Drew Barrymore Claims Aloe Vera Meat “Suctioned” the Redness Out of Her Skin
It's #beautyjunkieweek over on Drew Barrymore's Instagram feed, which means the Flower Beauty founder is sharing her favorite beauty tips, overstuffed beauty-storage drawers, and self-care hacks with her fans. The celebration took an interesting turn when, over the weekend, Barrymore took followers on a skin-care roller-coaster ride as she tested out a natural beauty remedy.
"I know this looks weird, but I had a giant bite or reaction on my face," she captioned a selfie on Instagram. "Anyway, I tried the age old myth of aloe vera. Nothing. Then figuring I had nothing to loose, I dug out the meat of the live plant stalk, which I cut off a plant in my yard and then kept in the refrigerator to reuse, the juice you can squeeze out simply did nothing. So placed a small chunk of it right on my skin." Barrymore added that she left the aloe meat on her skin for three to four hours.
She explained in subsequent posts that the aloe meat itself had started turning red and the mark on her skin was noticeably lighter. "It was actually suctioning out the red from my face," she wrote. "In two day it's [sic] was gone. I had even tried bleaching creams, and noting was getting the red spot off my face until this natural remedy. Aloe Vera live plant meat worked to extract the red."
While Barrymore's skin did look especially glowy after her two days of aloe vera treatments, we fact-checked her aloe meat hack with the experts. Dendy Engelman, dermatologic surgeon at New York City's Medical Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery center, tells Allure, "I wouldn't use the words 'suctioned out' to describe what happened to the irritation on her face. Aloe vera does tend to turn red and wrinkle under the sun or in dry conditions, which is what happened here." The redness may look like it's been transferred from her face to the plant, but really, it's just the aloe meat drying out in the sun and turning red.
The aloe may not have worked exactly as Barrymore described, but it likely still helped her skin. "Aloe vera has long been established as an excellent remedy for a myriad of conditions, including bug bites," Engelman says. She also cited aloe vera for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antifungal properties, which can help stimulate healing. In that sense, Barrymore's hack works well: If you're looking for an all-natural remedy for a skin irritation, aloe vera could work. Just make sure you're not allergic before carving up an aloe plant and slathering it on your skin. "Aloe vera is a generally harmless ingredient — unless, of course, you’re allergic to aloe," Engelman says. "In the same vein, if you have sensitive skin or are using products that will make your skin sensitive, aloe vera can cause some irritation and redness."
And while Barrymore used the meat of her own aloe plant for her DIY spot treatment, aloe-based products may soon be banned in California, thanks to Proposition 65 of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, legislation that's meant to protect residents from chemicals known to cause cancer. As part of Prop 65, the state of California keeps a list of harmful ingredients to avoid and forces companies to call out any of those chemicals in their products. An aloe plant may be totally natural, but Prop 65 hones in on "non-decolorized, whole-leaf extract," the liquid part of the aloe leaf. The bad news: Non-decolorized, whole-leaf aloe extract contains aloin, a chemical that has been shown to cause cancer in rats when ingested. The good news: That doesn't affect beauty products, since you put aloe on your skin.
Dermatologists agree that when applied as a beauty ingredient, aloe has beneficial qualities. "It is good for skin that may be painful (which is why it is used on sunburn) and it is a good moisturizer," dermatologist Kavita Mariwalla said. "Aloe vera also has many anti-inflammatory ingredients, so it's also good to use for conditions like eczema or psoriasis. It's not highly allergenic, so it's relatively safe," Dr. Michelle Henry agreed.
As #beautyjunkieweek continues, keep an eye on Barrymore for more beauty inspiration, ideas, and, of course, filter-free selfies.
More Drew Barrymore beauty news:
Drew Barrymore Got a Lob Haircut to Clap Back at Her Critics
Drew Barrymore Swears By This Drugstore Brush and Dry Shampoo
Now watch Mariah Carey try nine things she's never done before:
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