Cosmetic Science

Review Article  Free Access
18β‐Glycyrrhetinic acid: its core biological properties and dermatological applications
Agnieszka Kowalska  Urszula Kalinowska‐Lis
First published: 05 June 2019 https://doi.org/10.1111/ics.12548
This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1111/ics.12548
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Abstract
Recently, attention has been focused on identifying natural herbal compounds with high biological activity, especially antioxidative, anti‐inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, for preventing and controlling various skin conditions, including inflammation‐related diseases such as atopic dermatitis and UV‐induced skin photoaging. One key active plant ingredient is 18β‐glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), the main metabolite of glycyrrhizin (GL), obtained from licorice root. The review examines the valuable biological properties of GA, particularly those playing key roles in the treatment of various dermatological disorders in humans. The review highlights the key anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of GA and its toxicity towards normal cells lines. It also examines the physicochemical properties of GA and presents methods of increasing its penetration through the stratum corneum and bioaccumulation with the use of modern delivery systems such as liposomes and nanoemulsions.

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