Licorice Extract: Brightening, Skin Calming & Even Tone Benefits

Science Reviewed · Boldpurity Science Team

Last reviewed · August 2026

Quick Answer

Licorice extract is a well-regarded plant ingredient used to support the appearance of a more even, comfortable-looking complexion. Its most-studied compound is glabridin.

The thing almost nobody mentions: "licorice extract" is not one material. The common water-soluble root extract is rich in glycyrrhizin, while glabridin is lipophilic and comes from a different fraction entirely.

So "Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract" on an ingredient list tells you very little — which is the main reason results vary so much between products.

★ Key Facts

Glabridin is lipophilic — not water-soluble, unlike the common root extract.
The INCI name doesn't tell you which fraction you have, or how much glabridin is in it.
Glycyrrhetinic acid is the better-evidenced soothing component.
Most evidence is laboratory work, not controlled trials on human faces.
It is genuinely well tolerated — that is its real advantage over harsher options.
Sun protection outranks it entirely for the appearance of uneven tone.
Oral licorice is a different matter — glycyrrhizin can raise blood pressure.
Melasma needs medical care, not a botanical extract alone.

Licorice appears in nearly every product marketed for uneven tone, and it is a reasonable ingredient. But the way it is usually described skips the one detail that determines whether a given product contains anything useful.

In this article

Why "licorice extract" is ambiguous
The compounds that matter
What the evidence actually supports
How to use it sensibly
How it compares
Safety, including oral licorice
Frequently asked questions

Why "Licorice Extract" Is Ambiguous

Most ingredient guides treat licorice extract as a single substance. It is not, and the difference is the whole story.

Two different materials, one INCI name

The water-soluble root extract is the common, inexpensive form. It is rich in glycyrrhizin and related saponins — the compounds responsible for licorice's sweetness and much of its soothing reputation.

Glabridin is a different animal. It is a lipophilic isoflavan, poorly soluble in water, concentrated in a fat-soluble fraction that requires separate extraction — and it is the compound behind essentially all the tone-related research.

Both may appear on a label as Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract. A cheap water extract in a toner and a standardised glabridin-rich material in a serum are chemically different products with the same ingredient name.

The practical consequence. If licorice sits near the bottom of an ingredient list in a watery formula, it is probably contributing very little glabridin. Products that have paid for a standardised, glabridin-rich material generally say so — a percentage, a named standardisation, or the compound itself on the label. Vagueness usually indicates the cheap fraction.

This also explains the wild variation in reported results. People are comparing experiences with materials that share a name and little else.

The Compounds That Matter

Compound	Solubility	What it's associated with
Glabridin	Lipophilic	The tone-related research, including the foundational work by Yokota and colleagues.
Glycyrrhizin / glycyrrhetinic acid	Water-soluble	The best-evidenced soothing component, and the one behind licorice's traditional use for irritated skin.
Isoliquiritigenin, glabrene	Varies	Studied alongside glabridin in laboratory tyrosinase work.

Glycyrrhetinic acid deserves more credit than it usually gets here. Most articles attribute licorice's calming reputation to minor flavonoids, but the saponin fraction is what has actually been used and studied for irritated skin — and conveniently, it is in the cheap water-soluble extract. A basic licorice water extract may do more for comfort than for tone, which is a perfectly good reason to have it in a formula.

What The Evidence Actually Supports

Being straight about this matters, because licorice is frequently presented as though it had the evidence base of a prescription treatment.

The foundational work is laboratory research. Yokota and colleagues, publishing in Pigment Cell Research in 1998, described glabridin's effects on pigment-producing cells and on inflammatory markers. That paper is genuinely important and it is why the ingredient is in your products. It is also cell-based work, not a controlled trial on human faces.

What that does and doesn't establish

Cell-culture findings show a compound can affect a pathway under controlled conditions at a given concentration. They do not establish that a cosmetic containing that compound will produce a visible change on skin — which depends on how much is present, whether it penetrates, and whether it remains stable in the formula.

Good human trials on topical licorice exist but are small and few. Treat licorice as a reasonable, well-tolerated supporting ingredient — not as an equivalent to established prescription options.

And one thing outranks it comfortably. For the appearance of uneven tone, daily sun protection does more than any brightening ingredient, because UV and visible light continue driving pigment production the whole time. On medium-to-deep skin a tinted formula also covers visible light, which SPF and PA ratings do not measure. A licorice serum without daily sun protection is working against an open tap.

