MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE
Magnesium chloride is an inorganic salt made of magnesium and chloride. On an ingredient list, MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE is the name that may appear even when the product was made with a version dissolved in water. It is not a botanical extract or an oil: it is a mineral compound that disperses readily in water-based systems.
MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE: what it is
Magnesium chloride is an inorganic salt made of magnesium and chloride. On an ingredient list, MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE is the name that may appear even when the product was made with a version dissolved in water. It is not a botanical extract or an oil: it is a mineral compound that disperses readily in water-based systems.
It can be supplied without water or as a hydrated form, where the salt is associated with water molecules. That distinction matters during manufacturing, but an ingredient list cannot reveal which form was used or how much was added. For label readers, the useful point is that the name identifies a magnesium salt, not a form of magnesium chosen for a specific skin benefit.
MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE: what it does in cosmetics
In cosmetics, magnesium chloride can be used to control viscosity—the thickness and flow of a water-based preparation. In practical terms, this adjustment can help a gel, liquid cleanser, or similar mixture avoid feeling too runny or too thick when it leaves the package and spreads.
It can also be used as a flavouring substance where taste is relevant to the product. A study of surfactant-based cleaning mixtures found that the type and amount of salt changed the mixture's aggregates and physical properties; that helps explain a technical use for consistency, but it does not show a skin benefit or test a leave-on cosmetic ingredient on its own.
Products containing this ingredient
See which products include it and the name used in each composition.
