Aloe Vera

For cosmetics, aloe vera is most often used directly as a gel. In fact, aloe vera is composed of 98% water and 2% nutrients (vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, etc.).

Some people consider aloe vera a miracle plant because of its diverse benefits. Thus, it is moisturizing, restorative, regenerating, antibacterial, soothing, astringent and softening. This plant with multiple virtues can be used to relieve skin lesions (burns, sunburn, psoriasis, after hair removal), against redness, to calm insect bites (by calming itching and repairing the skin), reduce brown spots, protect the skin against external aggressions but also combat skin aging (wrinkles and fine lines). For this, this product has many useful purposes.

Its mode of action

Aloe Vera has several modes of action

The healing properties are due to the polysaccharides and gibberellin, a growth hormone, contained in aloe vera. They stimulate the activity of fibroblasts, which synthesize collagen. Thanks to this, aloe vera accelerates wound contraction. In addition, aloe increases the concentration of hyaluronic acid and dermatan sulfate in the scar tissue, essential elements for healing.

The moisturizing properties of aloe vera are due to the fact that the gel can penetrate all layers of the epidermis. It contains more than 70 potential active natural substances (vitamins, enzymes, minerals, sugars, lignin, saponins, salicylic acids and amino acids) that improve blood circulation.

The gel promotes the production of fibroblasts. Fibroblasts are present in the dermis where they produce extracellular matrix components such as collagen fibers and elastin. This regenerates skin cells and allows it to remain elastic and fight the signs of aging (wrinkles).

Aloe vera has soothing properties. It inhibits the cyclooxygenase pathway and reduces the production of prostaglandin E2.

Use

Today, Aloe Vera is widely used in many cosmetics.

Given its many qualities, it is not uncommon to find this ingredient in face or hand creams, serums, makeup removers, cleansers, sunscreens, lotions and even shampoos or makeup.

Security

Fortunately, all skin types can benefit from the benefits of aloe vera. The gel is beneficial for dry skin, as well as oily or sensitive skin. However, it's always recommended to test a product before using it to see how your skin reacts.

When it comes to usage, aloe vera is a fairly straightforward ingredient. It can be already included in a product, or you can use it alone or with an oil. However, there are a few things you should be aware of. For skin care, always use aloe vera gel, not aloe vera latex, which can be a potential skin irritant.

Additionally, the gel should be stored at a low temperature and not heated. Finally, sun exposure is not recommended after applying PUR Aloe Vera gel.

Research

« Glucomannan, a mannose-rich polysaccharide, and gibberellin (…) significantly increases collagen synthesis after topical and oral Aloe vera. Aloe gel not only increased collagen content of the wound but also changed collagen composition (more type III) and increased the degree of collagen cross linking ».

« Exact role is not known, but following the administration of aloe vera gel, an antioxidant protein, metallothionein, is generated in the skin ».

« Aloe vera inhibits the cyclooxygenase pathway and reduces prostaglandin E2 production from arachidonic acid ».

Surjushe, Amar, Resham Vasani, and D. G. Saple. "Aloe vera: a short review." Indian journal of dermatology 53.4 (2008): 163. Source

Feily, A., and M. R. Namazi. "Aloe vera in dermatology: a brief review." Giornale italiano di dermatologia e venereologia: organo ufficiale, Societa italiana di dermatologia e sifilografia 144.1 (2009): 85-91. Source

Vázquez, Beatriz, et al. "Antiinflammatory activity of extracts from Aloe vera gel." Journal of ethnopharmacology 55.1 (1996): 69-75. Source

« All the aloe extracts showed significant antioxidant activity. (…)The three-year-old extract exhibited the strongest radical scavenging activity of 72.19%, which is significantly higher than that of BHT at 70.52% and α-tocopherol at 65.20% ».

Hu, Yun, Juan Xu, and Qiuhui Hu. "Evaluation of antioxidant potential of Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis Miller) extracts." Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 51.26 (2003): 7788-7791. Source

« Mechanistic studies have shown that the topical and oral treatments with A. vera enhanced the synthesis of glycosaminoglycan components (hyaluronic acid and dermatan sulfate) in the matrix of a healing wound to increase the collagen content of the granulation tissue and the degree of crosslinking».

Haniadka, Raghavendra, et al. "Review on the use of Aloe vera (Aloe) in dermatology." Bioactive Dietary Factors and Plant Extracts in Dermatology (2013): 125-133. Source

Tanno, O., et al. "Nicotinamide increases biosynthesis of ceramides as well as other stratum corneum lipids to improve the epidermal permeability barrier." British Journal of Dermatology 143.3 (2000): 524-531. source

Visuthikosol, V., et al. "Effect of aloe vera gel to healing of burn wound a clinical and histologic study." J Med Assoc Thai 78.8 (1995): 403-9. Source

« Dry-coated AV gloves that provide for gradual delivery of AV gel to skin produced a uniformly positive outcome of improved skin integrity, decreased appearance of fine wrinkling, and decreased erythema in the management of occupational dry skin and irritant contact dermatitis ».

West, Dennis P., and Ya Fen Zhu. "Evaluation of aloe vera gel gloves in the treatment of dry skin associated with occupational exposure." American Journal of Infection Control 31.1 (2003): 40-42. Source