Aloe vera gel helps with minor injuries such as abrasions or sunburn. What you should look out for when buying and how you can recognize a good product, we will tell you here.
Aloe vera gel has been considered a miracle cure in the beauty and natural cosmetics industry for years. Especially the analgesic effect for minor burns, abrasions or irritated skin undisputed. You can win it yourself or buy it as a ready-made gel. But where does the aloe vera gel come from and which product from the beauty shelf keeps what it promises? GALA will tell you.
Aloe vera gel: What is the effect of the supposed silver bullet?
The aloe vera – also called desert lily – originally comes from the Arabian region. Today, however, it is cultivated in many places. An aloe vera plant consists of two parts: the roots and the foliage. Roughly speaking, the latter consists of the somewhat firmer bark, a leaf juice (located directly under the bark) and the gel – the leaf pulp – inside the leaves. While the leaf juice can sometimes cause negative skin reactions and is even suspected of being carcinogenic, the aloe vera gel promises true wonders in its pure form. Depending on the concentration, the gel is also very helpful when used in cosmetic products.
Aloe vera is good for…
- slight skin irritation
- dry skin
- abrasions
- sunburn
- mosquito bites
- red spots after shaving or epilation
However, the assumption that aloe vera gel can also help with more serious diseases such as cancer is controversial (and not yet sufficiently scientifically proven).
Aloe vera gel: as good as its reputation?
The aloe vera gel consists mostly of water, followed by sugar, amino acid, fat, minerals and vitamins. In total, aloe vera has more than 200 active ingredients. However, it is not always certain whether a cosmetic aloe vera gel contains the full potency of the plant. Not even if a company advertises 100 percent aloe vera. As Öko Test proved in a 2020 study, the ingredients of an aloe vera plant – and thus the gel obtained – are subject to strong fluctuations. The content of an aloe vera varies depending on the cultivation (irrigation, fertilization, climate).
Aside from the concentration of the ingredients, there is no question about it: the moisturizing effect of the pulp of an aloe vera gel. Products that moisturize are essential in treating the aforementioned skin irritations. A supply of moisture is important for the regeneration of the skin, especially in the case of slight skin irritations such as sunburn or abrasions.
What does the indication of the aloe vera content reveal?
When it comes to cosmetic products, we are often under the misconception that the proportion of an ingredient says something about the quality of the product. A particularly high aloe vera content seems to us to be a good sign of quality. Unfortunately, that is not the case in this case. Unfortunately, a high aloe vera content says nothing about the concentration of active ingredients in an aloe vera gel.
A positive example with a supposedly low aloe vera content Santaverde Aloe Vera Gel This gel contains “only” 90 percent aloe vera. However, there is a good reason for this: unlike many other manufacturers of aloe vera gel, the natural cosmetics company does not use a concentrated powder but the Direct juice from the aloe vera plant. Since this is of course more perishable than a powder, the company has to resort to a preservative.
So far, there have not been any sufficiently scientifically proven statements as to whether not-from-concentrate juice is richer in active ingredients. However, the assumption is supported by many producers, since important ingredients could be lost when processed into powder. The conclusion would be that a Aloe vera gel with direct juice contains less aloe vera. However, this is still richer than the powder, which may have lost active ingredients during processing.
A safe answer to the question “What is better – leaf juice / direct juice or powder concentrate?” cannot yet be determined from a scientific point of view. However, there is a tendency towards leaf juice.
What does a good aloe vera gel contain?
Since we know that the indication of the aloe vera dosage does not yet provide sufficient information about the quality and effectiveness of an aloe vera gel, we have to take a closer look at the other ingredients. One should rather concentrate on the question of what should NOT be in an aloe vera gel. A quick look at the ingredients gives you a good first impression. The fewer ingredients in the gel you choose, the better.
Since an aloe vera gel cannot do without a preservative, it must inevitably contain another ingredient in addition to the aloe vera juice or the concentrated aloe vera powder. Everything else is actually superfluous. Therefore the list should not be too long. Otherwise, there is a risk that additional ingredients such as fragrances or microplastics, in the worst case with formaldehyde (or formaldehyde releasers) have been used.
Which aloe vera gel is the best?
While aspects such as color or opacity are also important with lipsticks and the like, care products HAVE to score with their ingredients alone. This requires a precise examination of the desired product. A good indicator are always the test results from Öko Test or Stiftung Warentest. Öko Test, for example, has the already mentioned Aloe vera gel awarded the rating “very good” by Santaverde. Unlike many other gels, the natural cosmetics manufacturer uses the direct juice of aloe vera, i.e. the immediate pulp of the leaf. The company also grows the plant itself on its own plantations in Andalusia.
Another positive example is this Aloe vera gel by Seven Minerals. In addition to a test result from Öko Test with the grade “very good” Above all, looking at the ingredients speaks for the product. In addition to leaf juice from organic aloe vera, there are only four other components in the gel: a natural thickener, citric acid for pH, ascorbic acid and potassium sorbate to prevent mold growth.
Also the comparison product the German cosmetics manufacturer Junglück convinces with few additional ingredients, a very good test result from Öko Test and is also produced in Germany (short transport routes, great for the environment). A great extra for environmentalists and nature lovers: The Aloe vera gel reaches you not in a plastic bottle but in amber glass. You can send this back to Junglück after use and even get a discount for 10 bottles.
Tip: If you often ask yourself the question “What’s in my cosmetic products and/or food?”, you can also download a suitable app. With the “CodeCheck” app, for example, you can simply scan the barcode of your products and get important information about the ingredients.
Aloe vera gel: application
There are numerous versions of aloe vera products: for use on the skin, for drinking, in pill form, etc. It is important that you always follow the instructions on the packaging. Aloe vera gel is generally only suitable for external use. Otherwise there is not much to consider.
- Always apply aloe vera gel clean skin on.
- The frequency of application depends on the condition and needs of your skin.
- We recommend the aloe vera gel twice daily to use and to absorb well.
- If you want to use it to treat abrasions or sunburn, you can also use aloe vera gel more often.
Aloe vera gel: make it yourself or buy it?
There is no general answer to the DIY question. Unlike many other products, however, the industrially produced gel has a decisive advantage: the aloin, which is located between the leaf peel and the leaf pulp and is suspected of being carcinogenic, is extracted during processing by the cosmetics industry. You can also achieve this yourself through very precise and careful processing, but it requires a lot of practice and there is no 100 percent security. If you want to be on the safe side, we recommend that you use a ready-made product in this case.