The gel of the aloe vera plant (aloe barbadensis) is easily one of the more popular topical treatments for acne today, and unlike cucumber or lemon juice, it thoroughly deserves it. Aloe vera is amazing for acne, wound healing, youthfulness, and a glowing and vibrant skin tone.
Aloe vera has an endless series of anti-inflammatory compounds, including lupeol, glucomannan, bradykinase, anthraquinones, and c-glucosyl chromone. Lupeol, for example, was proven in one study to be more anti-inflammatory than the pharmaceutical drug indomethacin. Studies on the plant itself have also detected amazing anti-inflammatory properties.
Aloe vera is also very rich in antioxidants, producing its signature green colour and aroma, but less famous are aloe vera’s collagen-boosting powers. It contains two natural plant compounds, mannose-6-phosphate and gibberellin, which are known to stimulate growth factors in the skin and increase collagen.
If you buy the correct aloe vera gel, all of these powers can be yours, and that’s why today, we will discuss the 7 best brands available.
Before we begin, watch out for side effects. Aloe vera rarely causes any, but because it’s so dense and rich in natural compounds, many of which are unique, there’s always a chance of a freak allergenic reaction.
Let’s get started:
One – Earth’s Daughter
Beginning our list, we have the expertly produced Earth’s Daughter. This is one of the most popular aloe vera gels on amazon, with over 7000 ratings, and for good reason. There’s no contest between Earth’s Daughter and the average aloe vera gel in a grocery store.
Firstly, Earth’s Daughter is an aloe vera gel, resembling a thick and viscous liquid. That makes it easy to apply to your skin or any wounds that need healing, and higher in nutrition; aloe vera gel also contains more acne-clearing compounds than the juice.
According to reviewers, this is a thicker gel than average, being in-between a real gel and a liquid. Secondly, Earth’s Daughter contains the optimal list of ingredients, consisting of 99.75% aloe vera itself, with the remaining ingredients being potassium sorbate, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), citric acid and xanthan. Those ingredients are the ideal choice for natural and healthy preservatives and PH stabilisers, beating the chemical nightmares like triethanolamine found in cheaper brands.
Yet another advantage is being grown and manufactured exclusively in the USA. The aloe plants are grown in southern central Texas. Earth’s Daughter is also cold-pressed, to prevent heat from destroying all the vital compounds. Then there’s the large 8oz or 12oz bottle size, and you even receive a free eBook with DIY aloe vera recipes inside.
Earth’s Daughter is an outstanding aloe vera gel for all of your skincare needs.
Amazon link: Earth’s Daughter Organic Aloe Vera Gel.
Two – Seven Minerals
A top quality cold-pressed aloe vera gel which is slightly thinner than average. It’s thick enough to apply to your skin, but perfect for mixing with other topical treatments like grapeseed oil.
This is a slightly different aloe vera, because instead of the normal xanthan thickener, Seven Minerals utilises agar extracted from seaweed. Many shocked customers have discovered seaweed in their ice cream ingredients label before, and the purpose is similar: it’s a top quality, completely natural thickener, which also has some bonus seaborne antioxidants.
The other ingredients are the standard natural roster: potassium sorbate, citric acid, and ascorbic acid. Another great thing about Seven Minerals is that they tell you exactly what each ingredient is for, being completely transparent with their customers; the citric acid for PH stabilisation, the agar for thickness, and so on.
Likewise, they disclose the exact proportion of aloe vera in the product: 98.7%. While the whole product isn’t certified organic, they specifically state that the aloe portion is. This aloe vera brand is free from any feared additives like fragrances and triethanolamine. Meanwhile, the bottle weighs 12oz for a long supply, while the price is affordable. The aloe vera is grown and packaged exclusively in the USA, while Seven Minerals even comes with a free 47 page eBook, with 30 different recipes.
If you want an aloe vera with a slightly thinner texture, Seven Minerals is your ultimate brand.
Amazon link: Seven Minerals Organic Aloe Vera Gel.
Three – Amara Organics
A big cheese of the aloe vera market, which completely deserve its reputation.
This aloe vera is cold-pressed, with no pasteurisation, to leave every natural property intact. It’s packed in the USA, and uses aloe vera grown in Texas, according to their website. This is a 12oz bottle, with an affordable price.
