Al
Aloe Vera
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice · Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract · Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder · Aloe Barbadensis Flower ExtractSoothing
Gel from inside the aloe leaf. It isn’t a proven sunburn fix: trials disagree. Some people get rashes or hives from it.
What it does
It’s mostly found in after-sun gels and soothing creams. It isn’t a proven fix for sunburn, wounds or burns. Some people get rashes or hives from it.
The evidence, graded
strongA 2012 Cochrane review (Dat et al.; 7 trials, 347 participants) found an absence of high quality clinical trial evidence for aloe vera topical agents or dressings as treatments for acute and chronic wounds. Aloe did not increase burn healing compared with silver sulfadiazine, and in one trial of surgical wounds it delayed healing by a mean of 30 days. The trials were poor quality with a high risk of bias.Dat 2012 · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews ↗
strongReuter et al. (2008): in 40 volunteers, 97.5% aloe vera gel applied under occlusion after UVB significantly reduced redness at 48 hours, more than 1% hydrocortisone in placebo gel but less than 1% hydrocortisone cream. Puvabanditsin and Vongtongsri (2005): in 20 volunteers, a 70% aloe vera cream gave no sunburn or suntan protection and no benefit in treating sunburn compared with placebo.Reuter 2008 · Skin Pharmacology and Physiology ↗
moderateUS safety reviewers (2007) say aloe ingredients in cosmetics, from any aloe species, should contain no more than 50 ppm (parts per million) of anthraquinones, bitter compounds from the outer leaf. They note case reports of eczema, hives and skin rash after aloe was put on skin. But when Reider 2005 patch tested 702 patients in a row with three aloe preparations (an oily leaf extract, powder from the whole plant and concentrated gel), none reacted to any of them.Reider 2005 · Contact Dermatitis ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
Also known as
aloe barbadensis
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