5 Best Pure Aloe Vera Gels in 2021 (for the Face & Skin)
WRITTEN BY: Â DIANE ELIZABETH K. | PUBLISHED: 03/27/2018 | LAST UPDATED: 03/17/2021
If you’ve ever tried shopping for 100% pure organic aloe vera gel, then you know that it is a nearly impossible task. The benefits of a pure aloe vera gel are never-ending. It’s a potent skin soother, known to calm irritated skin, ease pain, and help with itchy skin. But, it’s also very delicate and requires preservatives in order to maintain viable shelf life. That’s why almost every “100% pure aloe” product on the market actually contains about 99% – 99.75% pure ingredients plus a small percentage of preservatives and thickeners. (However, we did find one truly 100% pure product which you can read about below!).
What to Look For in a 100% Pure Organic Aloe Vera Gel
The quality of these preservatives will determine the safety and effectiveness of the product. The most common additional ingredients you’ll find are:
- Citric acid (a non-toxic preservative)
- Xanthan gum (a safe thickening agent)
- Potassium sorbate (mold-inhibiting preservative)
- Vitamin c (a stabilizing antioxidant)
There are some studies that suggest that potassium sorbate can cause skin irritation for some skin types. Alternatives to xanthan gum and potassium sorbate include agar-agar (thickener), radish root ferment (preservative), vitamin E (preservative), grapefruit seed extract (stabilizer), and guar gum (thickener). While all of these ingredients work differently, they are all safe and non-toxic. It would also be wise to avoid products where water is listed as the first ingredient. This means that the product contains mostly water and it could be diluted.
With that said, we went out in search of the purest organic aloe vera gel products that we could find. In the end, only five products made the cut and only one product contained 100% without any preservatives or thickeners. The remaining four products contain between 98% and 99.75%. These are safe to use on the skin as a moisturizer, burn treatment, scalp moisturizer, and DIY skin care ingredient. (Also, one of the products below is food-grade and can be added to smoothies and juices).
1. Amara Organics 99.75% Gel
A great gel product that contains 99.75% pure, cold-pressed, and organic inner leaf aloe vera gel. The consistency is more like a liquid than a gel. It goes on smooth, absorbs quickly, and isn't sticky. Can be worn as a daily toner, mixed with your favorite moisturizer, or used for any number of skin irritations such as itchy scalp, sunburns, dry skin, and scrapes + cuts.
Shop Amara Organics 99.75% Gel
2. Aubrey Organics 98% Gel
Instead of potassium sorbate, this 98% pure organic aloe vera gel uses radish root ferment as a gentle natural preservative (also contains water, guar gum, and citric acid). It doesn't contain a lot of thickeners; therefore, this product is watery and not gel-like. This organic gel works well as a burn + sunburn treatment. Just pour onto a cotton ball and apply to the burned area.
Shop Aubrey Organics 98% Gel
3. AdaptALOE 100% Pure USDA Juice Crystals
Another super pure organic aloe vera powder made from 100% pure inner leaf juice that's USDA certified organic. It is freeze-dried and also contains no preservatives, thickeners, or fillers. The best part about this product is that each box comes with 8 individually wrapped packets. So you can use them as you need them and store the rest for later. These are crystals, so while they have the same great properties of aloe, you won't get a "gel-like" consistency with these.
Shop AdaptALOE 100% Pure USDA Juice Crystals
4. PAJE 100% Natural Powder
This is one of the very few 100% pure organic inner leaf aloe product on the market that we could find. It's a white powder because it's made only from pure dehydrated organic inner leaf gel and does not contain the exterior leaf. It contains no preservatives, thickeners, or fillers. It is produced by freeze-drying the nourishing inner leaf gel of the plant. Simply add a few drops of water to the powder and mix until it reaches your desired consistency. Perfect for homemade DIY recipes like hand sanitizers, face masks, sunburn treatments, or smoothies.
Shop PAJE 100% Natural Powder
5. Seven Minerals 99% Gel
A unique organic aloe vera gel that contains organic leaf juice, agar-agar, citric acid, vitamin C, and potassium sorbate. It contains no xanthan gum. Due to the potassium sorbate, sensitive skin types should spot test this before use. It has a nice consistency and blends well when mixed into other homemade skin care recipes.
Shop Seven Minerals 99% Gel
Diane Elizabeth K., Founder at SkinCareOx.com
Diane Elizabeth founded Skin Care Ox in 2016 after her personal struggle to find truly clean, natural, and organic products. Leveraging her background in biomedical engineering, scientific research + analytics, and entrepreneurship, she created Skin Care Ox to be an easy-to-use resource to find real clean beauty options. Since then, her articles have been read by over 3 Million people and have helped millions choose cleaner alternatives. She currently lives in Colorado with her husband and growing family.
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Thank you so much for this rundown of Aloe Vera products that are 100% or just under. I always use All Natural ingredients and its really hard to find products that are pure there is always something in them that is not very good. But you have laid out the ingredients that could be bad for some. xanthium gum etc. Actually i have bought the Seven minerals before and still have some left …But…the problem is the dispenser is difficult and annoying as the lid cannot be secured very easily. Mine broke off and now i have to place it just in the right place to secure and this is annoying too. But just to thank you for your findings. May go for the powder as it is 100 per cent real. Many Thanks Diane K
I want to avoid all preservatives so I’m looking for an aloe vera gel to use daily on my face which requires refrigeration. Any ideas? Thanks.