Real licorice candy is made from the extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra, a plant native to the Mediterranean and Central Asia whose root contains glycyrrhizin, a naturally sweet and aromatic compound. Artificial licorice flavoring is made from anise oil or synthetic compounds that approximate the smell and taste of licorice without containing any actual licorice root. The difference in flavor between these two approaches is significant and immediately apparent to anyone who tastes both. Understanding which is which is the first step to finding genuine licorice.
What Is Natural Licorice?
Natural licorice candy contains genuine licorice root extract as its primary flavoring ingredient. The extract, sometimes called licorice mass or licorice paste, is produced by boiling dried Glycyrrhiza glabra root into a concentrated, intensely flavored dark paste. This paste is combined with sugar, starch (for texture and chew), and often salmiak (ammonium chloride) to produce the finished candy.
The color of real licorice is dark brown to black, derived from the concentrated root extract itself. The flavor is earthy, bittersweet, and complex, with a natural sweetness from glycyrrhizin and a characteristic aromatic depth that no synthetic approximation has been able to replicate. Real licorice candy includes all genuine Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, and Danish licorice, as well as traditional British liquorice products such as Pontefract cakes.
What Is Artificial Licorice Flavoring?
Most American black licorice is flavored with anise oil rather than licorice root extract. Anise oil is derived from the seeds of Pimpinella anisum or the star anise plant (Illicium verum), which contain anethole, the compound responsible for the characteristic licorice-like aroma. At low concentrations, anethole smells very similar to real licorice, which is why anise oil works as a passable substitute in mass-market candy production. It is significantly cheaper than real licorice extract and produces a consistent, stable flavor that survives industrial processing.
Artificial licorice flavoring is a synthetic approximation of the anise oil profile, further removed from the real ingredient. Some products use a combination of anise oil and minimal licorice extract, producing a flavor that is partway between real and artificial.
Is Twizzlers Black Real Licorice?
No. Twizzlers Black is flavored with anise oil and does not contain licorice root extract. It is anise-flavored candy sold under the licorice name, a common practice in the American market. The flavor is recognizably in the licorice family but does not derive from the Glycyrrhiza glabra plant.
Is Good and Plenty Real Licorice?
Partially. Good and Plenty contains licorice extract as an ingredient alongside artificial flavoring. The licorice extract content is low and supplemented with synthetic flavor. The result is closer to real licorice than Twizzlers but far less intense and complex than Swedish black licorice made with high-quality extract as the primary flavoring agent.
How to Tell the Difference
The ingredient list is the clearest indicator. Look for "licorice extract," "licorice root extract," or "licorice mass" as a primary ingredient. Products listing "anise oil," "anise flavor," or "artificial licorice flavor" are not made from real licorice root.
Color is a secondary indicator. Real licorice extract produces a deep, near-black color naturally. Some artificial products achieve a similar color through added coloring agents, so color alone is not definitive.
Flavor is the most reliable test: real licorice root extract has an earthy, slightly bitter depth and natural complexity that anise oil cannot replicate. The sweetness of real licorice comes partly from glycyrrhizin and sits differently on the palate from sugar alone. If the candy tastes primarily sweet and sharp with a one-dimensional anise note, it is almost certainly artificial.
Why It Matters
The distinction matters for two reasons. First, flavor: real licorice is genuinely more complex, more interesting, and more satisfying to those who enjoy it. The experience of real Swedish black licorice is categorically different from American anise candy, and many people who have written off black licorice as a flavor have done so based entirely on artificial products. Second, authenticity: if you want to understand what Swedish licorice culture is actually about, you need the real ingredient. Anise oil candy is not Scandinavian licorice. It is a different product with a different history and a different flavor.
All Haupt Lakrits products are made with real licorice root extract and genuine salmiak. The full range is available at hauptlakrits.us/collections/licorice. For more on how Swedish and American licorice differ, see Swedish Licorice vs. American Licorice: Key Differences. For the complete salty licorice and salmiak guide, see Salty Licorice and Salmiak: The Complete Guide.