Your skin is one of the first things that changes when you enter those menopausal years. Looking after yourself, let alone your skin, can seem like a daunting challenge.
Your skin is likely to get drier, thinner, and more vulnerable to dark spots, melasma, and hyperpigmentation during this time. You'll experience the dreaded hot flashes, hormonal fluctuations, and frustrating pigmentation issues that seem impossible to fade. If you're looking for natural solutions that help combat menopausal hyperpigmentation but are unable to find ones that work, you may not have discovered the power of licorice extract yet.
Menopausal women commonly experience hyperpigmentation issues due to hormonal changes, sun damage accumulated over decades, and thinning skin that makes dark spots more visible. In this blog, we focus on licorice extract—a remarkable natural ingredient proven to tackle hyperpigmentation in menopausal skin—and explain the two most common pigmentation issues associated with menopause.
Understanding Hyperpigmentation in Menopause
Skin pigmentation changes can happen at any time throughout your life, but menopause dramatically accelerates these issues. The most common concern is hyperpigmentation, in which the skin darkens because melanin production increases in specific areas.
Numerous factors contribute to menopausal hyperpigmentation, including declining estrogen levels that disrupt melanin regulation, decades of accumulated sun exposure becoming visible, hormonal imbalances triggering melanocyte activity, thinning skin that makes pigmentation more pronounced, and slower cell turnover that prevents dark spots from fading naturally.
Melasma, sun spots, age spots, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation from acne are among the disorders that can alter your skin during and after menopause. Moreover, the thinning of your skin barrier and collagen loss during menopause act as accelerants toward visible hyperpigmentation.
This is where licorice extract becomes essential for menopausal skin struggling with dark spots and uneven tone.
Why Licorice Extract Works for Menopausal Hyperpigmentation
Licorice extract, derived from the root of the Glycyrrhiza glabra plant, has been used for centuries in traditional medicine. For menopausal skin specifically, licorice extract offers unique benefits that address hyperpigmentation at multiple levels.
The Science Behind Licorice Extract
Glabridin—The Active Compound: The most powerful component in licorice extract is glabridin, which inhibits tyrosinase, the enzyme responsible for melanin production. By blocking this enzyme, licorice extract prevents new dark spots from forming and helps existing hyperpigmentation fade naturally.
Liquiritin—The Brightening Agent: Another key compound, liquiritin, actively disperses and removes existing melanin in the skin. This dual-action approach makes licorice extract particularly effective for stubborn menopausal hyperpigmentation that resists other treatments.
Melasma in Menopause: Licorice Extract as Your Solution
Melasma, appearing as dark patches on your face (typically on cheeks, forehead, upper lip, and chin), has been strongly connected to hormonal changes in women. Melanocytes—your skin's pigment-producing cells—create too much pigment, resulting in the development of melasma patches that can be frustrating and persistent.
How Licorice Extract Treats Menopausal Melasma
Licorice extract specifically addresses melasma through multiple mechanisms:
Tyrosinase Inhibition: By blocking the enzyme that creates melanin, licorice extract prevents melasma from darkening and spreading—essential for menopausal women whose hormonal fluctuations constantly trigger new pigmentation.
Existing Pigment Dispersal: Liquiritin in licorice extract actively breaks down and disperses existing melanin deposits, helping stubborn melasma patches gradually fade over time.
UV Protection Support: While not a sunscreen replacement, licorice extract's antioxidants provide additional defense against UV-triggered melanin production that worsens melasma in menopausal skin.
Inflammation Reduction: Melasma is often accompanied by inflammation, which can trigger more pigmentation. Licorice extract's anti-inflammatory properties break this cycle, allowing skin to heal and fade naturally.
Acne Scars and Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation in Menopause
Due to the increased quantity of androgens compared to estrogen during menopause, hormonal acne frequently becomes a frustrating occurrence. Our skin's ability to replace old cells and create new ones slows dramatically as we age, meaning acne scars and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation linger far longer than they did in our younger years.
How Licorice Extract Heals Acne Hyperpigmentation
Prevents Dark Spot Formation: When applied during or immediately after a breakout, licorice extract inhibits the excess melanin production that typically occurs during skin inflammation, preventing dark marks from forming in the first place.
Fades Existing Marks: For stubborn acne scars and hyperpigmentation already present, licorice extract's liquiritin actively disperses melanin deposits, helping marks fade significantly faster than they would naturally—crucial for menopausal skin with slowed cell turnover.
Reduces Inflammation: By calming the inflammatory response associated with acne, licorice extract prevents the inflammation-pigmentation cycle that makes acne marks darker and more persistent in menopausal skin.
Supports Barrier Repair: Licorice extract helps restore the compromised skin barrier common in menopausal skin, creating optimal conditions for acne healing without excessive pigmentation.
Fight Menopausal Hyperpigmentation with Empress Naturals' Licorice Extract Formulations
At Empress Naturals, we believe in year-round skin nourishment, healing, and repair specifically for perimenopause and menopause care. Our Rosehip Oil-based skincare line is meticulously formulated by industry experts to address the specific needs of mature, hormonally changing skin—including stubborn hyperpigmentation that resists other treatments.
The Luxe Night Elixir Features Licorice Extract for Menopausal Hyperpigmentation
Empress Naturals’ Menopause and Perimenopause Skincare and Wellness
At Empress Naturals, we believe in year-round wellness and skin nourishment, healing, and repair focused on perimenopause and menopause care. Our Rosehip oil-based skincare line is meticulously formulated by industry experts that cater to the specific needs of mature skin ensuring ageless radiance and luminous skin.
Our Best-selling products - Anti-aging Face Serum and Luxe Night Elixir Serum are all you need to cover the essentials when it comes to aging skin.
Our mission is to provide 100% pure and organic skincare products that make you feel incredible in your skin, regardless of what stage it is at. We carefully cultivate our ingredients from sustainable farms worldwide that harvest the highest quality without the use of hazardous preservatives or pesticides. Our products are non-toxic, clean, cruelty-free, and formulated with 100% Organic ingredients.
Experience the power of clean skincare and wellness with Empress Naturals.
*Disclaimer: We highly recommend that you contact a trained health professional, before introducing any products into your routine especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
