If you've hit the beach this summer, odds are you've used aloe vera to soothe a sunburn, or at least purchased an aloe vera product to keep in your beauty arsenal. If you think the only time to use aloe vera is in the summer, then there is more you need to know about aloe. Aloe's healing elements contains more than 200 active components, including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, polysaccharides, and fatty acids. Unlike water, aloe can be absorbed by the skin, healing it from within. So, if your moisturizer or sunscreen boasts aloe on the bottle, are you guaranteed to reap the benefits? Not exactly.