3 Reasons to Use an Aloe Vera Facial Serum (& Top Picks)
Are you looking for ways to improve your skincare routine?
That’s a rather loaded question. There are always ways to improve your skincare.
But today we’re going to focus on just one: the value of using aloe vera serum for your face.
The facial serum market grew about 5.58% in 2021. If you use a serum for your face on a regular basis, this is good news. As the market grows, so does the diversity in products. Many brands are trying to incorporate more natural ingredients into their serums.
One of those ingredients is aloe vera. Aloe vera does wonders for dry or inflamed skin. And it can minimize signs of aging by helping your skin stay softer and more elastic.
Should you be using an aloe vera serum for your face? Let’s find out!
What is a Serum?
Before we look into whether an aloe vera serum is right for you, what exactly is a serum? There are too many varieties of skincare products to keep track of. Often, terms like ‘serum’ get tossed around without us actually knowing what they mean.
According to the Harvard Medical School, serums are “highly concentrated formulations that are designed to sink into the skin quickly, delivering an intensive dose of ingredients that can address common skin complaints.”
Because serums are designed to sink into the skin quickly, they are often very hydrating for the skin. In a regular skincare routine, face serums are generally followed by moisturizers, to ‘lock in’ the hydration.
As to the specific benefits of a serum, that really depends on what kind of face serum you use. For example, you might use a face serum to help decrease wrinkles. Or maybe you want a serum that helps your skin look brighter and softer. You could use a face serum just for the hydration benefits, to maintain healthy skin.
Why Use a Serum with Aloe?
Now that you know what face serums are and how they can help you…why would you want a serum with aloe?
Well, aloe vera has a lot of amazing properties that are beneficial to the skin. Its use ranges far beyond treating sunburn and rashes.
How can aloe vera help?
Protect your skin from radiation damage.
If you are inside most of the time, this isn’t a big deal. But if you spend a lot of time outside in the sun, you are being exposed to UV radiation on a regular basis. Aloe vera contains antioxidants, which help protect you from the free radicals produced by radiation.
Soothe inflammation.
Aloe vera is a wonderful anti-inflammatory, which is one of the reasons it works so well for burns. But its value as an anti-inflammatory means that it can help with chronic inflammation as well. Aloe can help soothe psoriasis, dermatitis, acne, or other inflammatory skin issues.
Hydrate your skin.
Additionally, aloe vera is very hydrating. Aloe is mostly water, but instead of evaporating and drying out your skin, it contains mucopolysaccharides that bind the moisture to your skin and help the moisture soak in.
Choosing an Aloe Vera Serum for Your Face
Although there are many facial serums that splash “aloe” across the label, most of them have a very low amount of aloe vera.
That’s not always a bad thing though. It depends on your skin’s needs.
For example, if you want a hydrating serum, you may choose a facial serum with a high concentration of aloe vera. On the other hand, if you want a cleansing serum, a small amount of aloe vera to prevent drying might be just fine.
Below, I’ve listed a few aloe vera serums to help you get started, depending on what benefits you are looking for.
Nourishing Serum: Fourth Ray Beauty Aloe & Avocado Serum
While this serum doesn’t contain a high amount of aloe vera, it contains many other natural ingredients such as jojoba oil, avocado oil, rosemary extract, and more. If you look at the full ingredients list, you may notice that this serum contains a lot of oils, which are beneficial for nourishing the skin but may leave a slightly oily residue.
Hydrating Serum: Natur Unique Aloe Attiva
Aloe Attiva is a skincare brand that uses a concentrated aloe extract as the base for their products. Founded in Italy, this brand’s aloe vera facial serum uses a combo of their aloe extract, hyaluronic acid, and plant-based collagen for a highly hydrating mixture.
Anti-aging Serum: Nova Lucia Vitamin C Serum
With Vitamin C, aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, and fruit extracts, this facial serum helps reduce wrinkles, eye bags, and other signs of aging. (Or signs of a rough night!) This aloe vera serum has great reviews and is surprisingly affordable.
Image from Amazon
Anti-aging Serum: GoPure Vitamin C Serum
It seemed like a crime to list Nova Lucia’s facial serum and leave out GoPure. GoPure’s aloe vera serum is also anti-aging, and I was impressed to find that aloe vera juice is the second ingredient on the list. This serum also contains witch hazel, which is an astringent and is useful for minimizing pores and tightening the skin.
