Licorice root

The Clarity Summary

Licorice root extract comes from the roots of Glycyrrhiza glabra and related species, used medicinally across several traditions for centuries. In skincare, it offers a dual benefit that is unusual among botanical ingredients: it has meaningful comfort-supporting properties, and it also contributes to a more even skin tone over time. That combination — calm plus tone — is what earns licorice root its Green List position as a quietly useful ingredient in reactive-skin formulas.

For Skincare Clarity, licorice root is not a hero ingredient, but it is one of the more intelligent botanical inclusions on an INCI list when it appears alongside other well-chosen components.

What is licorice root?

Licorice root is derived from the roots of several related plants in the Glycyrrhiza family — most commonly Glycyrrhiza glabra (European licorice) and Glycyrrhiza uralensis (Chinese licorice). The extract has been used in traditional medicine systems across Europe, China, and parts of the Middle East for centuries, and entered modern skincare through a combination of dermatological research and K-beauty formulation, where it is widely used in tone-evening products.

On INCI lists, licorice root appears under several different names depending on which part of the extract has been used:

• Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract or Glycyrrhiza Uralensis Root Extract — the broader extract
• Licorice Root Extract — a more general label
• Glycyrrhetinic Acid — an isolated active compound, more focused on comfort support
• Glabridin — another isolated compound, more focused on tone-evening effects
• Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate — a water-soluble derivative, commonly included in hydrating formulas

What makes licorice root distinctive is that these different compounds do different jobs. The glycyrrhetinic acid fraction is more associated with calming and comfort. The glabridin fraction is more associated with supporting a more even skin tone. A well-built licorice-based product may use a whole-extract form to benefit from both, or may isolate one compound to focus on a specific effect.

This is unusual for a botanical comfort ingredient. Most calming botanicals do one job; licorice root is doing two, with some overlap between them.

Why licorice root matters for sensitive and reactive skin

Licorice root’s real value emerges in a specific kind of reactive skin: reactive and tone-concerned at the same time. This is more common than most beauty content acknowledges. Skin that flares, gets warm, or marks easily after blemishes is often also the skin that ends up with lingering post-inflammatory discolouration — and the standard advice (use a brightening active) can aggravate the underlying reactivity, while the gentler advice (use a calming ingredient) does nothing about the marks left behind.

Licorice root is especially useful when skin feels:

• reactive but also prone to marks after blemishes or flares
• unsettled by stronger brightening actives like vitamin C in concentrated form
• drawn to K-beauty-style tone-evening formulas but concerned about sensitivity
• in need of a comfort ingredient that also contributes to visible tone improvement over time

The honest case for licorice root is as a gentle tone-supporting ingredient for users who want brightness support without building the whole routine around a stronger active. In most formulas it is supporting cast rather than lead actor, but that supporting role is exactly where it can be useful for reactive skin.

Licorice root pairs well with panthenol for additional comfort, with ceramides for barrier support during the slow tone-evening process, and with niacinamide where both ingredients can contribute complementary effects in a well-formulated product.

Calm and tone — a useful pairing

Most ingredients in skincare specialise. Humectants hydrate, emollients soften, acids exfoliate, retinoids restructure. Licorice root’s dual role is unusual — and worth understanding properly, because it changes how the ingredient fits into a routine.

For readers whose primary concern is tone, licorice root sits in the supporting cast rather than as a lead actor. Stronger, evidence-backed tone-correcting ingredients will do the heavier work, and licorice root contributes gentleness alongside them. For readers whose primary concern is reactivity with tone as a secondary worry, licorice root can take a more central position — particularly in formulas where more aggressive brighteners are not well tolerated.

The practical way to think about it: licorice root is one of the few ingredients where the ‘calming and brightening’ marketing language is not a gimmick. It is an accurate description of what the different licorice compounds do. Whether the effect is meaningful for your specific skin depends on the formula, the concentration, and how much work you are expecting the ingredient to do — but the claim itself is honest, which is not always the case in botanical skincare.

Is licorice root good for sensitive skin? The Clarity Verdict

Licorice root is a Green List ingredient with a narrower but genuine place in the library. We value it most in serums and moisturisers aimed at reactive skin with tone concerns, in K-beauty-inspired formulas that balance comfort and brightening, and in recovery products where gentle tone support alongside soothing is useful.

If your reactive skin also struggles with post-inflammatory marks, lingering redness, or mild uneven tone — and stronger brightening actives have been too much — licorice root is one of the better ingredients to look for in a well-built formula. It will not replace a proper brightening routine for users who can tolerate one, but for users who cannot, it is among the more useful alternatives available.

How to use licorice root

Products featuring licorice root

Related ingredients