Ingredients 101: Liquorice Root Extract

Natural or Synthetic: Natural

Origin: Liquorice Root Extract is sourced from liquorice, the root of the Glycyrrhiza Glabra plant.

Location: Liquorice is produced in a variety of countries including Iran, China, Pakistan, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Turkey.

Beauty Benefits: Liquorice root extract has been used for its medicinal benefits for hundreds of years; as far back as ancient China! It is one of the few natural ingredients that has been scientifically proven to provide health benefits.

Liquorice root extract contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties and it's effective at controlling redness and flushing. The popular ingredient has also been known to lighten skin and fade dark spots and blemishes.

Liquorice root extract is also the perfect anti-ager, as it is packed with powerful antioxidants that speed up skin cell regeneration, promote skin elasticity and fight the free-radicals that cause early skin-ageing.

Warnings: Liquorice root extract ingredients are safe to use topically.

Found in: The Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Circle Perfector SPF30 15ml (£29.00 John Lewis / $38.00 kiehls.com). This makeup and skincare hybrid is a dark-circle diminishing demon! It is a lightweight, tinted eye cream that has a very thin consistency. Due to its SPF and tint, the Dark Circle Perfector works like a BB cream for the eye area, helping to moisturise, conceal, protect and prime! It absorbs quickly and creates the perfect base for further concealer application. I suffer from the worse dark circles and no concealer hides them completely; however, using this product underneath my concealer does the trick!

Review: Dr. Andrew Weil For Origins™ Mega-Bright Dark Spot Correcting Night Mask

The Promise: "This Dark Spot Correcting Night Mask helps restore translucency and diminishes the appearance of dark spots while you sleep. Skin awakens radiant and refreshed"

The Price: £48.00 / $74.40 75ml

The Stockist: Selfridges / feelunique.com

The Skin Type: Suitable for all skin-types

The Key Ingredients: Rosa Roxburghii, Molasses, Mulberry and Vitamin C and Chestnut Seed Extract

The Application: The Mega-Bright Dark Spot Correcting Night Mask has such a creamy and interesting texture, that it doesn't really feel like a mask at all, more like a moisturiser.

It has a medium, smooth consistency which glides on to the skin easily. I find myself using a little more product than I do with other masks because my skin absorbs it very quickly. Psychosomatic or not, I've always felt the need to have my skin slathered in a mask when I wear one.

When on the skin, this face mask feels weightless; it is easy to forgot you have it on. That's a great thing considering you don't actually remove this mask. I usually apply it an hour before bed and by this time the mask is fully absorbed, leaving absolutely no marks or stickiness on my pillow.

Now, a moment of silence for the scent. This face mask smells absolutely amazing; fresh, fruity and fabulous! I'm always five seconds away from eating it!

The Results: The results of this face mask are quite instant, showing themselves the next morning. Skin is softer and noticeably more radiant. Post-spot redness also gets lightened, making your spot history less obvious - hurrah!

Now, the results aren't permanent, they go by the following day. However due to the consistency of the product, you could get away with wearing this as a night cream every evening. Failing that you could apply it every other night, or just apply it the night before a special event.

The Pro: Feels weightless on the skin and makes skin instantly more radiant

The Con: The Mega-Bright Dark Spot Correcting Night Mask is expensive, so it might not cater for everyone's budget

PR sample