Aloe vera for skin: uses, evidence and side effects

What aloe vera is

The aloe plant is used as a dietary supplement in foods and as an ingredient in cosmetics. Its chemistry includes polysaccharides and phenolic chemicals, notably anthraquinones.¹

That matters because “aloe” on a label or in a headline can mean different things. A 2016 toxicology review separates the whole leaf extract, the gel and the latex.¹

Aloe vera for burns and wounds

A 2007 systematic review pooled four controlled trials with 371 patients with burns. Healing took about 8.8 days less in the aloe group. The authors cautioned that the products and the outcomes measured differed, so a specific conclusion is hard, but the evidence tends to support aloe vera for first- and second-degree burns.²

A 2019 review of 23 clinical trials reports aloe vera being used to prevent skin ulcers and to treat burns, wounds after surgery, cracked nipples, genital herpes, psoriasis and chronic wounds. It concludes that aloe vera could improve wound healing as a complementary treatment alongside current methods.³

Not every use holds up. A 2005 systematic review of trials on radiation-induced skin reactions found no evidence from clinical trials that topical aloe vera prevents or reduces them.⁴

Aloe vera and acne

In an 8-week trial of 60 people with mild to moderate acne, 50% aloe vera gel plus 0.05% tretinoin worked better than tretinoin plus a plain gel at reducing lesion scores, and redness was less severe.⁵

That tests aloe vera as an add-on to a retinoid, not on its own, so it does not show aloe vera treats acne by itself.

For dry skin, a 2026 randomised trial in 35 people on haemodialysis compared a 30% aloe vera cream with a 20% urea cream over four weeks. Both raised skin moisture and the difference between them was not significant.⁶ There was no placebo group, so it does not show that aloe beats a plain moisturiser, and the patients had kidney disease.

What the safety warnings actually cover

A 2016 review of aloe toxicity reports that swallowing aloe preparations is associated with diarrhoea, low potassium and kidney failure, and that whole leaf extract showed clear evidence of carcinogenic activity in rats, leading the International Agency for Research on Cancer to classify it as a possible human carcinogen.¹

Those findings are about swallowed preparations and whole leaf extract. They are not findings about a cosmetic gel on skin, and we have read only the review’s abstract, so we cannot tell you what it concludes about the gel.

On skin, allergy is the realistic risk. A case report describes a woman who developed dermatitis after using home-made aloe juice on her legs, with positive patch tests to the aloe leaf and jelly. Its authors say most manufacturers process aloe products to avoid the irritant parts, which probably explains why reports of allergic reactions are rare, but that people using the plant as it comes may face more risk.⁷

Aloe vera in pregnancy and breastfeeding

No pregnancy-specific evidence is not the same as safe, or as unsafe.

Evidence on cosmetic products in pregnancy is limited overall, so ask your doctor or midwife about the specific product you use.⁸

What you will see on the label

Look for Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract or Aloe Vera. Snifff’s entry above is for the leaf juice, which it shows as Low risk. For the rest of the formula, see what the score means and how to read the list.

As Snifff shows it

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Low risk

Pregnancy and nursing

We found no pregnancy- or lactation-specific evidence for this ingredient.

Wording as it appears in the extension, which can change between releases.