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Licorice root extract
Anyone has experience with licorice extract? I plan to use it in my formulation.
thanks in advance -
21 Replies
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Yes. What do you want to know? What sort of extract are you talking about?
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I have used licorice extract in the past.
Lately, I only use the water soluble and colourless salt (dipotassium glycyrrhizinate) and the oil soluble ester (stearyl glycyrrhetinate), also colourless. -
Yes, it’s all good. Be careful who you source from, it’s no good buying very dilute extracts. I stock glycyrrhizic acid 98%, and synthesise dipotassium glycyrrhizinate using KOH, when I need it. And I use a fair amount of 12% (powdered root extract) for shampoo. It’s amazing in shampoo. I buy directly from China. Do NOT use acidic preservatives with the salt; it needs careful handling in formulation or it will reverse into water and insoluble forms.
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@Belassi thanks again.
What your definition of “very dilute extracts”? -
I have one from makingcosmetics mixed with glycerin and I suspect it’s as diluted as their resveratrol..
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@ngarayeva001, thanks.
Is it working as fading dark spot or dark circle under eyes? -
The problem with buying a licorice extract is you don’t have any way of doing QA/QC on the ingredient so you can’t really know what you’re buying. If there is some specific property you want to get from the licorice extract, you’ll be better off identifying specifically what chemical is responsible for the effect then buying that chemical. Extracts can be composed of pretty much anything & you’d have know way of knowing what you’re getting.
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@Dtdang I didn’t notice any effect at all, but I suspect that the material I have is very diluted.
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^^^^ Exactly.
If you have the pure acid or its salt, well, it’s obvious. Try doing a 100:1 dilution and tasting it. You will know.
The 12% root is equally obvious. It is a yellow-brown powder with an intensely sweet licorice flavor. The saponins it contains appear to be synergistic with the surfactants I use, it does not settle out, but rather, makes the most amazing metallic effects with cold pearl, and its hair conditioning ability is remarkable. -
Most extracts are prepared with 8% to 10% pure extract in a Glycerin or Glycerin/Water base.
If you have doubts, you can always as the manufacturer for a compositional analysis … most will be happy to provide one to you as this is also often necessary for properly preparing your Ingredient label that contains multi-component ingredients.
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@Belassi, @ngarayeva001, @Perry, @MarkBroussard
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WONDERFUL INPUTS. -
@Perry, now I realize that natural ingredients from extraction can not be controlled.
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@Perry, for example, glabridin is one chemical extraction from licorice, do you suggest where to buy it?
Thanks
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Glabridin is available from China.
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Glabradin is also available in the US from Cosphatech LLC iWhite Glabridin INCI Glabridin.
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@Belassi, sorry I say this. Chinese products are known for cheap prices but not quality.
I am staying away from China (main China) -
@Microformulation thanks
i will try it -
@Belassi
Do NOT use acidic preservatives with the saltYou only mean dehydroacetic acid, right? Or others as well?
The potassium salt can handle acidic formulations very well. Paula’s Choice puts it in several liquid salicylic acid exfoliants (pH around 3.4). I always put it in my liquid 2% salicylic acid exfoliant at pH 3.7 - 3.9 and have experienced no interactions. The liquid remains crystal clear for half a year at least.
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I’ve only tested with dehydroacetic acid, it split the potassium salt (which was in solution) and precipitated lumps immediately.
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@Belassi
Ok, thanks! Right after you shared that interaction back then on here, I immediately wrote it down in my notes, that’s how I remembered!
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