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: #26933 in Health and Beauty
• Brand: Fruit of the Earth

Customer Reviews

Wish they would leave out the Formaldehyde.
It's 100% gel but not necessarily 100% Aloe Vera... obviously. I like the fact they use Tocopherol Acetate, which is Vitamin E, it is probably added as an antioxidant and preservative. Unfortunately they also feel it is necessary to add Carbomer 940, a synthetic thickener, to change the consistency. This is supposedly non-toxic but like many chemicals used in cosmetics, it's not clinically tested and who really knows. The Triethanolamine is used to solubilize and reduce the acidity of the Carbomer but should be nontoxic. EDTA is a chelator; it is not really a problem either as such.

Of more concern is the addition of the perservatives/antimicrobials DMDM Hydantoin and Diazolidinyl Urea; these chemicals work by releasing Formaldehyde into the product, which kills any microbes and is great for the product but not so great for you, because Formaldehyde is a potent carcinogen as well as an irritant that can cause allergic reactions.

Although this product is only applied topically, and the concentration of Formaldehyde is hopefully too low to cause irritation and cancer, that is not known. I would be interested to know the exact concentrations of each ingredient in the final product.

Good things: this is otherwise a decent product that dries very quickly, and makes a non-greasy Hair gel and skin moisturizer. I have mixed fine loose glitter into it to make cheap glitter gel, that would actually stay on my skin and hair instead of the glitter falling right off, like when you mix glitter with regular lotion.

Bad things: the formaldehyde-producing preservatives; you would think a company by the name of Fruit of the Earth should actually use some earth-friendly preservatives. As an alternative I suggest exploring your local health food or supplement store and searching for an aloe vera gel that does not contain any strange unpronouncable/chemical/synthetic ingredients. Even in small quantities these things can cause allergies or other health problems, and it only takes one mutation to start a cancer. Or pick up your own Aloe Vera plant; they are surprisingly tough and prolific.

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.