Nature Republic Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel Review

This week's review was featured in last week's airless pump bottle Demo, so here's the review of the Nature Republic Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel, just in time for summer!

This product is meant to be an all-over gel for soothing and cooling skin that is hot from either irritation or from exposure to heat.  Aloe Vera was something we always had growing up when I was a kid, and in the event of a burn (or sunburn) my mother would break off a leaf and rub the cool slimy inside of the leaf on my skin for instant relief and to promote healing.

Read on for the review of this old-timey remedy in a new and refined form!



Details:
Full product name: Soothing and Moisture Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel
Purpose: As the name (repeatedly) emphasizes, it's meant to be a "soothing" gel, good for sunburns, razor burn, etc.  I use it as a hydrating step in the summer.
Texture: A perfectly clear thick gel that starts to melt into water when it contacts the warmth of your skin.  You can check out last week's review for more pictures.
Scent:  Fresh and aloe-y.  If you've ever snapped open an Aloe Vera plant for the gel inside, it smells like a stronger version of that.  I suspect it's enhanced with fragrance to give it more oomph.
Quantity: HUGE.  It's 300ml.
Availability: I got mine off ebay but it's also available elsewhere online including Amazon, but considering it's a fairly trendy product, exercise caution and only buy from sellers you trust.
Price: Mine cost me about $13 before shipping, so very affordable.
Rating: 4/5 I liked it a lot, although I wish it didn't have alcohol in it.
Repurchase: Yes, although next time I am going to try out Mizon's Aloe Vera gel.

Full Review:

If you didn't have an Aloe Vera plant hanging around when you were a kid for those times you managed to scald yourself, it's a desert plant with some very weird features.  It has thick spiny leaves, with an almost rubbery outside skin, that contain a fragile center filled with a slimy, watery gel that is easily released by pressing the leaf.  It's used for everything from topical applications for burns right off the plant itself, to drinkable digestive supplements, to cosmetics for hair or skin.  You can read more about it in the wikipedia article if you're not in the mood to search.

As I mentioned in last week's review, I keep the main tub of this gel in my refrigerator, and I transfer a small quantity of it into an airless pump bottle for easy sink counter storage.  Even though it warms to room temperature, it still feels cooling when applied to the skin, partly because it does contain a small amount of alcohol in it.  Before you panic, I'd like to point out this gel is 92% straight Aloe Vera and the concentration of alcohol is very small.  I've got really moody skin, and this did not break me out.  You can see a full ingredients list here.

The tub has an inner cap to keep the product clean as you open it, which is always a nice touch I appreciate in tub products.  I hate using products in jars and tubs, which is why I transfer them to the airless pump bottles for daily use.

As you can see in the image, the gel is perfectly clear.  I also found that the tub came so full of product that it was difficult to put the cap back on without having it oozing out everywhere, which was a little annoying.

The packaging also has a charming, fresh, green colour to it and really reminds me of spring and summer, appropriately enough.  This product really shines in the warmer months, as the cooling sensation (although subtle) is a little off-putting for winter.

Even though I am from Canada and the weather here is too hot for me 8 months of the year, I still don't want to put cold stuff on my face when I'm already freezing.   The desert gets cold at night in the winter, okay?  Don't judge me!

The cool sensation is really lovely for those sticky summer nights or mornings where you feel like you have to peel yourself out of your sheets, or when you feel the urge to shower twice because you've already sweated so much after hopping out of the shower. It's also nice for a quick hydrating pick-me-up when you feel sweaty or oily to clean your face but you don't want to do a full-out layering of moisturizers in the middle of the day.

Anyway, according to the Nature Republic website (click here for EN, or here for KR), this gel has "8 best uses" which I am going to hazard a guess on, since I don't know Korean.


1. Face mask/treatment.  I have used the gel for a "moisture bomb" mask before going to bed, where I have thickly coated my face with the Aloe Vera gel to allow my skin to slowly absorb the moisture without causing my skin to get greasy or oily.

2.  Moisturizer.  Now that it's getting warm here (it's already in the high 80's and it's only the beginning of April), I have cut out a lot of the products I featured in my post about layering skincare.  I use it as a hydrating gel right out of the shower/after washing my face to prevent moisture loss before I bust out my actual moisturizers.

3.  I am going to assume they mean to use this post-shaving for skin irritation, because I can't imagine this texture being useful for shaving.

4.  As a hair gel/styling product.  I have heard of Aloe Vera gel being used as a 'natural' alternative to the harsh and drying traditional styling gels, although I haven't used it for this purpose as I tend to just put my hair up when it's hot and be done with it.  Also, we regularly get 20+ mph winds here, so anything fancier than a braid or a bun is just an exercise in futility.

