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The rebound effect describes a situation where improving the energy efficiency of a service results in energy savings that are lower than the theoretical savings expected. The reason for this is that people tend to use an energy service more once it has become more efficient. On the one hand, because it’s now cheaper to use this service (price effect), and on the other, because by investing in this more efficient service, they feel they’ve done a good deed, making them feel less guilty about using it more (licensing effect). However, the licensing effect is much less integrated than the price effect in the literature on the rebound effect. This is because it is an effect that has only recently been documented, mainly in psychology and in a context that is generally far removed from that of the rebound effect. The aim of this literature review is therefore to highlight the fact that the licensing effect can also be a source of the rebound effect. To meet this objective, we draw on the literature analyzing the impact of the licensing effect on pro-environmental behaviors, and we present the few studies that have begun to integrate this effect into research on the rebound effect. We conclude by listing a few avenues for reflection that we feel should be explored in order to strengthen our understanding of the licensing effect as a cause of the rebound effect. JEL Codes: D10, D91, Q40