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Licorice Flower

Q: Is Licorice Flower natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Not commercially extracted from flowers. Licorice root extract is the commercial product. Flower note is a fantasy accord..

FLOWERS / floral · sweet · gourmand

Licorice Flower

Category	FLOWERS
Subcategory	floral · sweet · gourmand
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Glycyrrhiza glabra
Appearance	N/A — fantasy accord inspired by licorice flower
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	Asia, Europe, Mediterranean
Pyramid	Heart

Faintly sweet, herbal, and anise-adjacent. Glycyrrhiza flowers are small and understated -- pale purple spikes with a subtle, green-sweet scent, less intense than the root.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Faintly sweet, green-herbal, and gently anise-like. Less intense than licorice root by an order of magnitude. Like brushing past a flowering licorice plant -- the flowers are small and quiet, offering a whisper of the root's sweetness with more green and less candy.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Faint, green-sweet, gently anise. Subtle.

After a few hours

Soft, herbal, faintly sweet warmth.

After a few days

A gentle, sweet-herbal trace.

The Full Story

Licorice flower (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is the small, pale purple flower spike of the licorice plant. While the root is famously sweet (glycyrrhizin is 30-50 times sweeter than sugar), the flowers have a much subtler scent: faintly sweet, herbaceous, and gently anise-like.

In perfumery, licorice flower is a fantasy accord offering a lighter, more floral alternative to licorice root. Built from subtle anise elements (anethole at low levels), green-herbal materials, and a faint sweetness.

The note functions in the heart, providing a delicate herbal-sweet quality.

This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Rose Monotone. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Did You Know?

Did you know?

Glycyrrhizin, the compound that makes licorice root sweet, is so potent that it can be detected at dilutions of 1:20,000. It is a triterpene saponin that also inhibits the enzyme 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, which is why excessive licorice consumption can cause hypertension.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Not commercially extracted from flowers. Licorice root extract is the commercial product. Flower note is a fantasy accord.

Molecular Formula	Key compound in root: glycyrrhizin (C₄₂H₆₂O₁₆, CAS 1405-86-3)
CAS Number	N/A — no standard CAS for licorice flower extract
Botanical Name	Glycyrrhiza glabra
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	Glycyrrhiza glabra, sweet root
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	N/A — fantasy accord inspired by licorice flower
Specific Gravity	0.920 to 0.960 @ 25 °C (est)

In Perfumery

Heart note in herbal, subtle-anise, and garden compositions. Functions as a lighter, more floral alternative to licorice root. Built from low-level anethole, green-herbal materials, and faint sweetness.