Amara Organics contains the standard team of healthy ingredients: aloe vera gel (99%), citric acid, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and xanthan for thickness. This brand even has over 2000 happy reviews, and according to those reviewers, the gel has a distinct aloe vera smell. The texture was described as being a liquidy gel.
Like every brand here, Amara Organics contains the plant’s gel. What’s the difference between the gel and juice? Some aloe vera gels may have a more liquid-like texture than others and be mistaken for juice, but they’re sourced from different sections of the plants.
Aloe vera juice contains the whole leaf, including the rind and aloe latex. Aloe vera gel primarily consists of the inner gel of the leaves, excluding the outer rind and latex. Importantly, the gel is much higher in mucilage, which provides thickness, but also many of aloe vera’s healthiest compounds like polysaccharides.
While aloe vera juice is acceptable, aloe vera gel is both healthier and easier to apply, and Amara Organics provides it.
If you want a reliable and trustworthy aloe vera gel, Amara Organics is for you.
Amazon link: Amara Organics Aloe Vera Gel.
Four – Green Leaf Naturals
Another brand which contains cold-pressed and unpasteurised aloe vera gel, the ultimate for nutrition.
Green Leaf Naturals leaves no stone unturned in its quest for effectiveness, with the gel rather than juice being used. The aloe vera is grown, harvested and packaged exclusively in the USA, specifically Texas, with no Chinese influence. Green Leaf Naturals also comes in an 8oz bottle and is fairly affordable for its excellent quality.
This is another trusted aloe vera brand, with over 3000 ratings on amazon. Other products Green Leaf Naturals sells include mango butter and cocoa butter.
The additives list is identical to Earth’s Daughter. Firstly, there’s citric acid, a natural ingredient sourced from citrus fruits for keeping the acidity high enough. Secondly, there’s potassium sorbate, a safe preservative for suppressing microorganisms like moulds. There’s also xanthan as a natural thickening agent, to make the aloe vera easy to apply, and finally, there’s ascorbic acid, AKA vitamin C, to maintain freshness.
If you’re after natural aloe vera gel, this is the team to look out for; additives to avoid include triethanolamine, the dreaded and vague “fragrances” term, and iodopropynyl butylcarbamate. Green Leaf Naturals lacks an overall USDA organic certification, but the aloe vera itself is certified organic by the Texas Department of Agriculture.
Green Leaf Naturals meets every requirement for an acne-clearing aloe vera gel.
Amazon link: Green Leaf Naturals Aloe Vera Gel.
Five – Allurials
A slightly different aloe vera, as it comes in a circular jar rather than a bottle. If you find aloe vera gel hard to dispense in bottle form, without it splattering your bathroom tiles, the Allurials brand may be for you. Allurials succeeds elsewhere too, consisting of 99.75% aloe vera. The entire product isn’t organic, but most importantly, the aloe vera gel itself is.
The gel is also cold-pressed and carefully processed to maximise the nutrition, and according to reviewers, this gel is neither too thick nor too runny, allowing easy application. Allurials is grown, harvested, and packaged in the USA, and comes in a large 8oz jar. This brand is grown in sunny Florida as opposed to Texas.
The ingredients list is standard: organic aloe vera, potassium sorbate, citric acid, ascorbic acid, and xanthan. Thankfully, there’s no triethanolamine in sight. Triethanolamine is a chemical, a preservative which is widely used in cheaper aloe vera brands. It does the job, keeping aloe vera’s nutrition intact, but it’s also linked to free radical generation, inflammation, and antioxidant depletion when ingested.
Triethanolamine can also cause allergic reactions and eye irritation when applied topically, and that’s why none of the aloe vera brands listed here contain any. Finally, Allurials is a well-tested product, with nearly 4000 Amazon ratings as of April 2024.
Are you tired of acne, bored with dull and lifeless skin? Allurials aloe vera may be the product for you.
Amazon link: Allurials Aloe Vera Gel.
Six – NaturSense
NaturSense is another prestigious aloe vera gel. This aloe vera boasts of a “silky and fluid consistency”, and is charcoal-filtered for maximum purity. NaturSense even confirms that their bottle is free from BPA, a toxic chemical which depletes your antioxidants.
It’s a similar story of greatness overall. The aloe vera plants are grown and harvested in the USA, while the final NaturSense product is packaged in the USA. It’s a cold-pressed aloe vera gel for maximum antioxidants and vitamin C.
