Black Rice Moisture 5.5 Soft Cleansing Gel + Black Rice Hyaluronic Anti-Wrinkle Serum

Why these two together

We did not set out to review a brand. We set out with two bottles that keep getting replaced when they run out, and they happen to come from the same line. Reviewing them as a pair is the honest unit, because that is how they get used: the gel at the sink, the serum thirty seconds later.

They also make a useful point. People talk about brands as if a brand has a single formulation philosophy. These two are from the same range, share the same hero ingredient, and differ on fragrance ingredients. That is enough to make a brand-wide claim such as “this line is fragrance-free” unreliable.

The cleanser: Black Rice Moisture 5.5 Soft Cleansing Gel

100 ml; $17 on the manufacturer’s product page, checked August 12, 2026.

This is the one we have no reservations about.

It is a clear gel that emulsifies into a low, soft lather. The manufacturer describes the surfactant system as soap-free and coconut-derived; its current published list includes coco-betaine, potassium cocoyl glycinate and potassium cocoate, and the product page specifies pH 5.5. Those are label facts, not proof of a universal result. In our use, it rinses without the tight, squeaky finish we dislike. Skin feels soft and slightly cushioned, with no film.

The supporting cast is the same black rice story as the rest of the line: Aspergillus ferment and Oryza sativa extract, bamboo shoot bark extract, beta-glucan, ginseng root extract, glycerin and trehalose. We do not credit those rinse-off ingredients for the experience we observed; the mild-feeling cleansing system is the reason we keep using it.

We did not run a controlled removal test against long-wear makeup or multiple sunscreens, so this review cannot tell you that it replaces a dedicated first cleanse. We use it for the cleansing job described here, not as proof that it removes every film-forming product.

And the detail we appreciate most: the manufacturer calls it unscented and fragrance-free. Its current published ingredient list contains no parfum or essential oil. That does not make it reaction-proof; it does make the label different from the serum below.

The serum: Black Rice Hyaluronic Anti-Wrinkle Serum

50 ml; official pages showed $27 on the global product page and $32 on the U.S. product page, checked August 12, 2026.

Thin, watery, and fast. It moves more like an essence than the milky serum some listings describe, and it disappears into damp skin without any tack. There is no waiting around before the next step and nothing for sunscreen to pill against. For 50 ml at this price, the bottle also lasts, because you need very little of it to cover a face.

Here is what the current official label and product page actually support:

• Oryza sativa (rice) extract — the brand publishes 10,000 ppm rice extract, 2,000 ppm bamboo shoot bark extract, and 2,000 ppm hyaluronic acid.
• Adenosine — listed in the formula. We did not isolate it or measure wrinkle change, so its presence is not proof that this finished serum changes wrinkles.
• Hyaluronic acid, glycerin, beta-glucan — listed humectant ingredients. Our own observation is hydration and comfortable feel, not an ingredient- specific effect.
• Camellia japonica seed oil, lecithin, caprylic/capric triglyceride — the reason it feels slightly richer than a pure water serum despite being thin.
• Tocopherol and ginseng root extract — both appear on the published list; this review did not isolate either one.

Now the caveat: the serum’s published list contains Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) oil, linalool and limonene. It also lists alcohol near the end, but the list does not disclose its concentration. No parfum is listed, yet lavender oil is still a fragrance ingredient. DermNet documents lavender contact allergy, and a patch-test study found that oxidation products of linalool and linalyl acetate can be potent contact sensitizers (DermNet, PubMed). That does not predict an individual reaction; it is a concrete reason for someone with known fragrance allergy or a fragrance-avoidant routine to skip this serum.

Set expectations on the name, too. We did not conduct wrinkle measurements and cannot attribute our experience to adenosine or any other single ingredient. We rate this as a hydrating serum with a texture we enjoy, not as proof of the “anti-wrinkle” claim.

Who these are for

• The cleanser: people looking for the low-lather, no-added-scent experience described above. We cannot promise universal suitability, including for every person who identifies their skin as sensitive.
• The serum: people who like a thin, non-tacky hydrating layer and are not avoiding fragrance ingredients.
• People who want a short routine. Cleanser, serum, moisturiser, sunscreen is a complete routine, and two of those four are covered here well.

Who should skip them

• Anyone with a known fragrance allergy or a fragrance-avoidant routine should skip the serum. Keep the decision product-specific: the cleanser’s published list differs, but no label makes a product universally safe.
• Anyone buying specifically for exfoliation or visible tone change. Neither label lists a retinoid, AHA or BHA treatment active; citric acid does appear in the cleanser’s ingredient list, so “contains no acids” would be inaccurate.
• Anyone wanting a proven one-step removal cleanser for every sunscreen or long-wear makeup product. We did not test that claim here.

The verdict

The cleanser is a 5 in our routine. It feels mild, the manufacturer specifies pH 5.5, its published list has no parfum or essential oil, and there is nothing we would change about our experience. It gets rebought without thinking.

The serum is a 4, and would be a 5 for us without the lavender oil. Its texture works beautifully in our routine; the fragrance ingredients make it an obvious skip for readers who avoid them.

Together they make the point better than a brand score could: a pleasant result from one bottle does not transfer to every formula under the logo. Read each product’s current label.