Licochalcone A is a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant active that is derived from the roots of the Chinese licorice plant Glycyrrhiza inflata. Licochalcone A protects cells from oxidative stress mediated by UV and blue light (HEVIS).

Licochalcone A is able to activate anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes. These enzymes protect the skin cells from damage induced by oxidative stress, like lipid peroxidation and DNA as wells as protein damage. Licochalcone A is able to soothe irritated skin and redness.

Glycyrrhetinic acid (also called Enoxolon) is derived from the roots of Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice plant) and is well-known in traditional Chinese medicine. It is a pentacyclic triterpenoid with anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.

Glycyrrhetinic acid helps to preserve the level of hyaluronic acid and elastin against enzymatic degradation by hyaluronidase. Furthermore supports the skin's own repair mechanism against UV-induced DNA damage.

Hyaluronic Acid is formed by skin cells and is part of the connective tissue of the skin. One of its key functions is to retain moisture, and it has the ability to bind in between 1,000 and 10,000 times its own weight in water (i.e. one gram binds between one and ten liters). As we age, the skin's natural ability to produce Hyaluronic Acid depletes and wrinkles start to form and deepen.