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Licorice in Perfumery | Première Peau

Q: Is Licorice natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: CO2 extraction or solvent extraction of dried Glycyrrhiza glabra roots produces a dark, viscous extract. Steam distillation yields minimal essential oil. The CO2 extract preserves the full anethole-glycyrrhizin profile. Major production in Turkey, Iran, and China, where licorice root has been harvested for millennia..

SPICES / sweet · woody · earthy

Licorice

Category	SPICES
Subcategory	sweet · woody · earthy
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Glycyrrhiza glabra
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber liquid
Odor Strength	High
Producing Countries	China, Turkey, Iran, Spain, Italy, Russia, India
Pyramid	Heart

Sweet, anisic, dark. Glycyrrhiza glabra root — 50 times sweeter than sugar, with a dense, herbal-anise character and a faint woody bitterness.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery
See Also

Scent

Sweet, anisic, with a dark rooty-woody undertone and a faint bitterness. Denser and darker than anise seed, less green than fennel, with a specific leguminous earthiness. The glycyrrhizin sweetness is not the same as sugar sweetness — it is flatter, more lingering, and slightly medicinal. On skin, the anise character persists but the woody root note emerges.

Evolution over time

Immediately

After a few hours

After a few days

The Full Story

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is a leguminous plant whose root contains glycyrrhizin, a triterpene saponin approximately 50 times sweeter than sucrose. The root's aroma is dominated by anethole (the molecule shared with anise and fennel), giving it its characteristic sweet, anisic character.

Beyond anethole, licorice root contains estragole, various coumarins, and woody-earthy terpenes that give it more complexity than pure anise. The overall scent is darker and more rooty than anise seed — there is a woody-bitter backbone beneath the sweetness that grounds it.

In perfumery, licorice provides a sweet, anisic base note with good tenacity. It appears in gourmand, oriental, and dark-sweet compositions. The natural extract (licorice root CO2 or absolute) offers more complexity than synthetic anethole alone.

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Glycyrrhizin in licorice root inhibits the enzyme 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, which normally deactivates cortisol. Excessive licorice consumption can therefore cause cortisol to accumulate, leading to hypertension, potassium loss, and muscle weakness — a condition called pseudohyperaldosteronism.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: CO2 extraction or solvent extraction of dried Glycyrrhiza glabra roots produces a dark, viscous extract. Steam distillation yields minimal essential oil. The CO2 extract preserves the full anethole-glycyrrhizin profile. Major production in Turkey, Iran, and China, where licorice root has been harvested for millennia.

Molecular Formula	C₄₂H₆₂O₁₆ (Glycyrrhizin, key sweet compound) · C₃₀H₄₆O₄ (Glycyrrhetinic acid)
CAS Number	84775-66-6
Botanical Name	Glycyrrhiza glabra
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	LIQUORICE
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	High
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber liquid
Specific Gravity	0.99130 to 1.06130 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive Index	1.34000 to 1.39000 @ 20.00 °C.

In Perfumery

Licorice is a heart-to-base note providing sweet, anisic character with woody-rooty depth. The anethole content links it to anise, star anise, and fennel, but the woody-bitter elements distinguish it. Used in gourmand, oriental, and dark-sweet compositions. Pairs with vanilla, tonka bean, and tobacco. The root extract (CO2 or absolute) provides more complexity than synthetic anethole. Also used in absinthe-themed and herbal-liqueur accords.