Aloe vera benefits for skin

Learn about aloe vera benefits for skin, and how it can be used on the body, lips and face for treatment of acne.

Aloe vera benefits for skin

Aloe vera has been used in skincare for generations. It’s a fantastic product that has many great benefits, hence why it’s so popular in products around the world over. Learn more about aloe vera benefits for skin and how to use aloe vera for face.

What is aloe vera?

Aloe vera is a plant, and the ingredient that is often used in skincare derives from its long, spiked leaves. Within these plump leaves is aloe vera gel, which is the part which contains many great properties that have so many uses. When looking at skincare products, you might have found yourself wondering - is aloe vera good for skin? In short, yes - some of the aloe vera benefits for skin include:

1) Antioxidant

If something has antioxidant properties, it means it’s good at fighting harmful compounds in our bodies, known as “free radicals”. Examples of these compounds are toxins, infections and alcohol.

2) Antibacterial

Exactly as it sounds, antibacterial means to fight bacteria. In skincare, you’re likely to see products such as face wipes, cleansers and scrubs that contain antibacterial ingredients such as aloe.

3) Anti-inflammatory

Inflammation is usually redness, swelling or pain in the body. For skin, this might relate to acne or contact dermatitis. Anything anti-inflammatory will usually reduce these symptoms.

Of course, it’s highly unlikely that anyone is going to carry around a plant to extract this gel from whenever they need it. So, helpfully, there are many products available such as lotions, topical creams and lip balms which deliver the same great properties and aloe vera benefits for skin.

Is aloe vera good for skin?

Aloe vera has many benefits for skin, provided that you don’t have a sensitivity to it or a skin condition that is easily aggravated. It has so many uses for varying ailments.

Sunburn

If you’ve spent too much time in the sun and your skin is burnt, then this can be very painful. The anti-inflammatory properties of aloe vera can help to soothe the skin, and it also helps to moisturise the skin - which is especially useful if your skin has been peeling as a result of the sunburn.

Healing wounds

Whether your skin has been burnt, cut or injured in some other way, aloe vera has been well known to be a great treatment for repairing the skin. Research suggests that the naturally occuring chemicals in aloe gel help stimulate new skin growth, which helps to heal wounds quicker than they would otherwise.

Anti-aging

As we age, our skin loses collagen. Collagen is the component that helps our skin to feel full and plump, so as our body produces less of it we become more prone to wrinkles.

Aloe vera can help to combat this, as it contains something called sterol, which encourages the body to produce collagen and hyaluronic acid, which help to keep the skin moisturised. It won’t stop wrinkles altogether, but it can improve skin texture drastically.

Lightens blemishes and dark circles

Sometimes, the dark circles under our eyes or blemishes on the skin can be caused by the skin being dehydrated.

woman holding a bottle of Nivea Body Lotion

Is aloe vera good for skin?

For dry skin

Everyone experiences dry skin from time to time. Whether it’s simply that you’ve forgotten to use your daily moisturiser or you have patches of dry skin on the body (such as with Eczema), aloe vera can quickly help remedy the issue.

To prevent dry skin from appearing in the first place, it’s best to keep the body moisturised daily. Aloe vera moisturisers such as the NIVEA Naturally Good Aloe Vera Body Lotion help hydrate the skin quickly, and keep the skin moisturised for up to 48 hours.

woman holding a Nivea Lip Balm with Aloe

Is aloe vera good for skin?

For lips

Whether you’ve been chewing your lips or they’ve become chapped due to cold, wintery weather, dry lips can be quite irritating. Moisturising the lips requires care, as the skin on the lips is quite different to the rest of your body.

The NIVEA 2-in-1 Caring Lip Scrub with Aloe Vera gently exfoliates the lips to remove the dry skin, while the aloe vera works to replace any moisture lost to leave you with soft lips.

IS ALOE VERA GOOD FOR SKIN?

For hands

Day to day, we put our hands through a lot. Which means that without proper care, the skin on our hands and fingers can become dry and cracked, which can be very painful!

To keep your hands soft and supple, using a nourishing cream designed just for the hands can really help to keep them in top condition. For example, the NIVEA Soothing Care Aloe Vera Hand Cream keeps your hands moisturised for up to 24 hours, and it also absorbs quickly so that you can apply it whilst you’re on the go.

How to use aloe vera on face

Similar to using aloe vera elsewhere on the body, you can use aloe vera on the face. You might think that the intense moisturising properties of aloe vera might be too much for the face, but used sparingly it can be a fantastic way of targeting problem areas on the face such as:

- Eczema (atopic dermatitis)
- Rosacea
- Acne
- Sun damaged skin

If you’re dealing with a chronic skin condition, it’s a good idea to check with your dermatologist before applying any products to your face. While aloe vera is a gentle remedy, sensitive skin can still have a reaction to it. So it’s best to check beforehand to ensure that you’re not going to further aggravate your skin.

Does aloe vera help acne?

If you've been looking into acne treatment, it’s likely that you may have already come across numerous products that contain aloe vera. In fact, many over-the-counter acne treatments and creams contain it, and it can also be used in anti-acne medication and ingested orally.

This is because aloe vera has been proven to help clear acne. Exactly why it works isn’t quite known, with some believing that aloe vera has the power to help heal the skin from within rather than the outside, as lots of topical creams do. With that said, there also isn’t much research to suggest that aloe vera can help severe acne, only mild to moderate cases.

As acne is a very particular type of skin condition (caused when the hair follicles on the skin become blocked), it’s best to check in with a dermatologist or doctor before you begin using aloe vera for acne, or changing your skin care routine at all.