I use organic aloe gel primarily for conductivity with the NuFace microcurrent device; I've been using Wild Naturals Manuka Honey Aloe Vera Gel, which i LOVE, but because I go through it really quickly (almost nightly use) for that purpose, I wanted to try another organic alternative. Pura d'Or was recommended on several natural/organic living sites, and for a couple dollars more than the Wild Naturals, it's twice as much product. Although the ingredients are fewer than Wild Naturals (which includes plan stem cells and, of course, Manuka Honey) and don't offer the extra skin-care benefits, I liked that the Pura d'Or gel includes lavender and that the ingredients are organic. Also, the company mission seemed appealing. Unfortunately, this product is better "on paper" than in practice. All I can really say positively is that the lavender scent is nice. First, the consistency is NOT a gel -- or at least, it's only barely a very thin, runny gel. In itself, that wasn't a huge concern for my purposes because the watery nature meant I wouldn't have to constantly apply more product and/or rehydrate it with rosewater once I started the microcurrent treatment, because despite the thin, watery consistency, it didn't dry down very quickly at all, and a small amount spread over a rather large area of my skin. Unfortunately, this virtually liquid "gel" doesn't dispense well from the pump-bottle; it squirts rather forcefully, and when it does it shoots *out* of the pump-nozzle, rather than *down". With the bottle sitting on my skin facing me, more "gel" got on my stomach than in the palm of my hand. This was also after struggling to even get the pump to function... it should have been a simple twist to pop up the pump nozzle, but I had to unscrew the whole thing, firmly grasp the inside portion with a paper towel (to wipe away enough of the product to get a firm grip on the plastic), and force it open from the inside. This, again, may not be an entirely bad thing -- very little chance the bottle will accidentally open during shipping or when transporting it for travel -- but it was inconvenient. However, this "gel" immediately made my skin STING and BURN! I don't have particularly sensitive skin, and i've used chemical peels that didn't hurt they way this supposedly soothing aloe very gel did! I double checked to make sure the product was, in fact, what I ordered (in my excitement to try it, I didn't bother checking the label when I first opened it). It is labeled as the lavender aloe vera gel, so it wasn't a product error -- unless it's mislabeled. So, next I looked at the ingredients... Lo and behold, the ingredients on the bottle i received include two ingredients that were not on the image in the Amazon listing, and a quick jump over to the Pura d'Or website also doesn't show these ingredients on the Lavender formula: two forms of Honeysuckle Flower Extract (Lonicera Caprifolium and Lonicera Japonica). After looking these up, it seems they *should* be skin-soothing. Did this cause the stinging/burning? I can't say, and logically it shouldn't have. I don't have any allergies to honeysuckle that I'm aware of, but since I don't think I've ever been exposed to it, I can't say for sure. However, I did see several mentions that Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera Japonica) contains natural parabens. To be fair, I'm not well versed on parabens other than knowing they're something to generally be avoided with regards to skincare, so even if the Honeysuckle didn't cause the irritation, many people may want to avoid it if they're hardcore about parabens (which again - i don't fully understand since I have learned that natural parabens are present in a lot of really good-for-you foods and natural products, but I guess the *type* of paraben is a factor and one I won't get into here, because this is already a pretty long review. Moving on with the ingredients... on both the Amazon and Pura d'Or product images, the ingredients for this particular aloe vera gel are: Decolorized Aloe Baradensis (Aloe Vera Leaf Juice), Xanthan Gum, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Caprylil Glycol, Tocopheral Acetate, Lavandula Angustofolia (Lavender) Oil. However, on my bottle, the ingredients are Decolorized Aloe Baradensis (Aloe Vera Leaf Juice), Guar (Guar Gum), hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Glycerin (Vegetable Glycerin), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Lavandula Angustofolia (Lavender) Oil. None of these are of any major concern -- the "Capril..." ingredients are derived from coconot oil. The "Hydroxypropyl..." ingredient is basically another form or derivitave of Guar Gum. The only one that is of any slight concern is Glycerin, as it can cause a burning/stinging sensation for some people and/or in high amounts, despite being a humectant. I can say that I have experienced burning with Glycerin in the past, although that was when using it on its own, and I have never had any issues with it as an ingredient in products before (it's in a LOT of products, and I've never specifically looked for it or avoided it). Regardless what actually caused the reaction I experienced, it bothers me that the ingredients of the product I received are different than the ingredients I thought I was getting. I probably still would have purchased based on the actual ingredients (i *was* looking closely at ingredients when I was choosing a product), and as I said, I likely wouldn't have even though twice about the Glycerin especially since it's lower down the ingredient list -- but I would have at least researched the Honeysuckle and other ingredients I wasn't familiar with. Ultimately, it's simply false advertising and diminishes the faith I had in the brand based on what I'd read about it. so, I'll be initiating a return on the product since I can't use it. Take my review for what it's worth -- be aware of the actual ingredients and any sensitivity you may have to any of them, and know that if you're looking for a thicker, true gel, this is not it. if you're okay with these things and are looking for an organic aloe vera gel that is reasonably priced for the amount from a company that seems to have a good reputation in the organic/natural skincare world, by all means, this may work wonders for you! I gave 3 stars for the price/value, organic ingredients, and company values. One star was lost for the inaccuracy of the ingredients/misleading product information, and since I can't actually use the product to evaluate its efficacy, that's another star lost from the possible 5.
