Aloe Vera Leaf Extract (INCI: Aloe barbadensis Leaf Extract)
Aloe Vera is a succulent plant that is a native of northern Africa and the Middle East, where it grows in arid climates, but is now seen growing worldwide thanks to human distribution. It has been used for thousands of years internally as a medicine for diabetes, irritable bowels, as an immunostimulant, and several other maladies. Externally, it equally has a reputation as an effective treatment for skin infections (most notably bacterial and fungal infections), calming itchiness, relieving psoriasis, and providing a wide array of other medicinal properties to compromised skin.
Like most medicinal plants, Aloe Vera provides anti-aging benefits when used topically. It is widely known to calm inflammation (both chronic inflammation and acute inflammation from irritation and sunburns) and reduce the swelling that accompanies inflamed skin. It also is moisturizing and accelerates the healing of superficial wounds, both by alleviating the inflammation around a wound and by directly promoting the faster growth of skin cells. It has a pH value almost identical to human skin, which helps “normalize” the epidermal surface into a balanced pH range.