The additives list reads citric acid, ascorbic acid, and xanthan. One chemical you really need to avoid in aloe vera is iodopropynyl butylcarbamate, commonly used as a preservative, but linked to allergic reactions when applied to the skin. It’s everywhere in cheaper brands, and luckily, NaturSense doesn’t contain this monstrosity.
Important article – the top 6 vitamins and minerals for clearing acne
NaturSense is one of the only brands here to have full USDA organic certification, and one of the few to lack potassium sorbate, which is a harmless ingredient anyway, but a good point if you want the shortest additives list possible. NaturSense also has a high 99% concentration of aloe vera gel. This is a large 12oz bottle, which has an affordable price.
NaturSense is an aloe vera gel which succeeds in every way, whether for wound healing or acne.
Amazon link: NaturSense Organic Aloe Vera Gel.
Seven – La Lune Naturals
With our next aloe vera gel brand, we continue the greatness that came before it. La Lune Naturals has no special features, but every feature you could need.
The aloe vera gel itself is cold-pressed, with no harsh heat and no destruction of the important compounds. The aloe vera itself is certified organic, while the other ingredients are simply citric acid, potassium sorbate, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and xanthan.
La Lune Naturals is packaged and grown in the USA, and comes in a large 12oz bottle. As for the thickness report, it’s another thinner and more liquid-like gel, so if thickness is important for you, Earth’s Daughter is optimal, but La Lune Naturals will still succeed wildly, particularly if you’re making recipes.
Another advantage is a free 30 page eBook which comes with the product, featuring 20 recipes. La Lune Naturals contains aloe vera in 99.75% concentration, the standard. Finally, it’s packaged in an amber coloured bottle, the optimal colour for preventing sunlight and UV radiation from oxidising the aloe vera. Note that La Lune Naturals recommends storing their aloe vera gel in a cool, dark place away from sunlight. The final advantage is a convenient pump dispenser.
Like every brand here, La Lune Naturals is cold-pressed. Why is this so important? Aloe vera plants are normally torn and shredded by blades alongside heat, to extract the gel, but this heat can destroy some of the fragile nutrients.
One study found that pasteurised aloe vera gel contained a massive 57% less antioxidants compared to cold-pressed aloe vera gel. Cold-pressing is a more traditional method, where the juice and gel is pressed out by hand, resulting in a more viscous and nutritious liquid. There’s a big trend for cold-pressed oils right now, and aloe vera manufacturers are starting to cash in, to our benefit, so there’s no reason to use a pasteurised aloe vera gel.
If you’re determined to end your acne once and for all, La Lune Naturals is an excellent product.
Amazon link: La Lune Naturals Organic Aloe Vera.
Conclusion
The aloe vera brands here are quite similar overall, with only Seven Minerals containing seaweed extract and brands like Earth’s Daughter being slightly thicker.
Which are the best topical treatments to combine aloe vera with? Tamanu oil is a great choice, because it has powerful collagen-boosting abilities of its own. Shea butter can also increase collagen by disabling the collagenase enzyme, and both are oils which will enhance the penetration of aloe vera’s antioxidants.
Is organic aloe vera vital? Not at all, because the aloe vera plant is naturally resistant to pests. They can hardly penetrate the thick, outer rind, and according to the The International Aloe Science Council, almost all aloe vera is grown organically, whether the label says so or not. Since growers have to provide extensive paperwork and information to obtain organic certification, many simply don’t bother.
The aloe vera market isn’t a minefield; it’s easy to navigate if you have the knowledge. Wander into a grocery store, or an internet marketplace, and mindlessly buy the first cheap aloe vera gel which you see, and you will be presented with a chemical-filled nightmare which barely works anyway. Learn some facts and spend five minutes looking for a pure gel, and you’ll be all set to wipe out acne.
If you wish to calm inflammation, or increase collagen and acquire youthfulness, your quest just got slightly easier.
NEXT: learn the root causes of acne, clear your skin permanently
Thanks for reading!
Nice information! Aloe vera is an amazing natural ingredient for treating acne and other skin issues. I had acne in past and tried aloe vera gel on my face and it works perfectly, acne got vanished after using it for few days. Thanks for sharing the article.