What might it help with?

The possible skin benefits named are relief of eczema symptoms and help with burn healing. Both findings are preliminary, and more research is needed to confirm the effects and safety. Licorice also flavors candy, so its skincare career is the less edible one, which makes the bathroom shelf an unexpected career move.1

A benefit for fading dark spots is not established. In darker skin tones, irritation from skin or hair products can trigger dark spots. For melasma, sunlight can darken existing patches, so treatment includes broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher.23

How do you use it?

There is no established concentration, amount, application frequency, or results timeline for licorice skincare. Use the directions for the specific product you have rather than borrowing a schedule from a different formula, because a shared licorice ingredient is not a shared instruction manual.1

Can it irritate skin?

Topical licorice may be safe for short term use, but it can irritate some people. Stop using a product if it burns or stings. Irritation can also trigger dark spots, so adding more of a product that is bothering your skin is a poor bargain.12

What about medicines, pregnancy, or breastfeeding?

Interactions between licorice and corticosteroids have been reported. If you use a corticosteroid medicine, ask your health care provider before combining it with a licorice product. Licorice taken by mouth is a separate concern: its glycyrrhizin can cause serious effects, including irregular heartbeat and cardiac arrest, especially with large amounts or long term use. Risk is also a concern for people with high blood pressure, heart or kidney conditions, or high salt intake.1

The pregnancy warning concerns consuming large amounts of oral licorice, not applying a skin product. Consuming about 250 grams of licorice per week during pregnancy is unsafe and can increase the risk of delivery before 38 weeks. Little is known about licorice safety during breastfeeding.1

Where this answer comes from

  1. 1Licorice Root: Usefulness and Safetynccih.nih.gov
  2. 2How to fade dark spots in darker skin tonesaad.org
  3. 3Melasma: Diagnosis and treatmentaad.org