Licorice extract is a lipophilic extract that comes from the roots of Glycyrrhiza glabra. It has many properties, including: Skin conditioning, Skin whitening, Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial. 

Licorice extract contains glabridin, a triterpenoid saponin, and flavonoids. It can be used in skincare to brighten skin, reverse hyperpigmentation, and help with sun defense.

Benefits of Licorice Extract For Skin

• Minimizes the production of tyrosinase to combat discoloration: The production of melanin (AKA pigment or color) is a complicated process, but at the heart of the matter is an enzyme known as tyrosinase. Licorice extract inhibits the production of tyrosinase, in turn inhibiting the production of dark spots.¹
• Removes excess melanin: Licorice extract brightens the skin in another way, too. "It contains liquiritin, an active compound that helps to disperse and remove existing melanin in the skin," explains Dr. Chwalek. In other words, not only can it help prevent new spots from forming, but it can also fade existing ones.
• Acts as a potent antioxidant: Like many other plant-based extracts, licorice contains a flavonoid, an antioxidant-rich component that decreases reactive oxygen species, which both age and discolor the skin, says Dr. Linkner.
• Offers anti-inflammatory benefits: While the flavonoid is anti-inflammatory itself, there's yet another molecule, licochalcone A, which inhibits two inflammatory markers that trigger the inflammatory cascade, Dr. Chwalek says.
• May help control oil production in the skin: Though this isn't one of the more commonly agreed upon benefits, Dr. Chwalek says that there's some evidence to suggest that the licochalcone compound may have the added benefit of regulating oil production. It may even be why licorice extract is often used in Ayurvedic medicine as a dandruff treatment.