faces and even used the water leftover from washing rice for their baths.

Japanese rice oil is so dense in nutrients but it is hardly ever found in hair products in the market. Pantene, a brand that is always innovating, took an old favorite, the Pantene Total Damage Care Shampoo and infused it with Japanese rice oil essence, to become Pantene Long Hair Solutions Total Damage Care Shampoo, providing intense nourishment to repair damaged hair. I remember using the old products before and was impressed with them. They intensively moisturized and helped repair my dry, frizzy, damaged hair!

Now, these already great products are getting an upgrade with the addition of Japanese rice oil essence.  When used on the hair, Japanese rice oil moisturizes and softens without feeling heavy nor greasy. The vitamins B and E nourish, strengthen and relieve dry and damaged hair while the antioxidant properties help prevent hair damage. Japanese rice oil essence is rich in tocotrienol, a much more potent form of vitamin E as opposed to tocopherol, the common form of vitamin E. Tocotrienol actually has 50x the anti-aging benefit of tocopherol, so hair is protected from damage. Also, because of its high burning point, Japanese rice oil essence helps protect the hair against heat, which is another cause of hair damage. It also helps promote good scalp health because of its soothing properties. All this nourishment, moisture and protection keeps hair healthy and helps prevent hair damage before it even starts.

A lot of other shampoos merely cleanse the hair and scalp, but Pantene Long Hair Solutions Total Damage Care Shampoo goes the extra mile. Because of the infusion of Japanese rice oil essence, the hair is already hydrated and protected from hair damage even before applying conditioner. And when your hair is protected from damage, you can grow your hair longer. Together with the Pantene 3 Minute Miracle Total Damage Care Conditioner, the Pantene Total Damage Care System will help hair stay damage-proof so you can grow long and healthy hair!

Pantene is available in leading supermarkets and department stores. It is also available online on Shopee and Lazada.