Who is this humble-looking root on the photo? It doesn’t look all that special, but in skin care, it is!

licorice candyThis is licorice, otherwise known as Glycyrrhiza glabra (its Latin botanical name), which is the most common species used in skincare.

Licorice is one of my favorite skin care ingredients, something I actively look for in skin care products.

By the way, when you see licorice in skin care, it has nothing to do with the candy! Licorice in skin care comes from the licorice plant.

Why Is Licorice So Great In Skin Care?

licorice plantThree very good reasons:

#1 – Licorice is an excellent anti-inflammatory ingredient. It contains a number of soothing phytochemicals. The most potent ones are called the glycyrrhizates.

#2 – Licorice is an excellent brightening ingredient.

#3 – Licorice is an excellent antioxidant.

 

Licorice Comes in Different Forms

licorice root in pileLicorice as an ingredient can be either water-soluble or oil-soluble.

The water-soluble form is the one that reduces inflammation.

The oil-soluble form of licorice is used for de-pigmenting skin.

A. Reducing Inflammation

Licorice is one of the best anti-inflammatory ingredients you can find in skin care today. (One of my other favorite anti-inflammatory ingredients is Sea Whip).

The glycyrrhizates mentioned above are the water-soluble form of licorice.

For example, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate is the standard in the industry for reducing inflammation. It works by reducing one of the MMP enzymes (hyaluronidase) that break down healthy issue during inflammation.

Licochalcone is another compound from licorice (oil-soluble) from the species Glycyrrhiza inflata. This has oil-controlling and sebum-reducing properties, along with being anti-inflammatory, which make it good for treating acne. In fact, it has tested as superior to Benzoyl Peroxide.

B. De-Pigmenting Skin

One of the oil-soluble compounds in Glycyrrhiza glabra extract, called glabridin, is a strong tyrosinase inhibitor.

What this means is that it inhibits the key enzyme, tyrosinase, that catalyzes the pigmentation process. Without that enzyme starting the process, pigment doesn’t get produced.

Glycyrrhiza glabra is 25 times stronger than Kojic acid, another brightening ingredient, and 75 times stronger than Ascorbic acid, the acidic form of Vitamin C that is used in many brightening treatments.

C. Antioxidant

Licorice also happens to be an extremely good antioxidant.

You don’t see this in skin care as often as other antioxidants. And that’s because it is very difficult to formulate (stabilize in a product). Strong antioxidants are highly unstable. The stronger an antioxidant, the more difficult it is to stabilize.

Licorice also has some UV absorbing capability.

 

Who Is Licorice Good For?

licorice plant drawingEveryone! Why everyone? Because we ALL have chronic inflammation. Even if we can’t see any visible irritation on our skin, there is a low amount of underlying inflammation inside our skin that is due to many different factors, such as our environment, diet, and lifestyle.

Using skin care products with anti-inflammatory ingredients is beneficial to everyone. Not just people with sensitive or irritated skin. Inflammation is one of the main causes of aging.

Licorice is also a great ingredient if you have acne or experience the occasional breakout. Breakouts are partly due to inflammation. So if you can control the inflammation, that’s half the battle.

And, if you have discoloration or spots on your skin, licorice will help fade them. Who among us doesn’t have any discoloration? Pigmentation becomes more common as we age. So again, a brightening ingredient in your skin care product is an added bonus.

And last but not least, a blend of antioxidants are essential in your skin care routine. Not just one, two or three. But a blend. The more, the better. (More on that here)

 

How to Identify Licorice On the Ingredient Label

Licorice will appear on ingredient labels in different forms. In most cases, the manufacturer will spell out “licorice” in parentheses beside the Latin botanical name (which it is required to present on a label). Sometimes the simple English word isn’t spelled out, so you have to look for the chemical name.

The most common forms you will encounter are:

Glycyrrhiza glabra

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Words ending in “Glycyrrhizate”

Glabridin

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