Aloe Gel, this miracle Aloe leaf extract is one of the most popular ingredients in skin and hair care, and for good reason - it is a literal "zifozonke" (healer of ailments). The one ingredient that you can always reach out for to treat sunburn, skin irritation, itchiness, dry scalp etc. Aloe Gel hydrates the skin and may help improve skin tone. It's versatility makes it a total must have ingredient for your supply (and medicinal) cupboard.
As popular as it may be, it is also the one product that we get most questioned about. Mostly because the name Aloe gel implies that it's thick and gel, but it is not... At least not always.
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So what consistency is Aloe Gel? Well, there are a few forms of Aloe extracts available in the market and here is the brief explanation of each:
This is thick aloe flesh that has been 'blended' down but consistency is pulpy, rather than gel or liquid. For a better picture, think of freshly pressed orange juice. If you added the orange flesh into the squeezed juice it would be pulpy, not smooth or liquid. This is kind of like that. It is pure aloe flesh/juice mix and may (should) include a preservative, otherwise best used fresh. This is also easy to make at home. Simply scrape off the flesh from an Aloe leaf and run in a blender or food processor. It requires preservation if not used within a few days, but can also be kept frozen. It is not easily available commercially.
This type of Aloe extract is also pure, with very minimal processing and includes a preservative, normally at 1%. Contrary to the name, it is pure liquid viscosity (watery). So if you think of the orange juice analogy above, this would be like strained orange juice, containing no thickness or pulp, just the squeezed-out liquid. It has a clear to amber color. It is most often food grade and the most widely used type of Aloe extract in skincare. It is also known as Aloe juice and contains a safe, food grade preservative at a rate of less than 1%. Liquid Aloe Gel is easy to incorporate into Soaps, lotions, hair products and other emulsified formulations - simply replace some of the water phase with it.
If you are buying Aloe Gel from us, this is the consistency you will be getting - amber liquid (ie water viscosity), 99% purity with 1% preservative.
This is not pure Aloe Gel, but it is Aloe Gel (as above) that has been thickened or made into gel by incorporating other ingredients in. So the starting point would be Aloe liquid and added to that would be an ingredient like carbomer or a gum substance to make it into a gel/paste form. This is an end product and not a raw ingredient. It is suitable for use as a topical gel. It will still have the benefits of pure Aloe Gel, to some extent, but can not be used in formulations, and is not 'full-strength' Aloe. The biggest advantage of this is ease of use or topical application.
This is a potent Aloe extract. It is made by pulverizing dehydrated Aloe flesh into powder. It is the most concentrated form of Aloe extract. It is easy to incorporate into formulations.
Aloe Gel is one ingredient that I can't do without. It should be considered a staple ingredient in every cupboard. Hope you enjoy using it neat or in your formulations.
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