Research
Magnesium salts have been studied on skin for a long time, mostly as part of Dead Sea salt research. Below are the peer-reviewed studies we think are worth reading, grouped by the questions people ask us most, each with a short summary in plain words. We've included the studies that question topical magnesium too, because you should see both sides.
None of these studies were done on Soirly products. Soirly is a cosmetic, so we only speak to how it looks and feels on your skin. Last reviewed October 2026.
Does magnesium chloride help dry skin?
The short answer: magnesium salts appear to help skin hold on to moisture and keep its outer barrier in good shape. That is why we use magnesium chloride, and why we print the amount on the label: 10,800 mg in every bottle of the Evening Body Cream.
Bathing in a magnesium-rich Dead Sea salt solution improves skin barrier function, enhances skin hydration, and reduces inflammation in atopic dry skin
Proksch E, Nissen HP, Bremgartner M, Urquhart C. International Journal of Dermatology, 2005.
Volunteers with dry skin soaked one forearm for 15 minutes at a time in water with 5% Dead Sea salt and the other forearm in plain tap water, with skin measured over six weeks. The salt-soaked arm held more moisture and was less rough than the tap-water arm, and the salt solution was well tolerated. The researchers say the salt's high magnesium content is the likely reason.
Some magnesium salts and a mixture of magnesium and calcium salts accelerate skin barrier recovery
Denda M, Katagiri C, Hirao T, Maruyama N, Takahashi M. Archives of Dermatological Research, 1999.
Researchers applied several magnesium salts, including magnesium chloride, to skin whose outer barrier had been disrupted. Most of the magnesium salts helped the barrier recover faster, and magnesium chloride mixed with an equal amount of calcium chloride worked better than magnesium chloride on its own. This was a study in hairless mice, so it shows how magnesium salts behave on skin rather than what a cream does for people.
Antiwrinkle and skin-moisturizing effects of a mineral-algal-botanical complex
Ma'or Z, Meshulam-Simon G, Yehuda S, Gavrieli JA. Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2000.
A cream containing 5% of a Dead Sea mineral complex, with algae and plant extracts, was applied twice a day for four weeks and compared with a control cream. Skin roughness dropped by about 43% on average with the mineral cream, around twice the change seen with the control, and skin stayed more hydrated hours after applying. The study was run by the company that makes the mineral complex, and it tested a blend of Dead Sea minerals rather than magnesium chloride alone.
Does magnesium lotion absorb through your skin?
Many magnesium brands say their creams deliver magnesium into your body. The evidence for that is thin and still debated, so we don't say it. Here is what the studies show.
Myth or reality: transdermal magnesium?
Gröber U, Werner T, Vormann J, Kisters K. Nutrients, 2017.
This review looked at the evidence that magnesium applied to skin, in sprays, oils, creams or baths, is absorbed into the body in useful amounts. The authors point out that the skin's outer layer is a strong barrier to charged minerals like magnesium, and that good human studies are missing. They conclude that the promotion of transdermal magnesium is scientifically unsupported.
Effect of transdermal magnesium cream on serum and urinary magnesium levels in humans: a pilot study
Kass L, Rosanoff A, Tanner A, Sullivan K, McAuley W, Plesset M. PLOS One, 2017.
Twenty-five adults used either a magnesium cream or a placebo cream every day for two weeks, and their blood and urine magnesium were measured. Across the whole group the differences were not statistically significant; a small rise in blood magnesium showed up only in a subgroup of people who weren't athletes. It was a small, short pilot study.
Permeation of topically applied magnesium ions through human skin is facilitated by hair follicles
Chandrasekaran NC, Sanchez WY, Mohammed YH, Grice JE, Roberts MS, Barnard RT. Magnesium Research, 2016.
Researchers applied a magnesium solution to human skin and traced how far the magnesium went. Some passed the skin's outer layer, more with higher concentrations and longer contact, and hair follicles were an important route. It shows magnesium can pass the outer layer of skin in some conditions; it doesn't show how much, if any, reaches the body from a cream.
Why does skin feel drier in winter?
If your legs and heels feel tighter from November on, it isn't your imagination. Cold air and dry indoor heat are hard on skin.
The effect of environmental humidity and temperature on skin barrier function and dermatitis
Engebretsen KA, Johansen JD, Kezic S, Linneberg A, Thyssen JP. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2016.
This review gathered studies on how weather affects skin. Low humidity and low temperatures were linked to a weaker skin barrier, and skin became more easily irritated in those conditions. It is a good reason to keep a moisturizer close by through a Canadian winter.
What does urea do for dry, rough heels?
Urea is one of the main ingredients in our Leg & Foot Balm, alongside shea butter and magnesium chloride. It is also a substance your own skin makes to hold on to water.
Urea: a comprehensive review of the clinical literature
Pan M, Heinecke G, Bernardo S, Tsui C, Levitt J. Dermatology Online Journal, 2013.
The authors reviewed decades of studies on urea in skin products. They describe it as both a moisturizer and an ingredient that softens and loosens dry, scaly skin, which is why it is common in creams for rough, dry areas. Mild irritation was the most common reaction reported.
Why is glycerin in the cream?
Glycerin is one of the most studied moisturizing ingredients in skin care, and it is in our Evening Body Cream.
Glycerol and the skin: holistic approach to its origin and functions
Fluhr JW, Darlenski R, Surber C. British Journal of Dermatology, 2008.
This review brings together research on glycerol, the scientific name for glycerin. It draws water into the skin's outer layer, supports the skin barrier and helps skin stay supple, and the authors note it is especially useful in dry, cold weather.
What we take from all this
Magnesium chloride, urea and glycerin all help skin hold on to moisture, and that is what we promise: soft, comfortable skin at the end of the day. Whether magnesium from a cream reaches the rest of your body is still an open question, so we leave it out of our claims. If a new study changes the picture, we'll add it here.
Questions about any of these studies? Write to us at team@soirly.com.