'aloe-free' originates in modern English as a compound formed from the noun 'aloe' and the adjective 'free' meaning 'without' or 'lacking'.

'aloe' comes into English via Latin 'aloe' from Greek 'alōē' and ultimately from a Semitic source (e.g., Arabic); 'free' comes from Old English 'frēo' (from Proto-Germanic *frijaz), originally meaning 'not in bondage'. The compound form (X-free) developed in English to mean 'without X'.

Initially, 'free' meant 'not in bondage' or 'exempt'; in compounds like 'aloe-free' it evolved to mean 'lacking or not containing (the specified substance)'.