Known to the ancient Egyptians as the ‘plant of immortality’, aloe vera is in the pantheon of our all-time favorite ingredients. It is used as a key ingredient in hundreds of our products, from make-up to masks and hair care. Its ability to hydrate with a natural abundance of antioxidants, minerals, enzymes and vitamins makes it perfect for beauty products.
Throughout history, aloe vera has remained one of the primary plants associated with healing and holistic health. We all know it’s great for sunburns, but what else do we know about aloe vera’s skin benefits?
In this post, we’ll take a quick tour of the anatomy of aloe vera and how this soothing succulent benefits the skin – as well as the main factors it can help keep our skin healthy and balanced.
Anatomy of Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is essentially 98.5% water with the rest classified as ‘gel’. Although this is the most sought-after part of the plant when using aloe vera for skin benefits, all parts of the plant are worth considering.
There are three main components of the aloe leaf:
Aloe Rind
This dark green outer layer acts as a protective barrier to hold the sap inside. This part of the aloe does not appear to have any measurable nutritional value.
Aloe Latex
This is the yellowish liquid that comes out when a leaf is cut or squeezed and has a slightly bitter taste (although it should not be consumed by mouth unless properly processed). This thin liner stands between the aloe bark and the aloe gel inside.
Gel with aloe leaves
A clear and odorless gel makes up most of the aloe leaf. The fleshy interior of aloe leaves is packed with nutrients and antioxidants and is touted for both its topical and ingested healing properties. You’ll often see it listed as “juice” or “gel” in ingredient lists.
What Kinds of Nutrients Are in Aloe Vera?
Aloe vera’s known soothing properties, antioxidant content, and obvious moisturizing benefits make it an all-star addition to your skin care and makeup routine. Its famous healing effects have been recognized for thousands of years and we maintain this long tradition. Aloe vera can penetrate deep into our skin, carrying nutrients while helping to remove toxins.
Here are some key nutrients found in this natural ingredient:
Minerals
Aloe vera is full of minerals, packed with more than 20 skin-nourishing stars like selenium, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper and zinc.
Vitamins
Who knew that at just 1% aloe content, so much good stuff could be made? Aloe vera touts an impressive list of vitamins including vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, C and E to complement the skin’s soothing complement.
Beta-Hydroxy Acids
Aloe vera contains beta-hydroxy acids: oil-soluble acids that help clear congested pores, making them ideal for oily, congested or acne-prone skin. Aloe vera also contains salicylic acid, which is known for its gentle and effective anti-acne properties.
Fatty Acids
These high-moisture players bring anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties to the party, for clearer, more balanced skin.
Amino acids
This thorny plant packs a lot into every cubic millimeter of its mass, containing 20 of the 22 amino acids humans need – including seven of the eight essential amino acids.
3 Benefits of Aloe Vera for the skin
Now that we understand the parts and compounds of this unique plant, here are three of the most important benefits of aloe vera for the skin.
Aloe Vera for hydration
Aloe vera is known for its moisturizing benefits for all skin types. Thanks to aloe vera, our Mattifying Primer can even out skin in a pinch. In addition, aloe vera gel can even help with skin conditions such as seborrheic dermatitis.
While this significant moisturizing factor is partly due to the fact that aloe vera contains 98.5% water, it is also partly due to two natural hormones found in the plant: gibberellins and auxin.
Gibberellins and auxin have been shown to contain anti-inflammatory properties by helping hormones in your body stimulate new cell growth. Through this process, the healing process can be accelerated, while the appearance of scars can be reduced.
We like to use aloe vera as one of the main moisturizing ingredients in some of our skin soothing products. Our Green Tea Water Bomb Mask is one such product, perfect for anyone who needs an extra boost of hydration.
We’ve added organic green tea concentrate (a powerful antioxidant) to help with inflammation, while soothing calendula provides soothing hydration. This hydrogel mask is perfect for all skin types, from dry to oily skin. This natural face mask will help your skin feel young, hydrated and happy.
While we love aloe vera in our products specifically designed to hydrate the skin like the Tea Moisturizer, we also enjoy it as a balancing ingredient in products that can dry out the skin, like the Antiseptic Hand Gel.
