Is there actually aloe vera in your aloe vera gel?
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Is there actually aloe vera in your aloe vera gel?
If you purchase aloe vera gel from one of the nation’s top retailers like Wal-Mart, Target or CVS, you may be missing out on actual aloe, according to Bloomberg.
The publication reported today that tests of the chains’ store-brand aloe gels “showed no indication of the plant,” even though the product labels list “aloe barbadensis leaf juice” as one of the main ingredients. This comes as several law firms try to obtain class-action status for lawsuits against the stores for their private-label aloe products. The firms said the stores misled customers.
Even if there was a definitive answer on the amount of aloe in these products, it might not matter. Aloe products fall under cosmetics, which don’t need approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency has never fined anyone for selling fake aloe, according to Bloomberg.
Here are the products tested by the lab hired by the publication:
- Wal-Mart’s Equate Aloe After Sun Gel with pure aloe vera
- Target’s Up & Up Aloe Vera Gel with pure aloe vera
- CVS Aftersun Aloe Vera Moisturizing Gel
- Walgreens Alcohol Free Aloe Vera Body Gel
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