Magnesium Oil, Sprays, Lotions and Epsom Salt Baths: Do Skin Products Raise Magnesium?

Do magnesium oil, sprays, lotions and Epsom salt baths raise magnesium through the skin? The claim, the small studies behind it, a 2017 review's verdict and safety points.

Content last updated October 22, 2026. This page has not been medically reviewed.

Salt or mineralMagnesium chloride, MgCl2

What is Magnesium Oil, Sprays and Lotions good for?

What the body uses it for, and how strong the evidence is. A normal job in the body is not proof that extra supplements add benefit; each card says which.

Does magnesium absorb through the skin? (review verdict)

Not enough evidence

A 2017 review concluded that the promotion of transdermal magnesium (sprays, flakes and salt baths) as better than swallowed magnesium is scientifically unsupported.

Supplements: Not shown to replace or beat food or supplement magnesium.

Magnesium cream pilot trial

Not enough evidence

In a single-blind pilot of 25 people, a cream with 56 mg a day of magnesium (study amount) or placebo for 2 weeks raised blood magnesium from 0.82 to 0.89 mmol/L, not significant overall and significant only in a subgroup of non-athletes.

Supplements: Not enough to say skin products improve magnesium status.

Magnesium chloride spray for nerve symptoms in kidney disease (open-label pilot)

Not enough evidence

Twenty adults with advanced kidney disease (14 finished) used a magnesium chloride spray for 12 weeks. Neuropathy symptom scores fell, but blood magnesium did not change.

Supplements: Does not show benefit.

Epsom salt and Dead Sea salt soaks as a magnesium source

Preliminary or mixed

Epsom salt trials found one foot-bath study in chemotherapy patients and one small Dead Sea salt forearm study for atopic skin; neither measured blood magnesium raised by baths. See those profiles.

Supplements: Not evidence that baths raise magnesium.

Oral magnesium for deficiency, compared with skin products

Deficiency link

The 2017 review says oral magnesium supplementation for treating deficiency is well documented; deficiency is for a clinician to diagnose.

Supplements: Skin products are not shown to treat deficiency.

Connected topics

Open a group to see how each topic connects and how strong the evidence is.

Body systems (2)

Kidney & UrinaryDocumented risk
Excess magnesium risk in kidney failure.
Digestive SystemDocumented risk
Swallowed magnesium laxatives caused overload in case reports; high oral doses cause diarrhea (NHS).

Body parts (1)

KidneysDocumented risk
Reduced kidney function is the main group at risk from excess magnesium.

Conditions & symptoms (1)

HypermagnesemiaDocumented risk
Documented after swallowed magnesium laxatives; not shown for skin products.

Documented risks and interactions (2)

Kidney disease and magnesium. MedlinePlus says side effects from high magnesium intake are not common except in people with significantly reduced kidney function.
Swallowing magnesium products: laxative and overload cases. Case reports describe severe high blood magnesium after swallowing Epsom salt as a laxative and a fatal case with magnesium laxatives. NHS says more than 400 mg of magnesium a day for a short time can cause diarrhea.

Explore all 23 salts and minerals

Quick answer

Marketing often says magnesium absorbed through the skin ("transdermal") works better than swallowed magnesium. A 2017 review of the research concluded that the promotion of transdermal magnesium is scientifically unsupported. [1] The few human studies are small, short and mostly measure markers rather than symptoms. Healthy skin is built to keep substances out, so proof is needed, and it has not been shown. [1]

What is claimed

Products include magnesium "oil" sprays and soaks, other sprays, creams, lotions, flakes and Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) baths and foot soaks. The review describes claims that skin absorption is better than swallowing and bypasses the gut and its side effects. [1] We name no products; this page only checks the claim.

Evidence labels

Promising but limited, insufficient evidence, preclinical (lab or animal work), marketing claim, Proper evidence not found. Study amounts are never advice.

