Hey everyone! This may be the last wave of BNT Girls reviews for a while, so get ready! I picked this product to review first as it is one that I’m most familiar with. I didn’t realize how much of a staple aloe is to Koreans until I stepped foot in Myeongdong and saw shop after shop selling tubs of this stuff.

The Comelyco Jeju Organic 95% Aloe Gel is one of the many iterations of aloe gel out in the Korean market, but it also has a very high concentration of aloe with only 5% of it made from other ingredients. (The Nature Republic aloe gel I have is only made of 92%.)

For the uninitiated, aloe is a plant that many have used for its moisturizing properties. It can also be ingested. I personally like having aloe with my fresh teas instead of boba or tapioca pearls.

The benefits of aloe feels like a laundry list, but most are related to moisture and hydration, as well as soothing irritated skin. I’ve mentioned that I was in Korea for about 9 days earlier this month and experienced the onset of winter. As someone from a humid country, I often take for granted how I’m not so dependent on external skin hydration, but I see now how a tub of aloe could have soothed my super irritated skin and helped with the dryness.

Jeju Island, source

Jeju is an island in the Korean peninsula known for its temperate climate and its volcano. Many Korean products, not just beauty, feature ingredients from Jeju’s volcano, Hallasan. The gel’s major ingredient is Jeju organic aloe, which comprises 95% of the pleasantly jelly mixture. This has no artificial colors, parabens, benzophenone, animal raw materials, PG, PEG and formaldehyde.

source

While the aloe plant itself is green, aloe gel is mostly clear. It’s a jelly-like substance that smells fresh and clean. I personally love the smell of aloe and it’s my first choice for body wash scents.

I usually use aloe for the face, an itchy scalp, eruptions of skin irritations (when I forget to slather on lotion!), and insect bites. Aloe cools the skin upon contact and offers relief from itchiness and dryness. Since aloe absorbs into skin really, really quickly, this is a great way to provide moisture and hydration when you’re on-the-go or if you have to wear makeup on top and don’t want to wait for more emollient moisturizers to sink in. Here are some more uses for a giant tub of aloe:

The Many Uses of Aloe

As a moisturizing sleeping pack — Kine mentioned that this was her preferred way of using the aloe gel. Sleeping packs are lotions and gels you put on your face as a moisturizer and hydrator before sleeping. You can also mix this in with other “mask” ingredients such as yogurt or honey, so that it fits your needs more.

As base makeup — You can use this under your foundation as a primer or mix it in with your foundation for a dewier effect, which is the preferred look of most Koreans. The prescribed ratio is 1 part aloe gel to 2 parts foundation/BB Cream.

As body lotion — This is great for humid countries like mine, where lotions sometimes feel too heavy. Aloe gel absorbs quickly and imparts a decent amount of moisture for your day-to-day life. Since it’s light, you can also use this before and after your heavier lotion, to really lock in the moisture.

As hair treatment — Though aloe can be used on your hair as is, completely undiluted, you can also use it mixed in with shampoo, or with olive oil to be used as a conditioner and treatment. It can also be used as a scalp treatment.

As after shave or after wax soothing gel — For nicks and cuts and overall irritated skin!

As a nail essence — a.k.a. as a cuticle cream and shine-restorer to your nails.

As a sunburn treatment — Aloe gel soothes sunburned skin. You can apply it directly on sunburned areas then cover each place with a paper towel to serve as a cooling patch.

As a lip moisturizer — Apply a little bit of aloe gel on a cotton pad and place over lips, as kind of a lip mask, and wait for it to absorb into your dry lips. Mix it with a bit of lip tint and you’ve got a hydrating tinted lip balm!

As an eye mask — Apply on cotton pads and place underneath swollen eyes to help reduce puffiness and restore eye brightness.

As scar treatment — Though I’ve yet to experience this, aloe gel is said to help reduce the effects of scarring and the appearance of stretchmarks. These require more long-term use.

Because these generally come in a tub, it can be slightly unhygienic. You can transfer the gel into a bottle with a gel-friendly pump if you’re a germophobe, but I don’t usually mind the tub container, as I don’t really use it without washing up anyway. Storing it in the fridge will also heighten the cooling effect and keep the aloe gel for much longer.

Aloe gel is quite indispensable, given its many different uses. The great thing about it is that it is very cheap. The Comelyco Jeju Organix 95% Aloe Gel is available for less than $6 on Korea Depart, a very reputable online seller of many Korean wares. You can also purchase it directly from Comelyco for only 4,400 KRW, which is about $4. Wow, right?

* PR Sample. Product was sampled and reviewed as part of the terms outlined for the BNT Girls.

Other BNT Girls: Joanne, Kine, Doris, Bella.

I have no information regarding Comelyco’s animal testing policy.

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