Microcurrent Gel Against Serum Against Aloe, What Conducts and What Does Not
Medically reviewed by
4 independent reviewers
Andrew Conrad Barile, PT, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) | Licensed Physical Therapist (PT) | CEO and Founder, Xtreem Pulse LLC
Read bio
Dr. Andrew Conrad Barile is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and the CEO and Founder of Xtreem Pulse LLC, the engineering company behind PureLift. He earned his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Daemen College and is a licensed physical therapist.
He brings over two decades of clinical and entrepreneurial experience across physical therapy, craniosacral therapy and medical device innovation, built on a working knowledge of human anatomy and muscle physiology.
For PureLift LAB he reviews how current is delivered across all ten levels, from sub-sensory nanocurrent and skin-level microcurrent to motor-level EMS, and how the Infuse pass fits into the same ten-minute routine.
Bertica M. Rubio, M.D.
Board-Certified Physician, Dartmouth Medical School | Medical Director, Antiaging Regenerative Medicine Clinic
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Dr. Bertica M. Rubio is a board-certified physician and Medical Director of the Antiaging Regenerative Medicine Clinic in Redlands, California. She earned her Doctor of Medicine from Dartmouth Medical School and completed her pediatrics residency at UC Irvine Medical Center.
With decades of clinical experience, she specialises in age management medicine, regenerative medicine, wound healing and growth factor therapies, and her practice integrates evidence-based medical science with advanced aesthetic treatment.
For PureLift LAB she reviews articles for medical accuracy across the whole dial, from the gentle nanocurrent and microcurrent settings through to muscle-level EMS and the Infuse pass.
Daniel Grinberg, MD, FACS
Board-Certified Otolaryngologist | Head and Neck Surgeon | Fellow, American College of Surgeons | Mount Sinai
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Daniel Grinberg, MD, FACS is a board-certified otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon at ENT and Allergy Associates in West Nyack, New York. He earned his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
He completed his otolaryngology residency at New York University Medical Center, serves as Assistant Clinical Professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and is a Fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Otolaryngology.
For PureLift LAB he brings a wider clinical lens, connecting at-home facial stimulation from microcurrent to EMS to the anatomy underneath, with the same rigour we apply to every device specification.
Prof. Dr. med. Ivo Buschmann
Chair of Angiology, Medizinische Hochschule Brandenburg | Clinic Director, University Clinic for Angiology
Read bio
Prof. Dr. med. Ivo Buschmann is Chair of Angiology at the Medizinische Hochschule Brandenburg Theodor Fontane and Clinic Director of the University Clinic for Angiology at the Brandenburg University Hospital.
He trained at the University of Hamburg, was a Max Planck Society Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, and held senior consultant posts at the Charite Universitatsmedizin Berlin before his appointment as Chair in 2016.
One of Europe's leading authorities on arteriogenesis, with over 150 peer-reviewed publications and US and EU patents, he reviews for PureLift LAB how the evidence on electrical stimulation is read and where its limits lie.
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Branded gel, hyaluronic serum and aloe all conduct well; moisturiser is unreliable, oil blocks the current, and plain water dries before the pass is finished.
This article compares the two on what decides the result you actually see, such as:
- how each medium performs on conductivity and slip
- how long each one lasts before it dries
- what a DIY aloe and glycerin mix actually does
- the two products that should never go under a probe
- what each option costs per month of regular use
and many more!
Every option below is judged on the same four tests, including the one we sell.
Key Points:
Branded gel, hyaluronic serum and aloe gel all conduct well, and the differences between them are slip and drying time rather than conductivity.
Moisturiser is unreliable because occlusive ingredients interrupt the layer unevenly.
Facial oil actively blocks the current and produces hot spots rather than an even pass.
Plain water conducts and dries within about a minute, so it fails on duration.
DIY mixes of aloe with a little glycerin work, and homemade salt solutions are a bad idea on the face.
The four tests
Conductivity, meaning whether current passes through it evenly.
Slip, meaning whether the probe glides rather than drags.
Duration, meaning whether the layer survives a three-minute pass without drying.
Cost per month of regular use, which is where the options differ most.
Branded conductive gel
Conducts well, good slip, usually formulated to stay wet for a full session, which is what you are paying for.
Costs $15.99 to $100 a bottle depending on brand and size, and no brand publishes how many sessions a bottle gives.
Required by some devices, including NuFACE, FOREO and Skin Gym, which is the strongest reason to use one.
Verdict: the safe default, and the expensive one where the choice is yours.
Hyaluronic acid or glycerin serum
Conducts well because it is water-based and holds water at the skin surface.
Slip is usually good, though thinner serums can need a second application between sides.
Duration is the best of the cheap options, since humectants resist drying by design.
Costs from about $10 a bottle, and you very likely own one already.
Verdict: the best value in the category, and what we specify for our own devices.
Aloe vera gel
Conducts well and has been the treatment-room standby for decades.
Slip is good and it feels cooling, which some people prefer.
Duration is its weakness, since it can dry faster than a humectant serum, and a facial mist alongside fixes that.
Costs a few dollars for a large bottle.
Verdict: works, cheap, worth a mist beside it.
Essence, moisturiser, oil and water
A hydrating essence conducts and needs reapplying, which is fine if you do not mind the interruption.
Moisturiser is unreliable, because the occlusive ingredients that make it a good moisturiser make it a patchy conductor.
Facial oil should never go under a probe, since a lipid layer blocks the current and forces it into whatever small area is still wet, which is exactly what makes a session sting.
Plain water conducts perfectly well and evaporates within about a minute, so it fails the duration test rather than the physics one.
On DIY recipes
Aloe gel with a small amount of vegetable glycerin is a reasonable homemade conductor and is what most of the circulating recipes amount to.
Adding salt to increase conductivity is a bad idea on facial skin, since it is drying and irritating and buys nothing you need.
Anything homemade should be patch tested and made fresh, because a water-based mix without preservative grows things.
If a recipe is being sold to you as more conductive, ask for the measurement, and nobody in this category has one.
What we specify
PureLift devices work with any water-based serum you already own, and we publish that rather than locking the device to a bottle.
Our Activator Serum exists for people who want one in the box, and it is optional by design.
If you want to check what you have, the two-minute test settles it in one session.
This comparison sits inside our full map of the category, where we set out all 33 devices we track, what each one carries and what each brand publishes: Nine Technologies on One Dial, What the Rest of the Market Actually Carries.
Formulations and guidance checked on 21 September 2026 against manufacturer material and the published research cited.