Six thousand years ago, in ancient Egypt, aloe vera was call “the plant of immortality,” and it continues to have lots of uses today. But when consumers buy products that are said to contain aloe vera gel, are they getting the real thing?
Aloe vera gel is very soothing. It can be applied in the mouth for inflammation and canker sores, but it is most commonly put on the skin for sunburns, burns, acne, herpes, scaly/itchy skin, and dry skin. It can be used to heal wounds faster and it has properties that can help kill bacteria or fungus.
The special ingredient that allows aloe vera to be so effective is acemannan, a substance found in the inner part of the plant’s leaves. Aloe vera products should therefore be made from the inner leaf rather than outer leaf or whole leaf.
Acemannan has many benefits. Among other things, it lubricates joints and helps cells fight viruses, fungi, and bacteria. It increases the fluidity of cell membranes to help toxins to flow out of cells and nutrients to enter. It reduces pain and increases the flow of blood. It reduces allergic reactions and stimulates elements in the skin to release collagen and elastin to reduce the effects of aging. In fact, acemannan helps distinguish the aloe vera plant from the many other types of aloe.
The International Aloe Science Council says that “products that do not contain acemannan are not considered to be true aloe vera.” Yet, many products that are supposed to contain aloe vera contain no acemannan. For example, ConsumerLab.com tested Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera 100% Gel and found no acemannan. After the release of the ConsumerLab report, Fruit of the Earth and CVS were sued in class actions over the amount of aloe vera in their products.
Lab tests of other products have found little to no signs of aloe vera in them. A test of one product even found propylene glycol, a less-harmful form of antifreeze. Before class action suits can be brought against these other products, however, attorneys would like to speak to people who have used them about their experiences.
Successful class action suits enable consumers to get their money refunded and stop companies from falsely labeling their products in the future. Please contact us if you’ve used any of the following:
- CVS Aftersun Aloe Vera Moisturizing Gel
- CVS 100% Pure Aloe Vera Gel
- Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera 100% Gel
- Target Up & Up Aloe Vera Gel
- Walgreens Aloe Gel 0.5% Lidocaine Pain Reliever
- Walgreens Aloe Vera Body Gel
- Walgreens Advanced Hand Sanitizer with Aloe
- Purell Advanced Hand Sanitizer Refreshing Aloe
- Dollar General Body Soothing Aloe Gel
- Tropic Sun Aloe Vera Gel
- GNC Aloe Vera Gel
- Trader Joe Aloe Vera Gel Body Moisturizer
- Walmart Equate Cooling Aloe Sunburn Relief Gel
- Walmart Equate Soothing Aloe After Sun Gel
- Ocean Potion Aloe Gel
- Hawaiian Tropic After Sun Cooling Gel
- Banana Boat Aloe Gel
- Publix Relieving After Sun Gel
- Rocky Mountain Sunburn Relief Gel
- Nature Republic Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel
Topic: Consumer