Camargue Rice: A Rich Source of Gamma Oryzanol Fostered by the Rhône River

Camargue is a region in the Provence area of France, located between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the Rhône delta. Western Europe’s largest river delta, the Camargue is a vast plain comprised of large brine lagoons, which are separated from the sea by sandbars and encircled by reed-covered marshes. These are, in turn, surrounded by large cultivated areas which yield important products such as Camargue rice.

Camargue rice provides 1/3 of France’s annual rice consumption, reducing imports and their associated carbon footprint. The fresh water from the rice fields feeds marshes and reed beds, which are natural habitats for more than 400 bird species. This water also controls the harmful impacts of salt on other plantations, enabling the growth of other Camargue products such as grasses, forage crops, cereals, and apples.

Prior to human consumption, rice needs to be milled to separate husk and bran. These are normally treated as agricultural byproducts with low economical value. However, the bran from Camargue rice is rich in many families of antioxidants, such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins/proanthocyanins, tocopherols/tocotrienols (vitamin E), phytic acid, and gamma oryzanol.

To recover these antioxidants from Camargue rice bran, we have developed a specific extraction process using supercritical CO₂ as the main extraction media and natural ethanol as the co-extractant. We have further optimised the processing pressure and temperature to maximise the yield of gamma oryzanol, resulting in a powerful skincare active product in our ProActive® line.

Gamma oryzanol is a mixture of ferulic acid esters of phytosterols and triterpenoids. Specifically, three major components—cycloartenyl ferulate, 24-methylenecycloartanyl ferulate, and campesteryl ferulate—account for about 80% of gamma oryzanol. Minor constituents include stigmastenyl ferulate, stigmasteryl ferulate, campestenyl ferulate, sitostenyl ferulate, sitosteryl ferulate, compestanyl ferulate, and sitostanyl ferulate. Gamma oryzanol has been used to treat menopausal symptoms, mild anxiety, stomach upset, and high cholesterol. It is sold as a common food and sports supplement as well.

The ProActive® product derived from Camargue rice contains the complete families of antioxidants with enhanced levels of gamma oryzanol. Proscien’s patent-pending delivery technology enables effective and precise placement of these active molecules on the skin. Our Camargue rice ProActive® product has been proven to greatly enhance sun protection performance when suitably incorporated into a skincare or suncare formulation.