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Even if you’ve never used it yourself, you’re probably familiar with aloe vera and its fame for soothing red, sun-kissed (or sun-crisped) skin. This plant certainly comes in clutch for sunburn, but it also has other amazing properties that make using aloe vera for skin a no-brainer.

In this article, we’ll start by sharing several benefits of aloe vera, but we won’t stop there! We’ll also tell you about a few great ways to work aloe vera into your skincare routine. But first, let’s review the basics of what aloe vera is and where it comes from.

What Is Aloe Vera?

Aloe vera is a perennial, succulent plant and belongs to the aloe family (no surprise there). It’s a hardy plant that grows well in hot, dry places and can be found mostly in Africa, Asia, Europe, and America.

It has a long history of medicinal use in countries like Greece, India, Egypt, Mexico, Japan, and China, and we are still using it to this day to soothe and hydrate skin.

What’s this green plant made of that makes it so well-loved and widely used?

The leaves are composed of an outer layer that functions as a rind, but the inside of the leaf is full of a clear gel, which, interestingly, is 99% water. The rest is made up of water-soluble fiber, amino acids, lipids, sterols, and vitamins.

Ready to hear some of the specifics about what is hiding inside? Vitamins A, C, E, B12, folic acid, eight different enzymes, calcium, chromium, copper, selenium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium, zinc, fatty acids, and amino acids are all found in the aloe vera plant.

Benefits Of Aloe Vera For Skin

Aloe vera’s benefits for skin include soothing, hydration, healing, and more. But how exactly does aloe vera do it? Below, we’ll discuss aloe vera’s natural benefits and explore how its antioxidant properties and organic makeup can help your skin look and feel its best.

Natural

One of the major benefits of aloe vera when it comes to its use as an ingredient in skin care products is simply that it’s natural. Aloe vera gel comes straight from the plant with no questionable ingredients or additives.

If you’re looking for a moisturizing or healing product, an aloe-based formula can be a great choice. Of course, if your skin care product contains aloe vera, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s a safe and clean product, but the more natural ingredients the better.

Antioxidants, Vitamins & Minerals

One of the most important ways aloe vera benefits your skin is its antioxidant, vitamin, and mineral properties. These nutrients offer unique advantages that help the skin thrive from the inside out. 

Aloe vera contains three important vitamins (A, C, and E). These vitamins are all considered antioxidants that neutralize free radicals responsible for oxidative stress. This stress can alter the body’s DNA and production of lipids and proteins and in turn, create the environment for a number of diseases. In the context of skin health, an excess of free radicals leads to cell death, which can result in extrinsic skin aging.

Additionally, aloe vera features a variety of mineral antioxidants that also counter free radical damage. These minerals include calcium, chromium, copper, selenium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium, and zinc.

Hydrating

Aloe vera is a hydration station! Since the gel is made of 99% water, it’s no surprise that one of the main benefits of aloe vera is its hydrating properties.

But it’s not only thanks to the water content. Aloe vera gel contains molecules called mucopolysaccharides which help bind moisture to the skin, locking hydration in with every application. 

What’s more, aloe help softens the skin by joining flaking epidermal cells while amino acids soften hardened skin cells. Thanks to its hydrating properties, aloe vera has been studied to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, making it an effective and natural product for every age!

Anti-Inflammatory

If your skin often feels puffy or irritated, aloe vera may be just the thing you need to add to your skincare routine. Another benefit of aloe vera for the skin is its anti-inflammatory properties, which help soothe the skin, reduce itchiness, and even target inflammatory acne. How? 

  • Fatty Acids: Aloe vera’s fatty acid content helps minimize inflammation while also providing antiseptic and analgesic benefits.
  • Hormones: Because aloe contains auxins and gibberellins, aloe can not only target inflammation but also aid in wound healing.

Whether you suffer from inflammatory acne or want to keep a natural wound healing formula on hand, aloe vera makes for a great staple in your medicine cabinet and your skincare collection.

Healing

While aloe vera is no magic potion, it can aid in skin healing! Two of the active components in aloe vera (glucomannan and gibberellin) stimulate the activity of the fibroblast, which then boosts collagen.

All of this aids in wound healing and happens when you apply aloe vera topically to your skin. And if collagen sounds familiar to you for another reason, it’s probably because it’s a favorite among anti-aging skincare routines.

Anti-Aging

Everyone likes to hear “anti-aging” attached to a skincare product. But there are no fancy anti-aging creams here — just aloe vera naturally doing what it does.

As we mentioned, aloe vera stimulates the fibroblast. The resulting collagen and elastin are two essential components of tight, youthful-looking skin.

And the anti-aging benefits of aloe vera aren’t limited to its effect on collagen and elastin. The amino acids in aloe vera can also soften your skin, and hydrated skin is healthier, fuller skin.

