Skip to content
be sonatural, Face masks, read from the back

Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract

Licorice

Well toleratedBotanicalsoothingbrighteningantioxidanthumectant

No meaningful concern for most people; irritation is possible but rare.

Also written as: Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate · Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract · Glycyrrhiza Glabra Rhizome/Root Extract · Glycyrrhiza Uralensis Root Extract · Glabridin · Licorice Extract · Glycyrrhizic Acid · Glycyrrhetinic Acid

What it is

Licorice root extract contains two useful families of compounds: glabridin and related flavonoids, which interfere with pigment production, and glycyrrhizin, a saponin with anti-inflammatory activity. Dipotassium glycyrrhizate is a purified, water-soluble potassium salt of glycyrrhizic acid used specifically as a soothing agent and humectant, and appears on packs in its own right. Formulators use whole-root extract for brightening and the purified salt for calming redness.

What it does well

  • Calms redness and irritation

    Glycyrrhizin and its salts have well-characterised anti-inflammatory activity and dipotassium glycyrrhizate is a standard soothing agent in products for reactive skin. Most supporting data comes from small studies and lab work rather than large trials.

    Moderate evidence

  • Gradually softens dark marks and uneven tone

    Glabridin inhibits tyrosinase, the enzyme that drives pigment production. A 40-woman open-label study of a gel containing glabridin plus two other actives showed significant improvement in epidermal melasma, but it had no placebo arm and the effect cannot be attributed to licorice alone.

    Limited evidence

  • Adds mild antioxidant and humectant properties

    Licorice flavonoids scavenge free radicals in laboratory assays, and the glycyrrhizate salts hold water at the skin surface.

    Limited evidence

Worth knowing

  • Brightening effect is slow and subtle

    Licorice is a gentle tyrosinase inhibitor, not a bleaching agent. Expect gradual softening of marks over months, not the effect of a prescription treatment.

    Matters most toAnyone buying a licorice product expecting rapid results on melasma or post-acne marks.

  • Rare contact allergy

    Allergic reactions to topical licorice are uncommon but reported. The systemic effects associated with eating large amounts of licorice - raised blood pressure and low potassium - are not a recognised risk from cosmetic use on the skin.

    Matters most toPeople with a known legume (Fabaceae) or licorice sensitivity.

Where the EU stands

No specific restriction

No EU concentration limit or annex restriction. Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract, glycyrrhizic acid, glycyrrhetinic acid and dipotassium glycyrrhizate all appear in the EU cosmetic ingredient database without a restriction entry.

source ↗

Sources (1)

Every link goes to the original: a journal, a PubMed record or an EU document.

  1. [1]
    A new proprietary gel containing glabridin, andrographolide, and apolactoferrin improves the appearance of epidermal melasma in adult women

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology · 2020 · doi:10.1111/jocd.13161

    All endpoints improved significantly from baseline in 40 women with epidermal melasma, but the study was an uncontrolled open-label pilot of a three-active gel and the authors called for placebo-controlled confirmation.

Masks that contain Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract