Aloe, explained
Herbal Aloe Concentrate and AloeMax are aloe vera juice concentrates that you pour into water. People use them to turn plain water into a lightly flavoured drink at 2 calories a glass.
From Herbalife, tap to play
What Aloe is
Both bottles hold a concentrate, not a ready-made drink. You measure 15ml into 120ml of water, or make up a whole litre jug at once.
Herbal Aloe Concentrate is 40% aloe vera juice with a mango flavour and the sweetener sucralose, so it has no sugar. It comes in a 473ml bottle with 31 servings, or a 1.89 litre bottle with 126.
AloeMax is 97% aloe vera juice with no colours, sweeteners or flavours added. It does contain a little sugar, 0.3g per serving, so it is not sugar-free.
Pick Herbal Aloe Concentrate if you want a sweeter, fruity taste. Pick AloeMax if you prefer a plainer drink with no added flavour or sweetener.
What's in it, ingredient by ingredient
Aloe vera juice, whole leaf (Aloe barbadensis)
About 6ml in each 15ml serving of Herbal Aloe Concentrate (40%), and about 14.5ml in each serving of AloeMax (97%)Aloe vera is a cactus-like succulent that grows in hot, dry, subtropical places around the world. Its thick leaves hold a clear gel in the middle and a thin layer of yellow latex just under the green skin.
Juice made from the whole crushed leaf contains both the gel and the latex. The latex carries natural compounds called hydroxyanthracene derivatives, such as aloin.
Both ingredient lists describe the aloe juice as purified. Herbalife does not publish what that processing involves.
Herbalife says its leaves are hand-picked and the juice is cold-pressed, which means it is pressed out without heat.
Why it's in Aloe: It is the product itself. Herbalife describes both drinks as made with high-quality aloe vera juice, cold-pressed from the whole leaf. It describes AloeMax as meeting the quality and purity standards of the International Aloe Science Council.
UK food safety committees are still reviewing hydroxyanthracene derivatives, and noted that decolourised aloe extracts contain far lower levels than untreated whole-leaf extracts.
Chamomile extract (Matricaria chamomilla)
German chamomile is a small daisy-like flowering plant, best known as the dried flowers in chamomile tea. Matricaria chamomilla is its botanical name, and Chamomilla recutita is another name for the same plant.
It sits last on both ingredient lists, which means it is the smallest ingredient by weight.
Why it's in Aloe: It is a minor botanical ingredient in both bottles. Herbalife does not publish a separate reason for it, and it is not there to make any health claim.
NIH says people allergic to related plants such as ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds or daisies are more likely to react to chamomile.
Sucralose (E955), Herbal Aloe Concentrate only
Sucralose is a sweetener approved for food in the UK under the code E955. It tastes sweet without adding sugar, which is why the Herbal Aloe label shows 0g of sugars.
AloeMax does not contain it, because AloeMax has no sweeteners.
Why it's in Aloe: It sweetens Herbal Aloe Concentrate so the drink can be sugar-free.
Sugar, AloeMax only
0.3g per 15ml servingAloeMax lists sugar as its second ingredient, after the aloe juice. The label shows 2.2g of sugars per 100ml of concentrate, which works out at 0.3g in a 15ml serving.
Why it's in Aloe: It is part of the AloeMax recipe, which uses no sweeteners or flavourings. Herbalife does not give a separate reason for it.
AloeMax is not sugar-free. Herbal Aloe Concentrate is the sugar-free choice.
Preservatives: potassium sorbate (E202) and sodium benzoate (E211)
These are two widely used food preservatives approved in the UK. Potassium sorbate is E202 and sodium benzoate is E211.
Preservatives help stop food spoiling, which matters here because you pour from the same opened bottle for up to a month.
Why it's in Aloe: They keep the concentrate fresh between servings. Herbalife still asks you to keep an opened bottle in the fridge and finish it within 30 days.
Herbal Aloe Concentrate also contains water, citric acid (E330) to balance the acidity, and flavouring for the mango taste. AloeMax contains citric acid too, but no water, colours or flavourings.
Reading the label
Per 15ml serving of concentrate, before you add water. The label also gives figures per 100ml of concentrate.
- Energy: 8kJ (2kcal) in Herbal Aloe, 9kJ (2kcal) in AloeMax. Both drinks add 2 calories to your glass, so the calories barely change whatever water you mix them with.
- Carbohydrate: 0.5g in Herbal Aloe, 0.4g in AloeMax. Both are tiny amounts, less than half a gram a serving.
- Sugars: 0g in Herbal Aloe, 0.3g in AloeMax. Herbal Aloe uses a sweetener instead of sugar. AloeMax has a little added sugar, 0.3g a glass.
- Fat, fibre and protein: 0g in both. These drinks provide none of them.
- Salt: 0.01g in Herbal Aloe, 0.02g in AloeMax. Both are trace amounts of salt per serving.
The per 100ml column describes the neat concentrate, which you never drink on its own. The per portion column is what you actually get in one glass.
The 1.89 litre bottle of Herbal Aloe has the same recipe and the same 15ml serving as the 473ml bottle. Only the capful size differs, so you need fewer capfuls.
Herbal Aloe Mango 473ml
Herbal Aloe Mango 1.89L
AloeMax 473mlHow to use it
Measure one serving
Shake the bottle well, then mix 15ml of concentrate with 120ml of water. From the 473ml bottle that is three capfuls, and from the 1.89 litre bottle it is one and a half capfuls or a tablespoon.
Or make a litre jug
Pour 120ml of concentrate, which is 8 tablespoons, into a litre container and fill it with water. For AloeMax, Herbalife says to mix 120ml with a litre of water.
Store it in the fridge
Keep an unopened bottle somewhere cool and dry. Once it is open, keep it in the fridge and use it within 30 days.
Herbalife suggests drinking it in the morning or at any time through your day. Many people keep a jug in the fridge and pour from it as they go.
A 473ml bottle gives 31 servings, so it lasts about a month at one glass a day. The 1.89 litre bottle gives 126 servings.
Enjoy it as part of a balanced and varied diet and a healthy, active lifestyle.
Good to know
Who it suits
- Both drinks are suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
- Herbal Aloe Concentrate is sugar-free and has no artificial colours.
- AloeMax has no colours, sweeteners or flavours, but it does contain 0.3g of sugar per serving.
Check first
- Both drinks contain chamomile extract, so check with your GP first if you are allergic to ragweed, daisies, marigolds or chrysanthemums.
- NIH says aloe taken by mouth may be unsafe during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so speak to your GP or midwife before using it.
- If you take regular medication or have a medical condition, check with your GP or pharmacist before adding a new drink to your routine.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between Herbal Aloe Concentrate and AloeMax?
Herbal Aloe Concentrate is 40% aloe juice with mango flavouring and a sweetener, and it is sugar-free. AloeMax is 97% aloe juice with nothing added for flavour, and it contains 0.3g of sugar per serving. Both have 2 calories a glass.
Is AloeMax sugar-free?
No. Its label shows 0.3g of sugars in each 15ml serving, because sugar is the second ingredient. Herbal Aloe Concentrate is the sugar-free one.
What does whole leaf mean on the label?
It means the juice is pressed from the whole aloe leaf, not just the clear inner gel. The label also calls the juice purified, but Herbalife does not publish what that processing involves.
Why does it need to go in the fridge?
Once the bottle is open, Herbalife asks you to refrigerate it and finish it within 30 days. The preservatives help, but the fridge keeps the taste and quality right until the bottle is finished.
How many capfuls do I use from the big bottle?
The 1.89 litre bottle has a bigger cap, so one and a half capfuls make 15ml. A tablespoon works too. From the 473ml bottle you need three capfuls.
Can I mix it with something other than water?
Herbalife's instructions only cover water, either 120ml per serving or a litre for a jug. Sticking to that keeps each glass at 2 calories.
Where these facts come from
- fs_1065: Herbalife product information and label
- fs_1188: Herbalife product information and label
- fs_1196: Herbalife product information and label
- label_1065: Herbalife product information and label
- label_1188: Herbalife product information and label
- label_1196: Herbalife product information and label
- nccih_aloe: nccih.nih.gov/health/aloe-vera
- gov_had_interim: gov.uk/government/publications/interim-position-on-the-safety-of-hydro
- nccih_chamomile: nccih.nih.gov/health/chamomile
- gov_enumbers: gov.uk/government/publications/approved-additives-and-e-numbers/approv
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