Ingredient Spotlight: Licorice

Ingredient Spotlight · Plant Active

The Licorice

The root that evens skin tone. Used in skincare for its brightening and soothing properties, licorice helps even out the complexion and calm irritation.

The portrait of a sweet root, as loved in candy as in skincare.

BrighteningSoothingEveningCalmingAntioxidant
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Common name
Licorice, glycyrrhizin, licorice root extract.
INCI name
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate.
Family, type
Fabaceae (legumes); glycyrrhizin salt, a brightening and soothing active from the root.
Found in nature
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) grows in Southern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East; it's the long, fibrous root that's used.
How it's obtained
Extraction from the dried root, then purification of glycyrrhizin as a potassium salt, which is more stable and soluble.
Typical concentration
0.1% to 2%.
Organoleptic properties
Appearance: pale yellow powder or solution; Scent: neutral, slightly sweet in its raw state.
Physical characteristics
Water-soluble; glycyrrhizin inhibits tyrosinase, the key enzyme in melanin production, which explains its use in care designed to even out skin tone1,2.
Benefits
Brightening, soothing, calming, antioxidant, evening.
Cosmetic indications
Skin prone to redness or irritation, especially after shaving; uneven skin tone.

Did you know?A little history

Licorice root has been used since ancient Egypt, where it was consumed for its soothing, digestive virtues.

Its main active compound, glycyrrhizin, is now one of the most studied brightening ingredients in dermocosmetics, particularly for its action on tyrosinase, the enzyme that triggers melanin production1.

Yon-Ka uses it in Men's Foam Scrub, to support the daily shaving routine.

General useOne root, two worlds

The same licorice root is found in candy, where it naturally sweetens, and in skincare, where its glycyrrhizin works on pigmentation and visible irritation. Two very different uses of the same plant2.

Dipotassium glycyrrhizate: this somewhat technical INCI name simply refers to the potassium salt of glycyrrhizin, licorice's active molecule, chosen for its better stability in formulas.

Cosmetic useIts properties on skin

  • BrighteningIt inhibits tyrosinase and helps even out skin tone1.
  • SoothingIt calms discomfort, especially after shaving.
  • CalmingIts compounds reduce the visible signs of irritation2.
  • AntioxidantIt helps protect skin from oxidative stress.
  • EveningWith regular use, it softens irregularities in skin tone.

FormulationLicorice at Yon-Ka

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Glycyrrhizin salt

A soothing active in Men's Foam Scrub, paired with iris and seaweed, designed to support the daily shaving routine without irritation.

Men's Foam Scrub

In cosmeticsUses

  • Exfoliating cleansers;
  • Aftershave and men's care.

The Yon-Ka approach

In Men's Foam Scrub, licorice complements iris's soothing action: two actives that prepare the skin for shaving, one of the main causes of irritation in men.

The science of the active, the sensoriality of the plant.

How to useAdding it to your ritual

  1. 2 to 3 times a week
    Men's Foam Scrub on damp skin, with a gentle massage, then rinse.

Good to knowStorage and precautions

A stable active; close your tube tightly.

Well tolerated at the concentrations used in skincare. Not to be confused with eating licorice, which isn't recommended in excess, especially with high blood pressure: this precaution does not apply to topical use2.

Go furtherSources

  1. PubMed search on glycyrrhizin and its brightening and soothing action on skin. PubMed
  2. COSMILE Europe (Cosmetics Europe), cosmetic ingredient database, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate. cosmileeurope.eu
Selection

Our licorice treatment

The Yon-Ka formula where licorice is a key ingredient.

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