While we try to make our sanitizer as gentle on the skin as possible, any alcohol or antibacterial ingredients can tend to strip the skin of its natural moisture. But with the help of aloe vera, this formula stays balanced and gentle on your lipid barrier.
Aloe Vera for cleansing
Believe it or not, aloe vera’s skin benefits may even extend to clearing acne. This is partly due to the fact that aloe vera has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, but also thanks to its natural content of salicylic acid.
Another factor is that aloe vera is super hydrating – and your skin is efficient at healing itself when it’s healthy and hydrated. Although applying aloe vera directly to an irritated pimple is not recommended, it is great when your skin is in the healing process, especially to help fade acne scars.
If you’ve recently experienced a breakout, our Tinted Moisturizer contains aloe vera and helps provide some coverage while providing your skin with nutrients to aid its healing process.
Aloe Vera for a healthy glow
As our skin ages, it gradually produces less collagen. This leads to loss of elasticity and more visible fine lines and wrinkles – luckily, aloe vera is an excellent anti-aging ingredient. Its hydrating powers help maintain skin elasticity and hydration, while antibacterial salicylic acid heals, exfoliates and encourages new cell renewal.
In our innovative vitamin C serum, we’ve harnessed the power of vitamin C in a base of nutrient-rich organic aloe juice. This was to help protect your skin from free radicals, which lead to premature aging and sun spots.
PM Multivitamin + Antioxidant-Powerful Serum features Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, which is the highest quality, most stable form of Vitamin C, works for all skin types and is best when applied as the first step in your nightly skincare routine after cleansing . skin. This anti-aging serum is perfect for anyone looking to help tighten and brighten their overall skin tone.
Frequently Asked Questions about Aloe Vera
What vitamins and minerals are in aloe vera and how do they benefit the skin?
Aloe vera contains vitamins A, C and E, which are all antioxidants that help protect the skin from free radical damage, promoting healing and reducing the signs of aging. Vitamin A helps in cell renewal, promoting skin renewal and reducing signs of aging. Vitamin C boosts collagen production, brightens skin and protects against environmental damage. Vitamin E fights free radicals, helping to soothe irritation and reduce inflammation.
Aloe vera also contains minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc, which contribute to overall skin health and can support collagen production, leading to improved skin elasticity and texture. Calcium contributes to healthy skin barrier function and wound healing. Magnesium helps regulate the skin’s moisture levels and reduce redness. Potassium supports skin hydration and cell function. Zinc promotes healthy, clear skin.
How can aloe vera help with sunburn and soothe irritated skin?
Thanks to the mineral content of vera, the juicy superstar can help with sunburns and soothe irritated skin. Calcium plays a key role in maintaining a healthy skin barrier and supports wound healing, while magnesium helps regulate skin moisture and reduce redness and inflammation, and potassium contributes to overall skin hydration and cell function.
What makes aloe vera an effective ingredient in hand sanitizers and moisturizers?
Aloe vera is an effective ingredient in hand sanitizers and moisturizers due to its natural moisturizing properties, ability to soothe skin irritation, and exhibits antibacterial and antimicrobial effects, helping to keep hands clean while preventing excessive dryness caused by the alcohol in hand sanitizers. acts as a humectant, attracting and retaining moisture in the skin.
How does aloe vera support new cell growth and scar healing?
Aloe vera supports new cell growth and scar healing by stimulating the cells responsible for collagen production, skin regeneration and tissue repair through its bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides and glycoproteins, which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, thus promoting faster wound healing and possibly minimizing scar formation. Aloe vera contains compounds that can reduce inflammation at the wound site, allowing for a more controlled healing process and potentially minimizing the formation of scar tissue.
Can aloe vera enhance makeup products such as primers or tinted moisturizers?
Yes, and this is exactly why we use aloe vera in many of our beauty products. Aloe vera can enhance makeup products such as primers and tinted moisturizers by providing additional hydration, soothing skin, and creating a smooth canvas for makeup application due to its hydrating and anti-inflammatory properties. making it a beneficial ingredient to include in these types of products.
