Magnesium Chloride
INCI name: Magnesium Chloride
Purposes: Active, Skin-Conditioning Agent
Elemental magnesium sourced from the Dead Sea. Applied topically to ease the feeling of muscle tension.
Magnesium is involved in more than three hundred enzymatic reactions in the body, including those governing muscle contraction and relaxation. Ours is magnesium chloride harvested from the Dead Sea, which has one of the highest natural magnesium concentrations on earth.
Topical magnesium is an area where the marketing has run ahead of the science, so here is where the evidence actually sits. There is reasonable support for magnesium chloride improving skin barrier function and reducing roughness and inflammation. The evidence for meaningful transdermal absorption into muscle tissue is much weaker and actively debated.
What is not in doubt is that people find it useful. Whether the relief comes from magnesium reaching muscle, from the massage of application, or from the barrier and hydration benefits, is not fully settled.
We pair it with German chamomile, which contains bisabolol, a well-characterised soothing compound. Some formulations use magnesium sulfate instead; chloride is generally better absorbed and less drying.
One practical note: magnesium chloride can tingle on freshly shaved or broken skin. That is the salt, not an allergic reaction, and it fades as your skin acclimatises. Start with less than you think you need.
