1971

Lily of the Desert began as an Aloe product brand.

1974

Our owner, Don Lovelace, began his own cosmetics business focused on aloe personal care products.

1980

After learning more about vertical integration helping to maintain product control, Don Lovelace opened his first aloe farm in Mercedes, TX.
He became a founding member and first president of the International Aloe Science Council, an independent council dedicated to verifying the quality of aloe used in products. He often visited Washington D.C. on the behalf of aloe’s interests.

During this time, Don began to wonder if the topical benefits of aloe might also be applied to internal use.

1985

While walking around a Las Vegas Trade Show, Don Lovelace found the Lily of the Desert brand and instantly loved the name. He purchased the brand soon after, which at the time only offered Inner Fillet products in 8 oz., 16 oz. and 32 oz.

1986

Lily of the Desert soon became known as an innovative brand, utilizing HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) and learning more about the effect of aloe anthraquinones (aloin). Lily of the Desert was one of the first brands to decolorize, or filter, the aloin content in their products.

1997

Lily of the Desert became the largest organic grower and processor of Aloe vera. Whole Leaf aloe products were added to the lineup after an IASC analysis showed there were valuable aloe polysaccharides found in the outer rind.

2006

Lily of the Desert products could be found in 99% of natural product stores and major grocery chains across the U.S.

Lily of the Desert was the first brand to make a USDA organic, preservative-free Aloe vera juice, which would go on to become the best-selling product in the entire line.

2007

A published study by the University of Mississippi showed how higher molecular weight polysaccharides help support whole body health benefits. Taking that information, Don participated in the development of Lily of the Desert’s proprietary process of using those polysaccharides called Aloesorb™

Gold Standard clinical studies showed that the extracted high molecular weight polysaccharides found in Aloesorb™ dramatically improved aloe’s natural benefits of nutrient absorption, immune health, detoxification, and antioxidant support.

2009

Lily of the Desert launched a nutraceutical division with a third party, contract manufacturing facility. Product offerings including liquid energy shots, powders, and nutritional oils.

2013

Lily of the Desert was the first brand to have its products and manufacturing processes go through rigorous review and be verified safe to use daily by an expert panel. This confirmed that Lily of the Desert products contain less than 1 parts per million of aloin (anthraquinones) and are now G.R.A.S. certified (generally recognized as safe). This study was published in the Journal of Toxicology in 2013.

2014

Thanks to continued business growth, Don was able to open a 400,000 square foot state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Lewisville, TX.

2016

Lily of the Desert increased its manufacturing offerings to include cold brew coffee, along with additional vitamin powders and functional beverages.

2020

Lily of the Desert expanded into manufacturing top-quality hand sanitizer and released its own brand name version in the fall featuring its own organically-grown aloe.