Is Aloe a Sham?

Some evidence suggests it might help soothe a sunburn, but the research is thin, and there’s not always a guarantee that what you’re buying is real.

As ongoing heat waves extend beach weather for many in the United States, you may find yourself sporting a bad sunburn. And perhaps, you might head to your local drugstore to pick up a bottle of aloe to soothe it. The aloe vera plant (also called Aloe barbadensis) is a cactus-like succulent that grows in hot, dry places. For thousands of years, people have been extracting the gel from its long, spiky leaves and using it as a salve for a variety of ailments, such as burns, abrasions, skin sores and more. The gel, which is mainly water, contains dozens of vitamins, enzymes, amino acids and other compounds that may have various medicinal effects. But while the global aloe vera gel market reached about $625 million in 2020 and is expected to grow in the coming years, the potions found in drugstores have had their fair share of controversy. In July, testing revealed that some CVS-brand aloe products were contaminated with benzene, a carcinogenic substance. And earlier testing found that some aloe products, found in retail stores and online, didn’t contain any aloe at all. That, paired with little solid data on how well aloe works to soothe a bad burn, as well as limited federal regulation on what’s in over-the-counter products, has led some to wonder if they should seek it out.