Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera 100% Gel, 24 oz (680 g)

by Fruit of the Earth

Product Features

• Pure. No color added.
• Moisturizing therapy for sunbirn, dry, irritated skin.
• Contains no alcohol.
• Quickly absorbed
• Fragrance free

Product Description

100% Aloe vera gel

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B000ALDK1A
• UPC: 071661120246
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,174 in Beauty (See Top 100 in Beauty)
  • #3 in Beauty > Skin Care > Sun > After Sun

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

104 of 108 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Wish they would leave out the Formaldehyde., March 8, 2007

By 

shirosands (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera 100% Gel, 24 oz (680 g) (Misc.)

It's 100% gel but not necessarily 100% Aloe Vera... obviously. I like the fact they use Tocopherol Acetate, which is Vitamin E, it is probably added as an antioxidant and preservative. Unfortunately they also feel it is necessary to add Carbomer 940, a synthetic thickener, to change the consistency. This is supposedly non-toxic but like many chemicals used in cosmetics, it's not clinically tested and who really knows. The Triethanolamine is used to solubilize and reduce the acidity of the Carbomer but should be nontoxic. EDTA is a chelator; it is not really a problem either as such.

Of more concern is the addition of the perservatives/antimicrobials DMDM Hydantoin and Diazolidinyl Urea; these chemicals work by releasing Formaldehyde into the product, which kills any microbes and is great for the product but not so great for you, because Formaldehyde is a potent carcinogen as well as an irritant that can cause allergic reactions.

Although this product is only applied topically, and the concentration of Formaldehyde is hopefully too low to cause irritation and cancer, that is not known. I would be interested to know the exact concentrations of each ingredient in the final product.

Good things: this is otherwise a decent product that dries very quickly, and makes a non-greasy Hair gel and skin moisturizer. I have mixed fine loose glitter into it to make cheap glitter gel, that would actually stay on my skin and hair instead of the glitter falling right off, like when you mix glitter with regular lotion.

Bad things: the formaldehyde-producing preservatives; you would think a company by the name of Fruit of the Earth should actually use some earth-friendly preservatives. As an alternative I suggest exploring your local health food or supplement store and searching for an aloe vera gel that does not contain any strange unpronouncable/chemical/synthetic ingredients. Even in small quantities these things can cause allergies or other health problems, and it only takes one mutation to start a cancer. Or pick up your own Aloe Vera plant; they are surprisingly tough and prolific.

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not actually 100% pure, but still an excellent product!, May 15, 2009

By 

Dave Y. "nobody777" (Kennewick, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera 100% Gel, 24 oz (680 g) (Misc.)

This is an excellent product that I use often and love!!! :)

Let me first start off by saying that I do agree with the other reviewers of this product who point out that Fruit of the Earth's label is (perhaps) a bit misleading. The advertising may lead some folks to believe the product is 100% pure aloe vera gel... Well, close, but not quite... 100% "gel" indeed it is, but there are other additives in the mix.

Pure aloe vera gel usually has some light natural coloration (a yellowish tint) and a light, distinct, scent... and if it is of the pure organic nature, the color (and smell) may vary a little from batch to batch. My first indication that Fruit of the Earth's product was not actually "pure" was its perfectly clear color.

As for the concerns over chemical agents contained in this product, I personally think there might be a little bit of over-reaction in that regard. This is a fine product in my honest opinion. Reviewer "Torben's" comments, I think, are excellent (with reference to the additives used in this product). If you have convictions that prohibit you from using products with any un-natural chemical ingredients, that is understandable and there are other excellent alternatives (such as Lily of the Desert, which is 99% pure and organic, but also much more expensive).

While I prefer using organic products as well, I confess that - sometimes - I settle for the cheap stuff too and this really deserves a good review because it's a GREAT product. I use it often on my face and scalp and as a hair gel (it doesn't flake off or leave hair feeling greasy). I also use it as a shaving gel sometimes. It has improved the quality and appearance of my skin and reduced my psoriasis problems on the scalp considerably! Whoever said this product is a skin irritant obviously has never used it. I also use it on my hands (which have severe dryness and cracking problems) and it works healing wonders. It has a wonderful cooling sensation, is not sticky, hydrates the skin beautifully and reduces redness, scars, and works near miracles on cuts and scrapes. Granted it's not quite as good as right off the leaf, but it's sooooo much better than using lotions, which (even the good ones, many times) have far more dangerous chemicals (and in greater quantity) than this product. If you're one that is used to grabbing a tube of cheap Vaseline lotion or something like that for general hand lotion, get this instead! It's much healthier and won't plug up the pores. It will heal and restore rather than just smooth away the dryness.

I don't know about "significant" cancer dangers, but I doubt the other reviewers who worriedly shout "AVOID!" are scientists on the subject either. ;) But I digress. This is still a great aloe vera product despite very minor potential concerns about minuscule quantities of chemical agents that are (presumably) added for thickening and preservative purposes only. There is no coloring or fragrance chemicals added and that is a big plus for health-conscious users (and shows the manufacturer's desire to appeal to health concerns of their buyers). It also has no funny smell, no stickiness (only a light residue - typical when using aloe vera - that fades away as it is absorbed in the skin).

Unless you are flat out paranoid of preservatives, stop worrying (maybe even trust God a little), save a little money, and buy this cool product that does what it should and does it very well! I thought about giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because of the - arguably - slightly misleading label, but the fact is the label is honest and all ingredients are clearly listed on the back for anyone with a brain to check out so I won't count that against it. Thanks to the folks at Fruit of the Earth for a very good product (in my opinion).

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone needs a bottle of aloe or two in their home at all times, June 10, 2006

By 

Amalfi Coast Girl (Mid-Atlantic, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera 100% Gel, 24 oz (680 g) (Misc.)

This product is a necessity in my home. There are so many uses for this product that it hard to know where to begin. I "discovered" this a few years ago when I burned myself badly frying something. My mother-in-law asked if I tried aloe on the burn to cool the fire. I didn't expect the aloe to work since the burn was almost 4 hours old before I put aloe on it. Was I wrong! Almost immediately the aloe cooled the fire of the burn and remarkably the blister even began to decrease in size.

I have subsequently discovered many additional uses for this product. It is excellent for poison ivy, scratches, insect bites, sunburn and just about any other skin irritation or inflammation. It also appears to reduce the dark spots that appear on the face and hands as we age.

The ingredients in this product as follows:

Aloe Vera Gel

Triethanolamine

Tocopheryl Acetate

Carbomer 940

Tetrasodium EDTA

DMDM Hydantoin

Diazolidinyl Urea

I would have this product in my home if only for the remarkable way that it heals burns. If you haven't tried aloe for skin irritation in the past, I would highly recommend that you give this product a try. I was initally a skeptic, but it really does work.