Aloe Vera
Soothing botanical · INCI: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Reviewed by Elysiana Aguilar, master esthetician
How we read it
Not a pore-clogger. Considered safe for acne-prone skin.
Is Aloe Vera comedogenic?
No. Aloe Vera isn't considered pore-clogging, and we read it as safe to use on acne-prone skin. That doesn't make it right for everyone, but congestion isn't the thing to watch for with it.
Why we read it this way
Aloe vera is the watery juice from the leaf of the aloe plant, used to hydrate and soothe skin and sometimes to replace plain water as the base of a formula. The juice is mostly water itself. Wherever it sits on a label, we read aloe as not pore-clogging.
The nuance
A bottle labeled aloe gel is rarely just aloe. Thickeners, alcohol, fragrance and dyes are common additions, and they are read on their own terms. Aloe can also irritate some skin, and irritation is a different question from pore-clogging.
Where it shows up
After-sun gels, soothing gels, toners, sheet masks, light moisturizers, shaving products and gentle cleansers, often as the first ingredient in place of water.
Names we read the same way
- Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Related ingredients
One ingredient rarely tells the whole story. The acne ingredient checker reads everything in a product at once, and there is more on what comedogenic means. Also in the guides: What causes acne.