Whole Leaf or Inner Gel (also called filet)
Here again there is a difference of opinion between those promoting "whole leaf" Aloe Vera and those who only use the "Inner Gel" of Aloe Vera. It is well established fact that the inner gel contains most of the beneficial parts of the plant and little of the less beneficial.
Those who promote products based on the inner gel alone maintain that their product is as close to "straight from the plant" as the preservation process allows. The promoters of "whole leaf" Aloe Vera maintain that as they use all the leaf, their product must be more abundant in the good properties of Aloe Vera.
However, the components most likely to destroy the poly-saccharides (thought to give Aloe Vera its renowned properties) - cellulose and bacteria are present in Aloe Vera leaves just under the surface of the leaf. Manufacturers of "whole leaf" use carbon filtration or other techniques to filter out the impurities in the liquidised whole leaf and these are thought to also filter out many of the beneficial parts of the plant.
A product rich with Inner Gel (filet) is by far the pick of the bunch!