Quick Answer
Licorice on a Korean formula sheet usually means one of two raw materials. Oil-soluble licorice extract is a powder made from licorice root with ethanol and ethyl acetate; it goes in the oil phase, and Korea treats it as a whitening functional ingredient. Dipotassium glycyrrhizate is a salt of glycyrrhizic acid that dissolves in water and is used for skin conditioning and comfort. Spec the two separately, and keep US claims on how skin looks.
Licorice is easy to miss on a Korean formula sheet. The bigger catch is that licorice can mean two different raw materials, and they do different jobs.
One goes in the oil phase and carries Korea's brightening status. The other goes in the water phase and is there for comfort. Mix them up and you end up with the wrong spec sheet, the wrong phase and the wrong claim. This guide shows how to tell them apart and what to ask before you approve a formula.
Key Takeaways
- Oil-soluble licorice extract and dipotassium glycyrrhizate are different raw materials, with different names, phases and jobs.
- Korea lists the oil-soluble extract as a whitening functional ingredient. That status covers Korean sale, not a US label.
- Dipotassium glycyrrhizate is the comfort ingredient. It goes in the water phase.
- Most glabridin evidence comes from enzyme, cell and animal studies, and poor water solubility limits how well it is delivered.
- FDA says no OTC skin lightening product is FDA-approved or otherwise legally marketed, so US copy stays on how skin looks.
Which Licorice Is on Your Korean Formula Sheet?
Korean formulas use two licorice raw materials that are easy to confuse: oil-soluble licorice extract (유용성감초추출물) and dipotassium glycyrrhizate (다이포타슘글리시리제이트). Each has its own entry and its own definition in the Korea Cosmetic Association ingredient dictionary.
Oil-soluble licorice extract is a dried, oil-soluble powder. The dictionary defines it as roots of Glycyrrhiza glabra var. glandulifera, Glycyrrhiza uralensis or related plants, extracted with anhydrous ethanol, extracted again with ethyl acetate, then concentrated and dried. Its Korean regulatory field reads functional cosmetics.
Dipotassium glycyrrhizate is the dipotassium salt of glycyrrhizic acid. Its dictionary entry lists two purposes, sweetener and skin-conditioning agent, and its CAS number, 68797-35-3. Spelling varies: Korea changed the standard Korean name in 2017, and some supplier sheets print dipotassium glycyrrhizinate. Match by CAS number, not by spelling.
Every botanical on a Korean formula deserves this naming check. For another Korean favorite traced from formula sheet to label, see our heartleaf (Houttuynia cordata) ingredient guide.
Two Licorice Ingredients, Side by Side
The two ingredients differ on nearly every line of a spec sheet: what they are, which phase they dissolve in, what job they do and what status they carry in Korea. Keep this table open when an ODM sends a formula that only says licorice.
| Oil-soluble licorice extract | Dipotassium glycyrrhizate | |
|---|---|---|
| Korean name | 유용성감초추출물 | 다이포타슘글리시리제이트 |
| What it is | Dried root extract, made with ethanol and ethyl acetate, ground to powder | One compound: the dipotassium salt of glycyrrhizic acid |
| Compound in focus | Glabridin, an isoflavan that dissolves poorly in water | Glycyrrhizic acid, as a salt |
| Phase | Oil phase or anhydrous base | Water phase |
| Job in the formula | Brightening | Skin conditioning and comfort |
| Korean status | Whitening functional ingredient | No functional status shown in its dictionary entry |
| Ask the supplier for | Marker compound, its content and the test method | CAS number and a lot spec |
| US claim range | How skin looks: brighter-looking, more even-looking | How skin looks and feels: calm-looking, comfortable |
The ingredient list alone does not tell you which job each licorice ingredient is doing. The spec sheet and your claim plan do.
Oil-Soluble Licorice Extract Belongs in the Oil Phase
Oil-soluble licorice extract dissolves in oils, so it goes into the oil phase of an emulsion or into an anhydrous base. Cosmax built on that property. In August 2025 it announced Korean approval for a new brightening powder formulation for blush and highlighter, using the extract because it dissolves in the oil phase.
Glabridin is the licorice compound to know here. A 2019 Korean lab study that paired oil-soluble licorice extract with arbutin pictures glabridin beside arbutin. A 2023 review describes glabridin as an isoflavan from licorice root that dissolves poorly in water.
That makes the specification the place to look. Ask the supplier which compound the extract is standardized to, what content the specification promises and which test method measures it. Without a specification and a certificate of analysis for your lot, you cannot compare one licorice extract with another, or this year's batch with last year's.
Sticks, balms and powders suit an oil-soluble active. How those formats are built is covered in our guide to waterless K-beauty sticks, balms and powders.
Where Does Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate Fit in a Formula?
