Product Description

Concentrated amount fresh Aloe Vera leaves on the market, this cooling gel forms a protective barrier that helps retain moisture and promote healing.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18465 in Health and Beauty
• Brand: Fruit of the Earth

Customer Reviews

I would AVOID this product!!
I was definitely skeptical when I saw a tube of this stuff on the shelf at my local drugstore boldly proclaiming "100% Gel"----OF COURSE it's 100% GEL----it's NOT 100% Aloe Vera though, obviously!! Secondly, I strongly suggest that anyone considering this product should Google ALL of the other ingredients. You'll probably wonder, as I did, if this stuff will CAUSE more problems than it CURES! I pitched my tube out immediately after reading what this other stuff is. One of the ingredients, Diazolidinyl urea, for example, is a KNOWN CARCINOGEN and has been banned in Europe! Also, although the label boldly proclaims "NO ALCOHOL", you will find that one of the ingredients is INDEED a "tri-alcohol"!! You simply cannot trust advertising and I will be more wary before buying similar products in the future and will NOT do business with a company like Fruit of the Earth who tries to be so sneaky and borders on dishonesty.

Everyone needs a bottle of aloe or two in their home at all times
This product is a necessity in my home. There are so many uses for this product that it hard to know where to begin. I "discovered" this a few years ago when I burned myself badly frying something. My mother-in-law asked if I tried aloe on the burn to cool the fire. I didn't expect the aloe to work since the burn was almost 4 hours old before I put aloe on it. Was I wrong! Almost immediately the aloe cooled the fire of the burn and remarkably the blister even began to decrease in size.

I have subsequently discovered many additional uses for this product. It is excellent for poison ivy, scratches, insect bites, sunburn and just about any other skin irritation or inflammation. It also appears to reduce the dark spots that appear on the face and hands as we age.

The ingredients in this product as follows:
Aloe Vera Gel
Triethanolamine
Tocopheryl Acetate
Carbomer 940
Tetrasodium EDTA
DMDM Hydantoin
Diazolidinyl Urea

I would have this product in my home if only for the remarkable way that it heals burns. If you haven't tried aloe for skin irritation in the past, I would highly recommend that you give this product a try. I was initally a skeptic, but it really does work.

About tetrasodium EDTA
Having done a little research, I believe that the whole tetrasodium EDTA scare is a bit of an overreaction. Tetrasodium EDTA is a common salt of EDTA, or EthyleneDiamineTetraacetic Acid, and is used in many products (including soaps and cosmetics) as a chelating agent.

Its effect is to make sodium, calcium and magnesium salts, as found in hard water, water-soluble. As you know, prolonged exposure to water makes your skin absorb water and swell (that's why it wrinkles). Since chelating agents decrease the surface tension of water, they will accelerate this process. In theory, it is possible that some carcinogens may become water soluble and hence be more easily absorbed by your skin as well. This perceived danger is the same, however, if you stay in the bathtub for too long.

In this product, Tetrasodium EDTA is used to keep it nice and smooth and help its not-so-water-soluble components (such as preservatives) dissolve in the gel.

EDTA itself will actively bind with metal ions. Medically, it has found use in treating acute hypercalcemia, mercury poisoning and lead poisoning. This is also why you shouldn't ingest it: since it is a decalcifying agent, it is not good for your bones in the long run. It shouldn't be necessary to say this, but just in case: do not use this product to treat any of the above medical conditions. It is for external use only.

I hope this information will set a few minds at ease.

Before I forget: this is a great product for treating dry skin, and has a nice cooling effect on minor sunburns. I even use it as a hair styling gel, as it doesn't remain greasy or sticky, like other styling gels tend to.