An important ingredient in any anti wrinkle cream, stretch mark cream or anti aging cream is Aloe Vera. The oil from the plant has well recognized restorative and healing properties, and more often than not, is contained in top of the range creams, lotions and gel products. It can be used to treat a huge range of skin conditions including burns and even frostbite. Aloe Vera is also a brilliant moisturiser that keeps the skin young and has the benefit of bringing oxygen to the skin cells - this boosts both the synthesis and strength of skin tissue.

Aloe Vera Plant

Although Aloe Vera is by far the best known, there are in fact over 300 types of aloe. However, only a few are used for medicinal purposes. Aloe perryi (found in north-eastern Africa) and aloe ferox (found in South Africa) are a couple of the more popular varieties. But, as the most popular, the industry size for Aloe Vera is estimated to be about $125 million dollars. The volume of the industry for finished products (which include wrinkle creams, anti aging creams and scar removal creams) using Aloe Vera is estimated to be around $110 billion dollars.

Aloe Vera Uses

Humans have been known to use aloe even as far back as ancient Egypt. Cleopatra used aloe vera as part of her beauty regime and the Egyptians also used it as one of the ingredients in the production of embalming fluid. Fast forward a thousand years and the Europeans began using it as an important ingredient in their herbal based medicines. By the 1500's, aloe vera had found its way over to the West Indies: It is still to this day grown and harvested there.

Anti Aging Skin Cream

One of the main reasons Aloe Vera has become so popular in anti aging skin care creams among consumers is that it possesses incredible moisturising properties. Studies have shown that Aloe Vera improves the skin's ability to hydrate itself, aids in the removal of dead skin cells and has an effective penetrating ability that helps transport healthy substances through the skin.

Dr. Ivan E. Danhof is considered the leading authority on the Aloe Vera plant. His studies have suggested that the gel found within the plant increases normal cell reproduction of human fibroblast cells by six to eight times.

Fibroblast cells are found in the dermis layer (middle) of the skin and are responsible for fabricating collagen which is the skin's support protein. The Aging process as well as sun exposure, means that fibroblasts slow their collagen production. As aging continues, the quality of collagen is lessened and wrinkling becomes deeper. Studies have found that not only does aloe improve the cell integrity of fibroblast, it also speeds up the collagen formation process.

Longevity

Aloe Vera has great properties which give multiple benefits to the user. It is a naturally occurring ingredient and contains no unpleasant chemicals. Aloe Vera remains a treatment which has stood the test of time,whether it is used on its own, or as an ingredient within a cream or oil.