Aloe vera products sold at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT), Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) and CVS Health Corp (NYSE:CVS) do not contain aloe vera inside of them.
The companies sell the skin soothing product with their brand names, which are reportedly designed and manufactured by professionals. However, they do not contain the aloe barbadensis leaf juice, which is another name for aloe vera
This product is supposed to be either the number one or number two ingredient within the gel after water. Bloomberg analyzed the gels from all three companies and they did not have aloe vera.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not have to approve cosmetics products and there is no such thing as a fine for selling fake aloe. The aloe market grew 11% over the last year to $146 million.
The president of a company that tests products said that companies have to be careful when they select and use aloe products. Three chemicals that were marked in the product were also not within the gel.
These are acemann, malic acid and glucose, which were not in the products designed by Wal-Mart, Target or CVS. Instead, they contain a cheaper element called matrodextrin, which is a sugar that imitates aloe.
The company behind the Wal-Mart product says it stands behind its gel, claiming it uses real aloe vera. The plant allegedly comes from Guatemala.