How To Use It Sensibly

Twice daily is fine. Licorice is not an exfoliant and does not sensitise skin to sunlight, so there is no need to restrict frequency the way you would with acids or retinoids.
It layers with essentially anything. Unlike some actives it has no pH conflict of consequence and pairs comfortably with vitamin C, niacinamide, azelaic acid or retinoids.
Give it three months before judging. Pigment change is slow because it depends on cell turnover carrying pigmented cells to the surface. Anything faster than several weeks is unlikely to be the licorice.
Use it as a buffer, not just a brightener. Its best practical role for many people is alongside a harsher active, where it contributes comfort — the thing that makes an irritating routine sustainable.
Pair it with sun protection or skip it. This is not a formality; without it you are unlikely to see anything.

A note on marks left by spots

On medium-to-deep skin, the dark marks left after a spot heals are frequently the more lasting concern than the spot itself. Licorice is reasonable supporting care — but the most effective thing is preventing new inflammation, which means treating the underlying breakouts and not picking. A brightening ingredient applied while new marks keep forming is bailing out a boat with the tap running.

How It Compares

Ingredient	Evidence base	Tolerance
Licorice / glabridin	Mostly laboratory; few human trials	Very good
Azelaic acid	Substantial clinical evidence	Good; some initial tingling
Vitamin C	Good, though formulation-dependent	Variable at higher strengths
Niacinamide	Reasonable clinical support	Very good
Retinoids	Strong, long-established	Requires adjustment period

The honest placement: licorice is the gentlest option on that list and the one with the least human evidence behind it. Those two facts are related — gentle ingredients attract less clinical investment. If you tolerate stronger options, they will likely do more; if you don't, licorice is a sensible place to be, and being able to use something consistently for a year beats abandoning something stronger in a fortnight.

Safety, Including Oral Licorice

Topically, licorice has a good safety record. Contact allergy is possible, as with any botanical, but uncommon. It does not increase sun sensitivity. Patch test anything new, particularly if your skin is reactive.

Eating licorice is a different matter

Because articles like this one praise licorice, some readers reasonably wonder about taking it internally. Do not treat topical safety as evidence of oral safety.

Glycyrrhizin, consumed regularly in quantity, can cause a condition resembling excess aldosterone — raising blood pressure and lowering potassium, which matters a great deal for anyone with hypertension, heart or kidney conditions, or in pregnancy. Cases of serious harm from heavy licorice consumption are documented. Any question about oral licorice belongs with a doctor, not a skincare article.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: topical cosmetic use at normal concentrations is not generally considered a concern, but anyone pregnant or breastfeeding should check any new product with their own doctor, who knows their situation.

And melasma warrants saying clearly. It is a genuine medical condition, frequently hormonal, and it recurs. Licorice may support the appearance of affected skin, but melasma benefits from dermatologist-led care — and rigorous sun protection is more decisive than any single ingredient.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do different licorice products give such different results?

Because "licorice extract" covers more than one material. The common water-soluble root extract is rich in glycyrrhizin, while glabridin — the compound behind the tone research — is lipophilic and comes from a separate fraction. Both can appear on a label as Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract, so you may be comparing chemically different products sharing one ingredient name.

How do I tell which one a product contains?

Look for specifics. Brands paying for a standardised glabridin-rich material usually say so — a stated percentage, a named standardisation, or glabridin itself on the label. Licorice appearing vaguely near the end of an ingredient list in a watery formula is more likely the inexpensive water extract, which may do more for comfort than for tone.

How strong is the evidence?

Moderate, and mostly laboratory-based. The foundational work by Yokota and colleagues in 1998 examined glabridin's effects on pigment-producing cells — genuinely important, and cell-based rather than a controlled trial on faces. Good human trials on topical licorice are small and few. It is a reasonable supporting ingredient, not an equivalent to established prescription options.

How long before I see anything?

Give it around three months. Pigment change is inherently slow, since it depends on cell turnover carrying pigmented cells to the surface, and no topical shortcuts that. Anything dramatic within days is not the licorice. And without daily sun protection alongside it, you may see nothing at all — UV keeps driving pigment production the whole time.

