- Latin name
- Glycyrrhiza glabra
- Family
- Legume family (Fabaceae)
- Origin
- the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Central Asia
- Parts used
- root
- Raw materials
- root extract, accords
- Extraction
- extraction, synthesis
- Olfactory group
- gourmand, spicy
- Position in the pyramid
- heart and base
- Synthetic substitutes
- anethole (anise), anise and fennel accords
Liquorice is a perennial plant of the legume family whose root has long been used in confectionery and folk medicine. In perfumery liquorice is a dark, sweet and slightly anise-like note.
How it smells: sweet, dark and faintly anise-like, with a woody, herbal and slightly medicinal shade. Liquorice sounds dense and unusual: like a sweet and like a dry root at the same time.
The root's sweetness comes from glycyrrhizin — a substance dozens of times sweeter than sugar. So even dry liquorice root tastes distinctly sweet, and in a fragrance it gives a dense gourmand depth.
What it pairs with: with violet — the classic violet and liquorice, with anise — dark spicy compositions, with vanilla — gourmand fragrances, with iris — powdery sweetness, with patchouli — a dense earthy base.
Good to know: liquorice sweets are especially popular in northern Europe — in the Netherlands and Scandinavia they are often made salty, with ammonium chloride.
