Licorice root extract

Sweet root, damp wood, hay, a little earth and light anise. Deeply sweet without sugariness; diluted it shows tobacco and caramel.

Licorice extract has no dedicated standard in the IFRA 51 index.

Glycyrrhizin, the sweet principle, is non-volatile. The extract is dark and can discolour products. Store dark, sealed and cool.

Glycyrrhiza glabra is a perennial legume with long sweet roots and stolons. The genus name comes from Greek for sweet root. Licorice is grown and wild-harvested from the Mediterranean to Central Asia and China; China mainly uses Glycyrrhiza uralensis.

Calabria in southern Italy has licorice protected under the EU designation Liquirizia di Calabria. Calabrian root is known for its intense sweetness and is used in licorice confectionery.

Licorice extract is usually made with water or water and alcohol, then concentrated into a glossy black block or powder. Solvent absolutes are also made for fragrance. Glycyrrhizin is many times sweeter than sugar but non-volatile, so the extract's odour comes from other compounds.

The anise note associated with licorice sweets comes largely from added anethole (anise oil), not from the root. Pure licorice root smells of sweet wood, hay and earth.

In perfumery licorice extract serves gourmand, tobacco and amber accords. The tobacco industry is a major user of licorice extract. In perfume it pairs with tonka, vanilla, anise and tobacco.

Licorice extract usually comes as a hard black-brown block or powder. For fragrance it is dissolved in ethanol and filtered. Its odour is weaker than many materials, so dosage can be higher. In soap its dark colour affects the product colour.