Magnesium spray, lotion or cream: how each one feels on skin
Topical magnesium comes in a few forms: sprays (often called magnesium oil), lotions, gel-creams and bath flakes. The magnesium is usually the same salt, magnesium chloride. What changes is how it feels on your skin, and that decides whether you keep using it.
What is magnesium oil?
Magnesium oil isn't an oil at all. It is magnesium chloride dissolved in water, and the high salt content gives it a slippery, oily feel. Most sprays are sold this way.
People who use sprays often describe the same few things. "It does feel a bit sticky." "It can tingle a bit sometimes." It dries to a salty film unless you rinse it off, and it can be messy to apply evenly.
Magnesium spray vs lotion: how do they compare?
| Spray (magnesium oil) | Thick lotion or butter | Light gel-cream | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it goes on | Sprayed, then rubbed in | Rubbed in by hand | Smoothed on by hand |
| How it can feel | Salty, sticky, sometimes tingly | Rich, can feel heavy | Light and silky |
| What it leaves behind | A salty film unless rinsed | Can leave a greasy layer | Made to leave no film |
| Moisturizing ingredients | Usually none, just water and salt | Oils and butters | Light oils and humectants |
None of these is right for everyone. If you like a quick spray after the shower and don't mind rinsing, magnesium oil is simple and inexpensive. If you want something that also works as your body moisturizer, a lotion or cream makes more sense, because it carries ingredients that help skin hold on to moisture.
Why does magnesium spray tingle or itch?
Magnesium chloride is a salt, and a concentrated salt solution can tingle on dry skin, freshly shaved legs or small nicks. Lotions and creams use far less water and add emollients, so the salt sits in a cushioned base. If any product stings or itches, rinse it off and stop using it. Patch-test new products on your inner arm first.
Does it matter how much magnesium is in the bottle?
Many brands don't say. We think you should know what you are buying, so we print it on the label: 10,800 mg of magnesium chloride in every 180 mL bottle of our Evening Body Cream. That is the amount in the bottle, not an amount that reaches your body.
Does magnesium absorb through skin?
This is the question people ask us most. The honest answer is that the research is mixed and still debated, so we don't promise it. Magnesium chloride does help skin hold on to moisture, and that part you can feel. Our Research page summarizes the studies, for and against, in plain words.
Which one should you choose?
- A spray if you want the simplest, cheapest option and don't mind the feel.
- A thick lotion or butter if your skin is very dry and you like a rich finish.
- A light gel-cream if you want it to double as your body moisturizer and slip into pyjamas straight after.
- Bath flakes if you already take baths and want it to be part of that.
We make a light lavender gel-cream because that is the one we kept reaching for: smoothed over warm, just-showered skin in the last hour of the day. If that sounds like you, the Evening Body Cream is here.
Soirly is a cosmetic. We speak only to how our products look and feel on your skin.