The efficacy and function of glabridin

The name of glabridin sounds like the name of a medicine. Many people don’t know what glabridin is when they hear this name. Glycyrrhizin, also known as licorice flavonoids, is a flavonoid substance extracted from licorice. Because of its specificity and difficulty in extraction, the price of glycyrrhizin is relatively high, so glycyrrhizin is also known as whitening gold.

Inhibits tyrosinase

Human tyrosinase is an essential enzyme that can regularly produce melanin, turning the skin or eyes from brown to black. We know that exposure of the skin to ultraviolet light can cause some reactions (such as inflammation). Since the phospholipid membrane of the skin tissue is destroyed by the reactive oxygen species induced by ultraviolet light, this histological change manifests itself as erythema and pigmentation. Reactive oxygen is a substance that can cause skin pigmentation, so inhibiting its production can inhibit the production of melanin.

Anti-inflammatory effects

The anti-inflammatory activity of glabridin was verified through experiments. Guinea pigs were irradiated with ultraviolet light to induce pigmentation, and then 0.5% glabridin solution was applied. It was found that glabridin reduced skin inflammation caused by ultraviolet stimulation. The a value is used to represent erythema on the skin. By recording the a value (colorimeter reading) of glabridin before and after irradiation, the degree of inflammation reduction can be calculated. The researchers studied the inhibitory activity of glycyrrhizin on cyclooxygenase. Cyclooxygenase is the enzyme that converts arachidonic acid into prostaglandins, which are inflammatory factors. Compared with the control group (using the current cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin), glycyrrhizin can achieve the effect of inhibiting cyclooxygenase. It is believed that glycyrrhizin reduces inflammation by inhibiting cyclooxygenase and affecting the production of arachidonic acid.

Antioxidant Effect

Licorice has antioxidant effects, and can also whiten (inhibit the formation of melanin) and anti-inflammatory. Literature reports that licorice can be used to reduce corticosteroids in infectious skin diseases and enhance the effects of steroids.

Cosmetic Application

Licorice has excellent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-melanin effects, so it is used as an ingredient in various cosmetics and medical care products (such as facial creams, lotions, shower gels, etc.). It can be made into whitening facial cream, and patented products of this type are now on the market.