HYAAH Licorice First Essence Review - Deep Healing for Acne

HYAAH is a new K-Beauty brand on the scene which develops natural products around soothing natural ingredients that are designed to heal sensitive and damaged skin. It’s a minimalist, gentle (but effective) skincare brand that utilizes pure ingredients (from willow bark to kelp to chamomile), for real healing effect. If you’re struggling with skin damage, inflammation or irritation – HYAAH is a great brand to test out. They went viral in South Korea for its Deep Cleansing Water, which provided a deep cleanse of impurities along with healing extracts to soothe redness and irritation from the day. 

Their most popular product overseas, however, is their rich Licorice First Essence. With hand-plucked licorice from Jirisan, this essence is extracted using cold extract to maintain maximum nutrients from the original plant. This pure 20% extract is gently infused with allantoin and sodium hyaluronate to boost hydration. But why licorice?  

Licorice root not only is a tasty traditional treat, but it is rich in healing enzymes that help strengthen the skin biome and repair damage. High in glycyrrhizin, this molecule helps treat redness, itching and deep irritation for smoother, refreshed and hydrated skin. Balanced with glabridin (to inhibit dark spot formation) it creates a perfect healing environment for acne outbreaks and prevents the formation of inflammatory pigment. This is all balanced with hydrating agents, antioxidants for fine lines and reducing cell stress and promotes faster skin healing to quickly reduce damaged skin. 

On paper, this sounds like an amazing addition to any sensitive, damaged or irritated skin biome. But what is the real time effect and results? Let’s put it to the test on a fresh acne outbreak to see if it’s truly of benefit to sensitive skin. 

This essence is incredibly simple – with a 20% concentration of pure licorice root, preservatives, emollients and healing allantoin and sodium hyaluronate. Essence is designed to provide the concentrated benefits of a single active ingredient – making it easy to slot into a variety of routines.

Licorice Root: healing and traditional skin remedy that helps cool inflammation, improve skin healing and reduce acne outbreaks and skin damage. It has antioxidants, anti-bacterial benefits and helps prevent pigment formation and future skin damage. 

Allantoin: extracted from healing chamomile, this extract helps moisturize and exfoliate away dead and damaged skin cells for smoother, softer and stronger skin barrier. Helps cool inflammation and redness. 

Sodium hyaluronate: powerful water humectant that helps draw moisture into the skin barrier for plumper skin that is stays hydrated for far longer. 

There are very few skin types this essence is not suited for - as any product designed for sensitive skin is typically safe for othre skin types. It's lightweight, hydrating and balances oil - making it a good choice for dry skin and oily skin alike.

Despite having some good ingredients for fine lines and hydration, I would not recommend it for that alone - as that's not the primary benefit of the essence.

I have acne-prone skin, which tends to outbreak easily (especially to triggers) - making it an eternal struggle to bring it back to baseline. Acne care has elevated from more harsh skincare treatments, to more holistic and gentle skincare that can help rebalance the skin over time. Layering treatments with healing and soothing ingredients are a great way to help tackle acne-prone skin and help relieve spots in the long-term.

This essence is so lightweight, I started using it as a toner - after my exfoliating routines. It's watery, but has a hydrating quality that absorbs quickly into skin. It's easy to layer, has a soft herbal scent and is deeply refreshing on irritated and damaged skin. It caused no irritation to active spots and helped bring down the redness in my skin instantly.

After two weeks, you can see the visible healing of active lesions, reduction in redness and deeper hydration of skin. The licorice reduced healing time for active spots and helped them clear without leaving scars. It was soothing for an active outbreak, a gentle formula and simply formulated (i.e. no triggers!)

I ended up using it morning and night (both AM/PM routine) as it was so gentle and refreshing for my skin biome. It worked great with azelaic acid, vitamin C, probiotics and extra well with hydrating agents (such as hyaluronic acid and peptides). It's versatile, nourishing and a really awesome choice if you're struggling with an active outbreak of spots.

If you're looking for gentle and nourishing skincare, HYAAH has always excelled at it and this Licorice First Essence is no different. It's an awesome addition to any sensitive skin or acne-prone routine, to bring a soft and refreshing touch to your skin.

Revitalize your glow and bring deep balance to your skin with the power of HYAAH! Gentle skincare made accessible for even the most sensitive types. Shop all the best of HYAAH on Arktastic! 

Explore more K-Beauty facts with our other articles. Explore the amazing new Beauty of Joseon range here (with snake venom mimic!). Or check out our radiant review of the classic Mary&May Collagen sheet mask set.

Is HYAAH Licorice First Essence good for acne-prone skin?
Yes, this licorice extract is great as soothing inflammation, redness and improving heal times to get your skin refreshed and clear. It's not an acne treatment on its own, but if you are looking for gentle relief of irritation and spots, it's a perfect addition to your routine.

Does licorice help with dark spots and pigmentation?
Licorice root contains a molecule called ‘glabridin’ which stops your skin cells from being able to form pigment, reducing overall appearance of dark spots and blemishes. That makes it an extra great addition to your skin when recovering from breakouts or PIH.

Is HYAAH suited for sensitive skin?
HYAAH is a minimalist, gentle skincare brand that contains simple formulations perfect for sensitive skin. They prefer simple, herbal ingredients which provide a refreshing and gentle effect for your skin, which is optimal for sensitive skin types. As always, however, if your skin is highly reactive perform a patch test and keep an eye out for ingredients your skin is extra sensitive to.

How do you use HYAAH Licorice First Essence in your routine?
This lightweight essence is so light it suits well just after a toner or as a replacement for a toner in your skincare routine. You can layer it as preferred, creating stronger layers of protection and hydration and can use it both evening and morning as preferred. It's so gentle in formula, it mixes very well with a variety of actives (such as AHA, BHA, vitamin C and retinol).

How long does HYAAH First Licorice Essence take to see results?
You will notice an improvement to hydration and soothed skin appearance in just a few days of using. For longer term healing of spots and scars, you'll see prime results within 4 weeks. For dark spots, you'll see brighter skin and reduced pigment it occurs within 6 weeks of using.