Licorice in Perfumery: The Anise-Dark Note That Adds Mystery to Gourmand and Oriental Accords
Licorice sits as a measured fire in the heart, dry-spice keyed, alert and lifted, with a low even burn through the base.
By Julia Moretti 5 min read
Licorice — the extracted root of Glycyrrhiza glabra — carries one of perfumery's most immediately recognisable and divisive aromatic signatures. That distinctive anise-sweet, slightly medicinal, dark and herbal quality has polarised fragrance lovers across the entire history of fine perfumery: passionately beloved by those who grew up with the confection, regarded with deep suspicion by those who didn't. Yet in skilled perfumery hands, licorice can be an extraordinary ingredient — adding depth, mystery, and a unique sweetness that no other note quite replicates.
What Does Licorice Smell Like in Perfumery?
The licorice note in perfumery is sweet, dark, and unmistakably herbal. The dominant aromatic compound — anethole — gives it a sharp, anise-like quality that reads simultaneously as fresh (like star anise or fennel) and as something older, earthier, and more medicinal. There is a distinctive sweetness that is genuinely different from sugar sweetness: licorice sweet is darker, slightly bitter at the edges, and carries an almost resinous depth that makes it feel substantial rather than superficial.
The confectionery form of licorice — the black candy of childhood — adds another dimension: a soft, chewy, slightly burnt-sugar warmth that in fragrance translates into a gourmand quality with considerably more character than typical sweet notes. Where vanilla is warm and comfortable and praline is opulent, licorice is edgy and somewhat challenging — a sweet note that insists on its complexity and refuses to be merely pleasant.
Licorice and Anise: Understanding the Aromatic Family
Licorice belongs to a broader aromatic family that includes star anise, fennel, tarragon, chervil, and the liqueurs anise, pastis, and sambuca. All share the anethole character — that sharp, sweet, anise-like quality — but each brings its own nuances. Star anise is the most directly floral and aromatic of the family; fennel is greener and more herbal; licorice is the darkest and most confectionery-inflected, with its unique combination of deep sweetness and medicinal complexity.
Understanding this family context helps explain how licorice functions in fragrance: it can be used to add anisic brightness (in the style of star anise in aromatic compositions), gourmand sweetness (in the style of confectionery licorice), or herbal depth (in the style of absinthe or tarragon). The character of the licorice accord in a given composition depends heavily on which aspects the perfumer chooses to emphasise. Our companion article on absinthe in perfumery explores the closely related absinthe note in depth.
Key Molecules: Anethole, Anisaldehyde, and Beyond
The primary aroma molecule of licorice and the entire anise family is trans-anethole — a phenylpropene compound that accounts for most of the sharp, sweet-anise character. At low concentrations, anethole smells freshly herbal and sweet; at higher concentrations it becomes medicinal and intense. Perfumers use it carefully, often at sub-recognition threshold levels to add a subliminal anisic quality without obviously declaring itself.
Anisaldehyde is the complementary molecule that contributes a softer, more powdery, slightly floral dimension to anise-type accords — found naturally in various plants, it takes the sharp anise note and softens it toward something more cosmetically elegant. Estragole (methyl chavicol) contributes a tarragon-like green-anisic facet that adds botanical complexity. The sweet, dark confectionery character of licorice candy is recreated using combinations of coumarin, glycyrrhizin (the actual sweetening compound in licorice root), and dark resinous materials that give the accord its characteristic density.
Licorice in Famous Fragrances
Licorice has been used across multiple fragrance categories to dramatic effect. In the oriental tradition, the note's dark, resinous sweetness aligns naturally with the warm, rich, spiced aesthetic of the genre's great compositions. Black Opium by Yves Saint Laurent uses a dark, slightly anisic quality in its coffee-vanilla heart that evokes the licorice family's contribution to the addictive, night-time character the fragrance builds so effectively.
In the feminine oriental category, licorice appears frequently as a modifier that deepens and darkens otherwise straightforward sweet-floral compositions. Tom Ford Black Orchid employs a deeply unusual accord that includes dark, slightly anisic elements within its extraordinary black floral-dark chocolate construction — a composition where licorice's capacity for darkness and mystery is fully exploited.
In masculine aromatic fragrances, anise and licorice appear in a different context: as part of the fresh, herbal, aromatic accord that has been a masculine fragrance staple since the fougère revolution. Here licorice's herbal facets are emphasised over its confectionery character, contributing brightness and complexity to lavender-bergamot-wood structures.
How Licorice Interacts with Other Notes
Licorice's most powerful partnerships are with ingredients that can match its intensity and complexity. Vanilla and licorice make a classic gourmand pairing: the vanilla softens licorice's anisic sharpness while licorice gives vanilla a dark, interesting edge it lacks on its own. The combination is at the heart of many black-candy inspired compositions.
Patchouli and licorice create a darkly herbal, slightly animalic accord that is simultaneously difficult and compelling — the earthiness of patchouli grounding licorice's volatility and the anisic brightness preventing patchouli from becoming too heavy. This combination appears in several distinguished oriental compositions.
Amber and licorice produce a rich, resinous-sweet accord that amplifies both ingredients' warmth and depth. Spices — particularly star anise (obviously), cardamom, and pepper — reinforce the aromatic-herbal dimension of licorice in compositions that want to lean toward the aromatic oriental.
Licorice is considerably more challenging alongside delicate florals, where its intensity and anisic character can easily overwhelm lighter ingredients. Against rose in particular, care must be taken: the combination can be beautiful (anise and rose appear together in certain Middle Eastern perfumery traditions with great success) but requires precise calibration to prevent the licorice from dominating entirely.
Wearing Licorice Fragrances
Licorice fragrances belong to the evening and the cooler months. Their dark, intense character is most appealing when the context supports richness and complexity — autumn and winter social occasions, evening events, settings where bold, unusual fragrance choices are celebrated rather than merely tolerated. These compositions reward wearers who are comfortable with attention — licorice's distinctive presence makes it impossible to be odour-anonymous.
The note works exceptionally well on clothing, particularly darker, heavier fabrics that absorb and slowly release its character. The oriental fragrance family provides the richest context for exploring licorice's full range of expressions, from gourmand black candy to herbal aromatic complexity.
Final Thoughts
Licorice in perfumery is a note that demands engagement on its own terms. It is not always easy, not always immediately appealing, but at its best it delivers something genuinely irreplaceable — a dark, complex sweetness with medicinal depth and aromatic mystery that no other ingredient quite achieves. For fragrance lovers who have moved past the obvious and are looking for notes that challenge and reward in equal measure, licorice offers extraordinary creative territory worth exploring.
