AMMONIUM GLYCYRRHIZATE

📋 Quick facts

Description: AMMONIUM GLYCYRRHIZATE — soothing, anti-inflammatory (licorice derivative).

All Functions: soothing, anti-inflammatory (licorice derivative)

Quick Facts:

• Category: active

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• Ammonium glycyrrhizate is a salt form of glycyrrhizic acid derived from licorice plants
• It has anti-inflammatory properties similar to corticosteroids, according to research
• It does not easily pass through skin on its own due to its molecular weight and physicochemical properties
• Used in cosmetics at concentrations up to 5%
• Not considered an irritant, sensitizer, or phototoxic agent at approved use levels
• Poorly absorbed through skin under normal circumstances

⚗️ Chemical Overview

Monoammonium glycyrrhizinate is an organic molecular entity. See also: Aluminum Chloride (related); Calcium Sulfate (related); Monosodium Glutamate (related) … View More …

Source(s): PubChem, ChEBI, via PubChem

📊 Comedogenicity

🛡️ Safety rating

Safety tier is a starting heuristic from regulatory status and comedogenic rating, not a dermatological verdict — see our Terms for the full disclaimer. Research confidence reflects how many real cited studies back this ingredient, not the strength of their findings.

🌍 Regulatory Status

💧 Skin Type Compatibility

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

Ammonium glycyrrhizate is a derivative salt of glycyrrhizic acid, a compound found in licorice plants (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.), which originates from Central and South-Western Asia and the Mediterranean region (Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces, 2020). #1: Anti-inflammatory activity — The parent compound, glycyrrhizic acid, contains bioactive compounds including flavonoids, sterols, triterpenes, and saponins that produce anti-inflammatory and antiallergic effects comparable to corticosteroids (Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces, 2020). Ammonium glycyrrhizate retains similar anti-inflammatory activity (Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces, 2020). In animal research, both glycyrrhetinic acid (a related compound) and glycyrrhizic acid demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects in rats and mice (Int J Toxicol, 2007).

#2: Skin barrier behavior — Ammonium glycyrrhizate cannot pass through the skin barrier due to its physicochemical properties and molecular weight (Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces, 2020). Research using pig skin found that dipotassium glycyrrhizate (a similar salt form) was undetectable in tests measuring transepidermal permeation, meaning it does not readily cross the skin (Int J Toxicol, 2007). The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel noted these ingredients are expected to be poorly absorbed through skin (Int J Toxicol, 2007). #3: Topical delivery in research — In one human study using specialized delivery systems (ultradeformable liposomes), ammonium glycyrrhizate-loaded formulations decreased skin inflammation in healthy volunteers when applied topically (Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces, 2020).

However, this required advanced nanoformulation technology; standard topical application would not achieve the same skin penetration. #4: Safety profile — Ammonium glycyrrhizate at concentrations up to 5% (the maximum approved for cosmetic use) was not genotoxic in multiple laboratory assays and showed no carcinogenic effects in animal studies (Int J Toxicol, 2007). At approved cosmetic concentrations, it is not considered a skin irritant, sensitizer, or phototoxic agent (Int J Toxicol, 2007). The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel concluded these ingredients are safe in current practices of use and concentration (Int J Toxicol, 2007). Important limitations: The sources show limited human data.

The one human inflammation study (Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces, 2020) used a specialized nanoformulation, not standard skincare products. Most safety and efficacy data comes from animal research or in vitro tests. The Int J Toxicol review (2007) is now 17 years old. The sources do not provide evidence that ammonium glycyrrhizate in standard topical products penetrates the skin barrier or delivers systemic anti-inflammatory effects.

📄 Related Research

Matched by search — not necessarily verified support for every statement above.

• Barone A et al. (2020). Ammonium glycyrrhizate skin delivery from ultradeformable liposomes: A novel use as an anti-inflammatory agent in topical drug delivery. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces.
• Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel (2007). Final report on the safety assessment of Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Potassium Glycyrrhetinate, Disodium Succinoyl Glycyrrhetinate, Glyceryl Glycyrrhetinate, Glycyrrhetinyl Stearate, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Glycyrrhizic Acid, Ammonium Glycyrrhizate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Disodium Glycyrrhizate, Trisodium Glycyrrhizate, Methyl Glycyrrhizate, and Potassium Glycyrrhizinate. Int J Toxicol.

🧴 Products Containing AMMONIUM GLYCYRRHIZATE

• АО "Ступинский химический завод" гель для бритья men ultra one
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• anti-blemish keratolytic emulsion