Can I use it with vitamin C, retinoids or acids?

Yes — licorice is among the least troublesome ingredients to combine. No pH conflict of consequence, no exfoliation, no photosensitivity. Its most useful role for many people is actually as a companion to a harsher active, contributing comfort and making an otherwise irritating routine sustainable.

Is licorice safe to eat if it's this good for skin?

Topical safety says nothing about oral safety. Glycyrrhizin consumed regularly in quantity can cause a condition resembling excess aldosterone — raising blood pressure and lowering potassium — which matters particularly for anyone with hypertension, heart or kidney conditions, or in pregnancy. Documented cases of serious harm exist. Ask a doctor, not a skincare article.

Will it help my melasma?

It may support the appearance of affected skin, but melasma is a genuine medical condition, frequently hormonal, and it recurs. It benefits from dermatologist-led care rather than a botanical extract alone — and rigorous daily sun protection, ideally tinted to cover visible light as well, is more decisive than any single ingredient you could add.

Does licorice help dark marks left by spots?

It is reasonable supporting care, and on medium-to-deep skin those marks are often the more lasting concern. But the most effective step is preventing new inflammation — treating the underlying breakouts and not picking — because applying a brightening ingredient while new marks keep forming makes very little headway.

The Bottom Line

Licorice is a genuinely well-tolerated supporting ingredient — but "licorice extract" names two different materials, and only the lipophilic glabridin fraction carries the tone research. Evidence is mostly laboratory-based, so treat it as support rather than a treatment. Sun protection matters more. And topical safety says nothing about eating it.

References

Yokota T, Nishio H, Kubota Y, Mizoguchi M. The inhibitory effect of glabridin from licorice extracts on melanogenesis and inflammation. Pigment Cell Research. 1998;11(6):355–361.
Nerya O, Vaya J, Musa R, Izrael S, Ben-Arie R, Tamir S. Glabrene and isoliquiritigenin as tyrosinase inhibitors from licorice roots. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2003;51(5):1201–1207.
Saeedi M, Morteza-Semnani K, Ghoreishi MR. The treatment of atopic dermatitis with licorice gel. Journal of Dermatological Treatment. 2003;14(3):153–157.
Omar HR, Komarova I, El-Ghonemi M, et al. Licorice abuse: time to send a warning message. Therapeutic Advances in Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2012;3(4):125–138.
Davis EC, Callender VD. Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation: a review of the epidemiology, clinical features, and treatment options in skin of color. Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology. 2010;3(7):20–31.

Note to editor — read before publishing. The previous version carried a badge reading "25+ Peer-Reviewed References · Cited throughout". Nothing was cited anywhere in the body, and of the 25 entries only one could be verified. Several were impossible on their own terms — one dated 1991 but citing a journal volume corresponding to 2003, one on "Seasonal Acanthosis Nigricans and Licorice" which has no bearing on this subject, and several naming journals that do not exist under those titles. The Nerya entry was a real paper with the wrong title and page range. The entire list has been replaced with a short verified set and the badge removed. Do not restore any previous entry without independent verification — a long list of unverifiable citations is a greater credibility risk than a short honest one. The Kwanich, Sugimoto, Lim and Oh entries in particular should be checked against PubMed if you wish to cite human trial data; if any prove genuine, they would strengthen the evidence section materially.

Important: This article is produced by Boldpurity for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Descriptions of glabridin, glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhetinic acid and pigment biology describe published research about those compounds and general skin biology, not the effect of any product. No lightening, whitening, depigmenting, brightening-as-treatment, anti-inflammatory or disease-treatment effect is claimed, and no Boldpurity product is recommended in this article; licorice, vitamin C, niacinamide, azelaic acid, retinoids and sunscreens are referred to as general ingredient categories. Cosmetic references relate to the appearance and feel of the skin. Oral licorice is not addressed by the topical safety information here: regular consumption of glycyrrhizin can raise blood pressure and lower potassium, and questions about ingesting licorice should be directed to a doctor, particularly for anyone with hypertension, heart or kidney conditions, or who is pregnant. Melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation are medical conditions that should be assessed by a qualified dermatologist. Botanical extracts can cause contact sensitisation — patch test before use. Aligned with the India CDSCO cosmetic framework, the Cosmetics Rules 2020 and the ASCI Code 2021. Results may vary.

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