Antibacterial And Antifungal

The last benefit we’ll mention of aloe vera for skin is its antibacterial and antifungal properties, meaning that it helps do away with fungi and bacteria.

This is thanks to six antiseptic agents in aloe vera, including salicylic acid, phenols, and lupeol. These agents inhibit the progression of fungi, bacteria, and viruses, helping wounds stay clean and as a result, heal faster.

How To Use Aloe Vera For Skin

Now that you know about all these benefits of aloe vera for skin, there’s nothing to do but start reaping these benefits for yourself. Lucky for you, there are several easy ways to do just that!

Apply Directly

One reason we love aloe vera is that it can be used straight from the plant. If you have an aloe vera plant at home, crack open a leaf and apply the cooling, soothing gel directly to your skin.

That’s truly all there is to it.

Cool And Hydrate With An After-Sun Gel

Another reason we love aloe vera is that as great as it is by itself, it’s also amazing combined with other soothing and hydrating ingredients. If you want to use aloe vera gel for sunburnt skin, look no further than Babo Botanicals After Sun Soothing Hydrating Aloe Gel.

This lightweight gel is made of 75% organic aloe vera and contains green tea, witch hazel, arnica, and eucalyptus oil. It leaves your skin silky and smooth while forming a protective barrier that helps retain moisture and promote healing.

In addition to all the goodness it contains, rest assured that this aloe vera gel is free of harsh chemicals and irritants. It’s gentle enough for the whole family!

And this gel goes far beyond sunburn relief. As you learned earlier, aloe vera gel — and After Sun Soothing Hydrating Aloe Gel specifically — can be used to ease irritation, speed up healing, and fight acne.

Pro tip: Try this as a shaving gel or a hair styling gel. (You can thank us later.)

Use Sunscreen With Aloe Vera

Aloe vera itself doesn’t protect your skin from the sun’s rays (leave that job to zinc oxide), but using a sunscreen with aloe vera in it is a treat for your skin!

We’ve included a splash of aloe vera in Babo Botanicals Sheer Mineral Sunscreen Spray. Made with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, this mineral sunscreen protects your skin from the sun while also soothing and moisturizing it with aloe vera and calendula.

This gentle sunscreen is fragrance-free, making it a great option to even the most sensitive skin. Plus, it contains no harsh chemical blockers like oxybenzone or octinoxate.

(If that’s all Greek to you, read up on the differences between chemical sunscreen and mineral sunscreen here.)

Clean Up With Aloe Vera

Because aloe vera is antibacterial and such a do-it-all ingredient, we love seeing aloe vera in clean-up products, like hand soap and wipes.

For busy, on-the-go families, nothing replaces a wipe that does the job and leaves your little one’s skin soft, smooth, clean, and hydrated. To take advantage of aloe vera, we recommend Babo Botanicals 3-in-1 Hydrating Face, Hands & Body Wipes with cucumber and aloe vera.

These plush, non-drying wipes are formulated to cleanse, soften, and hydrate your or your child’s skin while treating it to the vitamins and antioxidants in our organic Nutri-Soothe Complex.

And, for washing up when you’re home, go with a Babo Botanicals hand soap made with aloe vera, like Eucalyptus Plant Based Hand Soap or Lavender Dream™ Plant Based Hand Soap.

There’s also our Sensitive Baby Fragrance Free Foam Hand Soap for the little ones learning the art of hand-washing!

Care For Your Scalp With Aloe Vera

Don’t forget about your scalp when you’re thinking of skin care! It may be a bit hidden under a head of hair, but it’s still skin that can use some TLC.

Go with a natural, chemical-free shampoo, like Babo Botanicals Swim & Sport Citrus Mint Shampoo & Wash with aloe vera.

This purifying shampoo and body wash replenishes, hydrates, and purifies the hair, scalp, and skin after pool, beach, or outdoor activities that leave you a bit sweaty, wet, or dirty.

A plant-based formula, this shampoo is enriched not only with organic aloe vera, but also with sustainably sourced passion fruit seed oil, green tea, and peppermint oil.

Say “hello” to healthy hair and a happy scalp!

Soothing Aloe Vera For Healthy Skin

Who knew aloe vera had so many benefits? With its hydrating, anti-inflammatory, healing, anti-aging, and antibacterial properties, no wonder aloe vera is a dream for your skin.

Make the most of this natural skincare ingredient! Either apply it directly to your skin or use a skincare product that contains aloe vera as a star ingredient, like Sheer Mineral Sunscreen Spray, After Sun Soothing Hydrating Aloe Gel, 3-in-1 Hydrating Face, Hands & Body Wipes, or Swim & Sport Citrus Mint Shampoo & Wash.

Your skin will love you for it!