5. Eye pack.  I haven't used this method yet, as I wear glasses and I can't be bothered to lie down for beauty treatments unless I am going to bed.  I do think it would be effective as a remedy for puffy eyes, however.  Just slather some gel on a cotton swatch and off you go!

6.  A quick search shows that they mean use the gel as a pre-polish nail treatment/skin moisturizer for post-manicure clean up, not some sort of mad scientist mixing solution.  As strange as this sounds, I don't get dry hands so unless I'm bringing out the big guns in the form of pure acetone to banish some stubborn glitter that won't respond to the foil method, I can't see myself using it this way.

7.  Overall body moisturizer.  Yep, works great.  I use it on my forearms after I get out of the shower, because sometimes the skin there gets tight when it dries too quickly, but if I use a traditional moisturizer it's just too heavy and feels gross.

8.  Soothing angry skin from sunburn or from product irritation.  I haven't been sunburned in over a decade because I stay the heck out of the sun, but if I have gotten a little overzealous in massaging my skin with the Deep Pore Cleansing Oil or tried out a new product that didn't agree with my skin, I find this is effective to apply to calm down my skin.  It's especially useful if you get it straight out of the tub in the fridge for extra cooling goodness.  My skin still burns when I apply it, if my skin is already irritated, but it settles down very quickly afterward and then I follow up with my beloved Mizon Snail Recovery Gel to speed up the healing process.

Final thoughts:

I think it's a nice product to have for the summer, but I don't feel it's something I can't live without.  Would I purchase it again?  Sure, but I'll try the Mizon brand next because I've had such success with their products so far, although there was nothing wrong with this one.  It lasts forever, though, so I can't see needing to repurchase it anytime soon.


Leave me a comment with your own summer favourites, or what you use Aloe Vera gel for if you're a fan!
All the best,
-Cat


**Disclaimer: All products reviewed/mentioned in my blog, are 100% purchased with my own money, with a single exception of a press sample I tested & reviewed in 2015 which swore me off of them forever.  This blog contains  both affiliate and non-affiliate links, and clicking the former before you shop means that this blog may receive a small commission to assist in this blog supporting itself.  Please see my Contact Info & Disclaimer policy for more information.

25 comments

  1. Thanks! Let me know how it works out for the sunburn, because I'm too terrified of sun damage to burn myself in the name of science, heh!

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  2. Great Review! I have used the Gel to get rid of those burning pimples on my face and has saved me from all that itching and gives a cooling effect in summer.

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    1. Nice! Burning anything does *not* sound like fun, I am glad it's working for you. :)

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  3. Great Blog!! Aloe Vera is really good for health. Your thought processing is wonderful. The way you tell the thing is awesome.
    herbalhills

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  4. Can i use it as a night cream?

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    1. I do- as I mentioned in the review, I use it as a 'moisture bomb' at night in the summer. It's a nice option for when it's so hot out that the thought of putting something heavy/rich on your face makes you want to hurl. It's so refreshing and cooling, and not too moisturizing (although it is 'hydrating') that it's great for desert or tropical heat, as I just discovered recently on a trip to the swamps of Florida in late June. :o

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  5. This is quite expensive for $13 as I only paid it for around $2.

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  6. Have you tried the nature republic aloe vera soothing gel mist? Is it good?

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  7. should i wash my face after using it? how to use it with bb cream ? please help me :((( this is my first time using this product actually hahaha

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    1. This is a gel moisturizer, but I prefer it as a body gel. :)

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    2. Hi. This might be too mate but you can use this as pre-make-up skin care routine. apply it after bath or 15-20 minutes before putting bb cream ^^

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  8. yes this is a good product i've started to use it

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  9. I just finished listening to the SnailCast Ragrets episode, and had to come to this post to read for myself the rave review you had given this product. Still cracking up! Thanks for the laugh!

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    Replies
    1. I thought about updating this review and then decided to leave it for posterity, so Snailcast listeners could come and laugh! ;)

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  10. Would you put aloe gel after toning your skin?

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  11. A Korean friend of mine bought this for me when she was in Korea, and it is usually only 5,000 won (around 5 Australian dollars)! Mark-ups for international customers really suck! :( I used it as a moisturise as I have oily skin and quite liked it :) And it lasted sooo long because of the huge quantity.

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  12. can it be used in breast for firming?

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  13. Can i use this as moisturizer before i put makeup? :)

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  14. Why some soothing gel is 92% some 99% and some 100% ?

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  15. I bought mine at watsons and it is 99.98% I do not know if there is a difference :(

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