5 Best Pure Aloe Vera Gels in 2021 (for the Face & Skin)

WRITTEN BY: DIANE ELIZABETH K. | PUBLISHED: 03/27/2018 | LAST UPDATED: 01/17/2020

If you’ve ever tried shopping for 100% pure organic aloe vera gel, then you know that it is a nearly impossible task. While pure aloe vera gel is a potent skin soother, it is also very delicate and requires preservatives in order to maintain a viable shelf life. That’s why almost every “100% pure aloe” product on the market actually contains about 99% – 99.75% pure aloe vera gel plus a small percentage of preservatives and thickeners. (However, we did find one truly 100% pure organic aloe vera product which you can read about below!).

The quality of these preservatives will determine the safety and effectiveness of the product. The most common additional ingredients you’ll find in a good organic aloe vera gel are citric acid (a non-toxic preservative), xanthan gum (a safe thickening agent), potassium sorbate (mold-inhibiting preservative), and vitamin c (a stabilizing antioxidant). There are some studies which 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 organic aloe vera products where water is listed as the first ingredient. This means that the product contains mostly water and you’re basically buying diluted aloe vera gel.

With that said, we went out in search for 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% pure aloe vera without any preservatives or thickeners. The remaining four products contain between 98% and 99.75% pure organic aloe vera gel. These organic aloe vera products are safe to use on the skin as a moisturizer, burn treatment, scalp moisturizer, and DIY skin care ingredient. (Also, one of the aloe products below is food-grade and can be added to smoothies and juices).

*Seven Minerals – 99% Organic Aloe Vera Gel

A unique organic aloe vera gel that contains organic aloe 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 aloe before use. This aloe has a nice consistency and blends well when mixed into other homemade skin care recipes.

*Amara Organics – 99.75% Organic Aloe Vera Gel

A great aloe vera 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.

*Aubrey Organics – 98% Organic Aloe Vera 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 aloe vera gel works well as a burn + sunburn treatment. Just pour onto a cotton ball and apply to the burned area.

*Paje – 100% Natural Pure Aloe Vera 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 aloe 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 aloe vera 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..

*Adapt Aloe – 100% Pure USDA Organic Aloe Vera Juice Crystals

Another super pure organic aloe vera powder made from 100% pure aloe vera 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 aloe product is that each box comes with 8 individually wrapped aloe vera packets. So you can use then as you need them and store the rest for later. These are aloe vera crystals, so while they have the same great properties of aloe, you won't get a "gel-like" consistency with these.

Ox Box: Organic Beauty Box

SPECIAL EDITION! 77% OFF one of the world's most premier certified natural skin care brands with this Limited Edition Amala Beauty Ox Box. Experience six Amala bestselling, clinically proven skin care products, like their Advanced Firming Complex Moisturizer and Skin Plumping Hyaluronic Serum, in this exclusive Skin Care Ox bundle!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

This Article Was Written By…

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.

Review Standards & Process

Skin Care Ox product reviews are 100% brand neutral. Skin Care Ox does not accept compensation in exchange for reviews. Additionally, there are no paid advertisements on Skin Care Ox. From time to time, brands will submit products to our team for review. Whether we procure the products ourselves or they are submitted to our team for review—our reviews remain honest and neutral.

Skin Care Ox is primarily funded through affiliate commissions. Meaning, when you purchase a product via a link from our website, we earn a small commission on the sale from the retailer (at no additional cost to you). Skin Care Ox is a member of numerous affiliate networks representing hundreds of cleans beauty brands and retailers. Because of this, no single brand or company has control over our review decisions. See our Affiliate Disclosure for more information.

Finally, every product we review undergoes our Research and Review Process. This includes faithfully trialing the products for a minimum of two weeks, rigorously researching each ingredient, and consolidating real user reviews from across the web.

PRODUCT BADGES LEGEND

100% NATURAL

The product contains only natural ingredients (non-synthetic or lab created). It does not contain anything artificial or synthetic.

100% ORGANIC

The product has been formulated with 100% organically sourced and/or certified organic ingredients.

GMO FREE

This product does not contain ingredients which have been genetically modified.

GLUTEN FREE

All of the ingredients contained in the product are free from gluten, wheat, and ingredients which are commonly contaminated with gluten.

VEGAN

The product is made without animal products or byproducts such as beeswax, honey, milk, eggs, etc.

CERTIFIED ORGANIC

The product has received an official organic certification from a third party organization such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA Certified Organic), ECOCERT, Australian Certified Organic, and others.