[TheStrand]

Mayday said:

An idea, more directed at OP though: why not treat the aloe as a food product? Put it in a jar, pasteurize it, and have instructions to refrigerate after opening and a recommended shelf-life. Sodium Benzoate or Potassium Sorbate and pH adjustment to activate it should extend the shelf-life in the fridge as well.

Good thought, the heat will undoubtably do some damage but I’ll do some research and see how much. Thanks!

[TheStrand]

Other it is, thank you!

[TheStrand]

Yes, the processing includes three measures implemented to remove and reduce the possibility of Aloin in the gel.

@ Microformulation - I can only imagine that the carcinogenic aspect of the “whole leaf extract” would be the the Aloin mentioned by ngarayeva001

[TheStrand]

Abdullah said:

Does it mean if we mix 2g aloe Vera powder with 98g water it will be like aloe vera juice?

No, that’s actually exactly what we were just discussing. The dehydrated powder does not maintain many of the biomolecules and rehydration does not restore the lost components. This is exactly why I’d rather preserve it in its original water based state as long as possible.

[TheStrand]

Wow, between that article you linked me to and your answers I’ve learned quite a bit. You really have been exceptionally helpful, thank you!

Based on what you’ve just mentioned and the information in the article, it’s clear that maintaining the original bioactive chemicals is essential if any of the application benefits are to be maintained in the end product.

So I’m back to maintaining the water content but finding a way to prevent/slow oxidation and reaching a safe level of preservation (microbial) with that amount of water in the product. I’ll continue reading the recent discussion on natural preservatives as you suggested.

Thanks again.

[TheStrand]

Thanks for the input! You’re correct that I am trying to avoid the use of Parabens and Aldehydes. So many products emphasizing that they DONT use them these days, seems self destructive to use them (Guess I lump those in with “complex preservatives”) I wasn’t sure if Tocopherol would have any benefit in extending Aloes shelf life like it does in preventing rancidity, so thanks for clearing that up. I wasn’t suggesting the use Glyceryl Stearate as a preservative, just as a method of making the Tocopherol mix/emulsify with the Aloe gel to increase its shelf life. I’m going to guess that an emulsified mix isn’t the same as a solution for this purpose though. (Another question I guess, and sorry for using the words mix and emulsify interchangeably, I’m one of those people who don’t use technical (accurate) language and I know it causes confusion some times)

I understand that the vast majority of the Aloe gel is simply water. So you bring up another question. What would I lose from the Aloe Gel (raw product, right out of the plant) by dehydrating it? Are any of the bioactive chemicals lost or changed due to dehydration? Is this essentially what is being sold as Aloe Powder? And then would taking the dehydrated product and mixing it into straight glycerin make it easier to preserve than the raw almost all water material? With straight glycerin being a less appealing option than water and glycerin, would the Glyceryl Stearate help a carrier oil like Hempseed oil to carry the aloe powder into the skin or are the water soluble parts just better left in a water solution for absorption into skin?

Having looked into the production methods of HEC, I am personally happy enough with its source and the process it’s put through to become what I consider a “natural enough” product. I’m not a hardcore natural over thinker… I understand that nearly every ingredient is derived through processing of some sort, and many use chemical reactions. No different from saying “soap” is natural after it is saponified it’s gone through a chemical reaction.

Here though, I’m looking at trying to keep something as completely natural, as close to its original make up, but removing the short shelf life of one week.

By pointing out that the Aloe Gel is 98% water, I’m already moving toward putting a “tiny amount of aloe in an otherwise unrelated gel substance” like I said about the vast majority of products on the market. And if removing all the water is truly the best way of taking the benefits Aloe and delivering them in another longer lasting suspension, emulsion or preserved solution, then I guess that’s my answer.

In trying to do things people have said are not worth doing or that can’t be done, I’ve wound up with some great things, so I’m asking the experts (again, thank you for taking the time to provide an answer!) and maybe I’ll wind up in the exact same place everyone else got. But I’d still rather ask and understand for myself rather than blindly follow dogma.