What the studies found

Study or review	What it did	What it found	Label
Review, 2017 (Nutrients)	Looked at all the literature on transdermal magnesium	Concluded the promotion is scientifically unsupported; noted the stratum corneum (outer skin layer) is a barrier and that hair follicles and sweat glands are only 0.1% to 1% of skin surface [1]	Marketing claim
Epsom salt bath study (Waring, cited in the review)	19 people; 12-minute baths in hot magnesium sulfate solution daily for 7 days	Most had a rise in blood magnesium; the review judged the study to be of questionable quality [1]	Insufficient evidence
Magnesium oil study (cited in the review)	9 people; daily spray and foot soaks for 12 weeks	Hair magnesium rose on average; no blood magnesium data; weak statistical power [1]	Insufficient evidence
Cream pilot, 2017	25 people; cream supplying 56 mg magnesium a day (study amount) or placebo for 2 weeks	Serum magnesium rose 0.82 to 0.89 mmol/L, not statistically significant overall; significant only in a subgroup of non-athletes; the authors called for larger studies [2]	Insufficient evidence
Lotion trial (cited in the review)	34 healthy volunteers; magnesium sulfate lotion or placebo three times a day for 3 days	No significant difference in magnesium levels between groups [1]	No benefit shown
Spray pilot in kidney disease, 2023	20 adults with advanced kidney disease, no comparison group; magnesium chloride spray for 12 weeks	Neuropathy symptom scores improved but serum magnesium did not change; open-label with no control, so symptom change cannot be credited to magnesium [3]	Insufficient evidence
Lab skin studies (cited in the review)	Magnesium chloride solutions and creams across isolated human skin in diffusion cells	The cited authors said further in vitro and animal studies are warranted to establish the efficacy of formulations [1]	Preclinical

The review noted that hair, which the oil study measured, is known to be less representative of total body magnesium handling. [1] See also Hair mineral analysis: what it can and cannot show.

Frequently asked questions

Does magnesium oil absorb through the skin?

Not shown. A 2017 review judged transdermal magnesium promotion scientifically unsupported, and the oil study it described measured hair only. [1]

Do Epsom salt baths raise blood magnesium?

One small bath study reported a rise in blood magnesium, but the review questioned its quality. [1] See the dedicated Epsom salt baths page.

Are magnesium lotions or sprays safer than pills?

Proper evidence not found that they are safer or better. Pills can cause diarrhea at higher amounts. [7]

Can skin products fix a magnesium deficiency?

Deficiency is diagnosed by a clinician; do not treat it alone. [5]

Is there a regulator warning about topical magnesium?

Not described in the sources we read.

More details: evidence, limits and cautions

The details behind this page: cautions, limits of the evidence and where sources disagree. Open any note to read it.

What regulators say

Proper evidence not found. We did not locate or read a regulator statement specific to topical magnesium products, so we state none. A US FDA letter we read covers magnesium in foods and supplements, not skin products. [4]

Safety and who should ask first

Irritation. Skin irritation or allergy is possible with any topical product; the sources we read gave no rates for magnesium products.
Kidney disease. Whether skin products raise magnesium is unproven, but swallowed magnesium products can build up in kidney failure. [5] Ask your kidney team before using any magnesium product, including baths. See magnesium side effects, toxicity and kidney disease.
Do not swallow bath salts or oil. Epsom salt taken by mouth is a laxative and large amounts caused poisonings in historical reports. [6]
Hot baths. Heat exposure has its own cautions; see Epsom salt baths: claims and evidence and Epsom salt.
Pregnancy, children, older adults, surgery: not covered by the studies above; ask a clinician or pharmacist.
Do not replace a treatment. If a clinician found low magnesium, ask about their plan; see Magnesium and magnesium forms compared.

References

Gröber U, Werner T, Vormann J, Kisters K. Myth or Reality-Transdermal Magnesium? Nutrients 2017. PubMed 28788060, full text PMC5579607. Read 2026-10-23.
Effect of transdermal magnesium cream on serum and urinary magnesium levels in humans: A pilot study. PLoS One 2017. PubMed 28403154. Abstract read 2026-10-23.
Transdermal Magnesium for the Treatment of Peripheral Neuropathy in Chronic Kidney Disease: A Single-Arm, Open-Label Pilot Study. Journal of Palliative Medicine 2023. PubMed 37486715. Abstract read 2026-10-23.
US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Letter responding to a qualified health claim petition for magnesium and high blood pressure (Docket FDA-2016-Q-3770); references accessed through December 2021. FDA letter.
MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine). MedlinePlus, Magnesium Blood Test.
European Food Safety Authority / Scientific Committee on Food. February 2006. Tolerable Upper Intake Levels for Vitamins and Minerals, magnesium chapter.
NHS (UK). Page last reviewed 3 August 2020. NHS, Vitamins and minerals: Others (magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, salt).

Education, not medical advice. This page is for general information. It does not diagnose or treat any condition and is not a substitute for care from a qualified health professional. Natural does not automatically mean safe. Ask a clinician or pharmacist before changing your care, especially if you take medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a health condition.