Magnesium Chloride
Also known as: Magnesium, Magnesium Carbonate, Magnesium Stearate, Magnesium Sulfate
Mineral-derived salt use to enhance product texture | Often used with other texture enhancers to thicken and stabilize formulas
Addresses
EWG Safety Score
What Is Magnesium Chloride?
Magnesium chloride is a salt byproduct used to enhance texture of cosmetic products, often combined with guar-based, cellulose, or gum-based thickeners. Along with magnesium, it’s good source of other trace minerals for skin, such as copper, potassium and selenium.
Older research established that magnesium chloride plays a role with calcium in helping skin’s barrier recover from damage.
This ingredient is also used in foods to help improve texture and allow soy to coagulate to form tofu.
The standard usage level of magnesium chloride in cosmetics is 0.2–1%, depending on formulary needs. Fun fact: magnesium is the primary mineral in Dead Sea water used for numerous therapeutic purposes. Interestingly, magnesium chloride has poor skin penetration in water-based solution since it cannot get through skin’s lipids. Magnesium chloride is considered safe as used in cosmetics.
Benefits for Your Skin
Clinical Evidence & References
Published Research
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Nutrients, August 2017, pages 1–8 [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5579607/]
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https://www.cir-safety.org/sites/default/files/magnesium%20sulfate.pdf [https://www.cir-safety.org/sites/default/files/magnesium%20sulfate.pdf]
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International Journal of Dermatology, February 2005, pages 151–157 [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-4632.2005.02079.x]
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Archives of Dermatological Research, October 1999, pages 560–563 [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s004030050454]
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