Dipotassium glycyrrhizate goes in the water phase. One supplier's technical bulletin for a commercial grade describes it as soluble in water and in water-ethanol blends, and positions it for products for sensitive skin.
Its job is comfort, not color. On a US label, that job translates into how skin looks and feels, such as calm-looking or comfortable, not into treating redness or irritation.
The same bulletin calls it an anti-inflammatory. That word belongs in a technical file. Do not copy it onto a US cosmetic label or product page.
Where a soothing claim crosses into US drug territory is laid out in our allantoin guide to cosmetic soothers and OTC skin protectants.
"I'm Liz, I run altameet from Manhattan, NYC. When a formula sheet just says licorice, I ask which one before anything else, because the answer changes the phase, the spec sheet and the claim. If you want a quick gut-check on whether Korean ODM fits your project, I'll give you 15 minutes free."
The Glabridin Evidence Is Mostly From the Lab
Most of what is known about glabridin and skin color comes from enzyme, cell and animal studies. The 2023 review in Drug Design, Development and Therapy treats glabridin as a tyrosinase inhibitor in lab work and says the mechanisms still need investigation. In zebrafish, it showed no effect on melanin synthesis.
The review cites one clinical trial. Forty adult women with epidermal melasma used a non-prescription gel containing glabridin twice a day for six months. The gel was suggested to be safe and effective for the cosmetic appearance of their melasma. All were Caucasian, and one proprietary gel in one group is a thin base for any product claim.
The 2019 Korean study tested oil-soluble licorice extract and arbutin on mushroom tyrosinase and on B16 melanoma cells. Lab results like these explain why formulators choose the ingredient. They do not tell you how a finished serum performs on your customers.
Delivery is the other open problem. The same review says poor water solubility and low bioavailability limit glabridin, and lists nanoemulsions, microneedles and smartPearls as formulations developed to improve it.
If your line targets deeper skin tones, irritation that leaves dark marks matters as much as the active. See what to change in a Korea-made brief for deeper skin tones.
What Can a US Label Say About a Licorice Brightening Product?
A US cosmetic label can describe how skin looks: brighter-looking, more even-looking, radiant. It cannot promise to lighten or bleach skin. FDA says there are no FDA-approved or otherwise legally marketed OTC skin lightening products, and that all OTC skin lightening products require an FDA-approved new drug application.
Korea treats the same oil-soluble extract as a whitening functional ingredient, and Korean functional review or report data covers sale in Korea. That status does not travel to a US label.
How Korea's whitening list lines up with US brightening claims for other actives is covered in our vitamin C derivatives ingredient guide and our glutathione sourcing guide. For the three most common Korean brightening actives side by side, see arbutin vs kojic acid vs ethyl ascorbyl ether.
Selling in both markets? Plan two sets of copy from one formula: Korean functional wording for Korea, and appearance wording for the US. Write both before the label goes to print.
What Should You Ask Your Korean ODM Before You Approve the Formula?
Ask five questions before you sign off. They cover which licorice is in the formula, its name, its specification, its phase and the market its functional data covers. Get the answers in writing, attached to the formula sheet.
- Which licorice is it? Oil-soluble licorice extract, dipotassium glycyrrhizate, or both.
- Does the name match? Compare the formula line with the Korean name and, for the salt, the CAS number. If the line only says licorice root extract, ask which material it is.
- What does the specification promise? Ask for the marker compound, its content, the test method and a certificate of analysis for your lot.
- Which phase, and how is it dissolved? Oil phase for the extract, water phase for the salt. Ask how the extract stays dissolved in a water-rich formula.
- Which market does the functional data cover? Korean functional review data supports sale in Korea. It is not a US claim file.
Put the answers into the formula approval email. If the ODM changes the licorice supplier later, the same five answers show you what changed.
Licorice Formula Sheet Checklist
Get the full checklist as a free PDF, straight to your inbox.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is oil-soluble licorice extract the same as licorice root extract?
Not always. Oil-soluble licorice extract is a specific powder, made with ethanol and then ethyl acetate and defined in the Korean ingredient dictionary. A formula line that only says licorice root extract can describe a different extract, so ask the ODM which material is in your batch.
Can oil-soluble licorice extract go into a clear water-based toner?
It dissolves in oils, not water, so a clear water toner needs a solubilizer or a different licorice ingredient. Ask the ODM how it keeps the extract dissolved, then check the finished toner in stability testing.
Can one formula use both licorice ingredients?
Yes. They sit in different phases and do different jobs, so a cream can carry both. List each one on its own formula line with its own spec, and decide which one your claims rest on.
Does Korean whitening status help a US launch?
Not on the label. Korean functional data supports sale in Korea. In the US, skin lightening is drug territory, so the same formula sells as a cosmetic with claims about how skin looks.
By Liz Song, K-beauty sourcing consultant.
