Identifying a pure Aloe vera product is simple. The consumer can know what they are buying exactly. We will provide you with the keys to differentiate them.
What does being pure aloe vera mean?
There are many products on the market that use their Aloe vera content as a selling point. But it’s important to differentiate between products made from Aloe vera juice and those made from concentrate.
The Aloe vera juice in Atlantia products is obtained after peeling the leaves, pressing the pulp and filtering it to remove undesirable elements. The juice is cold stabilised to maintain its original properties.
In the case of Atlantia Aloe Gel, 96% is pure Aloe vera. The rest is natural preservatives needed to conserve a product with such a high natural content and a gelling agent to provide cosmetic properties.
For its part, Aloe vera concentrate is a mixture of water and freeze-dried Aloe (in powder). To get an idea, one gram of Aloe vera is used to make 200 ml of gel that is sold as “pure”. But evidently it isn’t.
At Atlantia, 190 ml of pure Aloe vera juice extracted directly from the plant is used to make 200 ml of pure Aloe vera gel. During the process the Aloe vera goes through to obtain the powder, the original properties of the plant are lost.
Most manufacturers use powder for the savings in costs and logistics it entails. It is more costly to transport vats of pure Aloe vera gel than the product in already dried powder form, as all that is needed is to add water later.
What difference does it make that the aloe vera is pure?
Aloe contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes. There are also several secondary plant compounds and mono- and polysaccharides. The most important ingredient is Aloverose (Acemannan), a complex sugar that is only produced in the species “Aloe barbadensis Miller”. This element is essential to bind moisture.
In healthy skin, the difference between a pure product, with high levels of Aloverose, and another based on Aloe in powder may not be noticed initially, although it will be in the long run. But, when dealing with skin that is sensitive, damaged, irritated or with burns, etc., the concentration of the active ingredients plays a very important role.
In the process of obtaining powder, Aloe vera is subject to heat. This results in it becoming denatured and losing a significant part of its properties along the way.
How can I know what kind of aloe I'm buying?
When shopping, you just have to look at the label to know if the product contains pure Aloe vera or concentrate.
The INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients), the list of ingredients normally found on the back of the product, is mandatory to label cosmetic formulas.
This list reflects the reality of the product and the ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration. The first item on the list in a pure Aloe gel should be Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, the main ingredient. In an Aloe vera gel based on concentrate, the ingredient at the top of the list will be WATER.
