The 8 Best Aloe Vera Gels

If you forget the sunscreen, or took a cloudy day for granted, the first thought that comes to mind is:

“What’s the fastest way to get rid of sunburn?”

Time is the one true healer of a bad sunburn, but you can definitely speed up the process with some great aloe vera gel.

Aloe Vera gel not only helps get rid of sunburn, but also helps prevent peeling if your sunburn was severe.

And most aloe vera gels today have enough antioxidants in them to be a perfect daily moisturizer as well.

The 8 Best Aloe Vera Gels (Summer 2019)

We looked at 8 different aloe vera gels you can buy so you can spend more time rubbing it in your skin, rather than looking for some while your skin is all itchy and hot.

TOP PICK

• Amara Organics
• 99.75% Aloe Vera

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NEXT BEST

• Seven Minerals
• Won't Make Skin Sticky

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BEST VALUE

• Kate Blanc
• Made Of Aloe Juice > Gel

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Amara Organics

https://www.amazon.com/Amara-Organics-Aloe-Organic-Pressed/dp/B00WRN3TBU/?tag=beachrated404-20

Amara Organics Aloe Vera Gel topped our list not only for it’s light feel, but it’s raving reviews on Amazon.  Click the link above, and read a few of them.  There’s a reason this one’s highly rated on Amazon.

You can easily replace your hand moisturizer with it, and can make it part of your morning skin care routine.

With aloe vera gels on the market today they contain too much xanthan so it gives your skin a sticky type feel, but Amara Organics contains 99.75% aloe vera so the preservatives added are kept to a minimum.

A pretty common use for aloe vera is hair gel because of the vitamins that it’s loaded with.

If you choose to use it for that Amara Organics won’t leave you with spikey hair from the 90’s punk rock era.

Seven Minerals

Seven minerals aloe vera has a unique ingredient – Seaweed Extract.

BUT WHY WOULD YOU PUT THAT ON YOUR FACE??

Good question.  We dive into this a little deeper below in our Aloe Vera Buyer’s guide, but to keep it short most aloe vera gels contain xanthan or carbomer.  Seaweed Extract is a more natural thickener, and dries quicker.

When it dries it won’t make your skin feel like you have an aloe mask on afterwards.

It will feel just like your daily moisturizer so that you can use it just for that, or to soothe a sunburn without getting that ‘tight skin’ feel.

You’re also getting a ton of value here with the amount you’re getting.  Seven Minerals Aloe comes in a 12oz bottle so it’s definitely sized for your entire sun scorched family.

Kate Blanc

Kate Blanc makes the best aloe vera gel for the money, and provides a great product in itself.

Below in our buyer’s guide we talk a little about Aloe A vs Aloe B. 

This is aloe vera JUICE instead of gel so the amount of active ingredients per fluid ounce is almost double the benefits per fluid ounce compared to traditional organic aloe vera gel (or Aloe Vera B)

Because it goes on so smoothly this aloe vera also makes a great foundation for your base if you’re looking for a great pre makeup moisturizer.

Plus, there isn’t any sort of scent to it so you won’t have to worry about smelling your facial moisturizer all day long.

NaturSense

Natursense is cold pressed aloe vera.

What is that?

Once the aloe gel is extracted from the aloe plant itself the stem is pressed cold (using no heat) which produces a much thicker more nutrient rich substance compared to using heat.

The result?

More aloe vera gel with more healing properties than the next product.

Plus, Natursense also has a great formula for jam packed with anti aging properties.

Their aloe vera gel contains vitamins A,C,E, and other amino acids that help combat free radicals, like Heliocare sunscreen pills.

Earth’s Daughter

Earth’s Daughter Aloe Vera contains only the best ingredients that won’t harm your skin, and comes in a great size (12oz), and includes a pump so you can keep it on the bathroom counter at all times.

Compared to the other aloe vera gels in this list we found this one to be the best for Acne & rosacea.  If you have either of the two we recommend Earth’s Daughter because it spreads easily, dries quickly, and won’t leave your face looking like the sun itself (shiny).

Pure Acres Farm

Judging by the ingredients list you can tell that Pure Acres Farm Aloe Vera isn’t just shooting to be your sunburn treatment, but instead they want to be part of your daily skin care routine.

Loaded with a ton of healthy vitamins to keep your skin clear – this is the best aloe vera gel for daily use in this list.

Green Leaf Naturals

If you’re looking for the MacGyver of the aloe vera gels then you’re all set with this one.

The active ingredients are very similar or identical to the others in our list, but Green Leaf naturals boasts that they WANT you to use this for everything.

If you’re a guy you can use this as a cooling aftershave lotion, and if you’re a gal looking for new and fresh hair conditioner it can be that for you too.

Girls – aloe vera can be great for moisturizing your bikini line after shaving, too.

We actually HIGHLY recommend this to prevent razor bumps!

Lily Of The Desert

Aloe Vera has been around for thousand of years.

Some believe it to have even been around since 4000BC.

It has also acquired many names through it’s time.  One being lily of the desert.

Nothing out of the ordinary with this aloe vera gel.  It does come with a few more preservatives than the others in this list, but nothing that will be harmful to your skin.

 Aloe Vera Gel Buyer’s Guide

Where Does Aloe Vera Come From?

Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) is a plant.

There’s actually quite a bit of confusion around Aloe Vera Gel, and Aloe Vera Juice.

Aloe Vera Gel comes from Aloe Barbadensis mentioned above while Aloe Aborescens produces the liquid that is beneficial for digestive health.

Aloe Aborescens is actually MORE beneficial than Aloe Vera (Aloe B), but is more for oral intake.

It’s known for it’s insane levels of healing properties, but we’ll cover that another time.

The gel is extracted from the inner part of the Aloe leaves themselves, and then combined with ingredients to keep the substance from going stale.

What Ingredients Do You Usually See In Aloe Vera?

Aloe vera on the market today is not 100% pure.

Yes, it is possible to have 100% aloe vera, but you would have to extract the gel from the plant itself and immediately rub it on your skin.

There are preservatives and other active ingredients present here to keep it from going bad, and also making it much easier to apply to your skin.

Aloe vera itself contains 75+ active ingredients.

Let’s go ahead and name all them off…

Joking aside some of the big ones that are worth mentioning for healthy skin are:

..and of course the list of ingredients goes on – but what about the preservatives we mentioned above?  Are they okay to rub on your skin?

YES..they actually make aloe vera gel more beneficial to your skin.

Sounds like citric acid would be pretty harsh on your skin right?

In fact citric acid is really important to have, and is present in most gels.

It’s a PH stabilizer.

On a scale of 1-14 your skin with all of the sebum that is excreted from your sebaceous glands, and combining it with the lactic and amino acids that are present as well – can really throw off the balance of your skin.

That’s why most gels contains citric acid.  To maintain balance.

Your sunburnt or tan line skin will heal much faster if your skin stays in a more balanced than volatile state.

Your sunburnt skin doesn’t need any moldy aloe vera!

That’s exactly why this ingredient is present.  To prevent that so you can use that big bottle for summers to come.

Not only is absorbic acid found in the most gels present on the market, but it’s also found in many of the top skin products that people use as part of their regime.

Absorbic Acid (Vitamin C) is a preservative just like potassium sorbate, but also increases collagen synthesis.

What’s collagen?  It’s a protein found everywhere in our bodies and keeps healthy skin looking elastic, and also repairs dead skin cells.  Absorbic acid is the most important ingredient within aloe vera.  Hands down.

Xanthan, or Xanthan Gum is a natural food additive, and also a stabilizer.  Not a PH stabilizer like Citric Acid is above though.

Ever rubbed on aloe vera before, and your skin gets really sticky?  Not cool.

That’s the result of too much xanthan, and possibly a formula that was overlooked by the maker of the product.

It’s important to have though and keeps all of the other ingredients held together. This is sometimes used in popular tanning oils, too.

Just like Xanthan Gum – Seaweed Extract is a natural thickener, but depending on your skin type or just overall preference of aloe vera you may like this better.

It can make your skin feel way less sticky than Xanthan Gum, but it all depends on the type of formula that was used in making the aloe vera in the first place.

It’s important to note here that some gels will also contain Carbomer in them which is a thickener as well, but won’t be found in some gels present on the market today because it’s not natural.

It’s not dangerous by any means it’s actually safe to use, but if you’re going for only natural aloe vera then choose one of our picks above.

Aloe Vera Recap

Aloe vera is a great part of a daily skin care regime as well so keep in mind that you can easily replace your daily moisturizer with any of these in the list.

The best gel for YOUR skin will depend on your skin type, sun exposure, and also just your preference.

Make sure you look at all of the active ingredients within ANY aloe vera gel (whether it be from this list or not) before purchasing.