What's Actually in Our Magnesium Cream

If you turn a skincare product over and read the back before you buy it, we like you already. It is the right instinct, and most of the time it is rewarded with a paragraph of names you cannot pronounce and no idea which ones actually matter.

So here is our magnesium cream, laid out plainly. What is in it, what each thing is doing, and where it comes from in nature. The list is short on purpose. Everything in here earns its place, and there is nothing hiding behind a vague word like "fragrance."

The four that do the heavy lifting

Magnesium chloride

This is the whole point of the cream, and we do not go light on it: 20% highly bioavailable magnesium chloride. Magnesium is the mineral your muscles and nervous system use to relax and reset after a long day, and most people are running lower than they realise, especially in a climate where you sweat it out from morning to night.

Where it comes from: magnesium chloride is a naturally occurring mineral salt, drawn from seawater and ancient underground salt deposits. It is the form of magnesium most associated with topical use, which is exactly why it is the backbone of this cream. We go deeper into why this mineral matters in our plain-English guide to magnesium.

Sweet almond oil

The reason the cream glides on and sinks in instead of sitting on top of your skin. Sweet almond oil is a light, nourishing oil that softens and conditions, and it carries the magnesium smoothly without any heaviness.

Where it comes from: cold-pressed from the kernels of sweet almonds. It is naturally rich in vitamins and fatty acids, which is why it has been a staple in gentle skincare for a very long time.

Coconut-derived emollient

The reason the cream feels soft and silky rather than heavy. This is a light emollient made from coconut, and it is what gives the cream that smooth, non-greasy slip and keeps your skin feeling comfortable rather than dry or tight after a nightly application.

Where it comes from: derived from coconut oil, broken down into its lighter, faster-absorbing part. You get the softness of a coconut oil without the greasy film that whole coconut oil can leave behind.

Vitamin E

The quiet protector. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that soothes and helps look after the skin, and it also helps keep the natural oils in the cream fresh, so the whole formula stays stable without needing anything harsh to do that job.

Where it comes from: naturally derived from plant oils, most commonly sunflower. It is one of the most well-established skin-friendly ingredients there is.

The rest of what's inside

Alongside those four, the cream uses a small supporting cast to bind everything into a smooth, stable texture and keep it fresh on your shelf. Every one is there for a reason. Here they are in plain English, with what each does and where it comes from:

Water (aqua). The base everything is blended into. It carries the magnesium and the oils so they spread evenly and absorb.
Pentylene glycol. Holds moisture in the skin and helps keep the cream fresh so it lasts on your shelf. Typically derived from plant sugars like sugarcane or corn.
C14-22 alcohols. These keep the oil and water from separating so the cream stays smooth. Despite the word, these are gentle fatty alcohols from vegetable oils, not the drying kind of alcohol.
Cetearyl olivate and sorbitan olivate. A pair of gentle emulsifiers that hold the whole formula together in one creamy texture. Both are derived from olive oil.
C12-20 alkyl glucoside. Another mild, plant-based emulsifier that helps everything stay blended. Made from plant sugars and fatty alcohols.
Propanediol. Draws moisture into the skin and helps the other ingredients absorb. Made by fermenting corn sugar.
Xanthan gum. A natural thickener that gives the cream its body so it is not runny. Produced by fermenting plant sugars.
Arginine. Balances the pH so the cream sits comfortably on skin and does not sting. It is an amino acid, plant-derived.

How it all works together

Nothing exotic, which is the point. A generous dose of the active mineral, carried in light plant oils that let it absorb without grease, protected by a natural antioxidant. You massage it in, it sinks in fast, and it does not stain your sheets or leave your skin sticky.

What is not in it

Sometimes the more useful list is the one of things we left out. Our magnesium cream is:

Fragrance-free. No synthetic scent, nothing to irritate sensitive skin. This is a real one, because "fragrance" on a label can hide a long list of undisclosed ingredients.
100% natural, vegan and non-toxic.
Free from the harsh fillers you do not need on skin you use a product on every day.

It is also the only magnesium cream made in Singapore, formulated for the exact hot, humid climate you live in, and it is gentle enough to be safe for kids and sensitive skin.

Frequently asked questions

Is magnesium chloride the best form of magnesium for a cream? It is the form most associated with topical use, which is why we built the cream around it at a confident 20%. If you have ever tried a magnesium spray and found it stung, that is a concentration-and-format issue we solved by going with a gentler cream, which we explain in magnesium spray versus cream.

Are the oils going to feel greasy? No. The sweet almond oil and the coconut-derived emollient are used in light amounts to carry the magnesium and hydrate, not to sit on top of your skin. The cream is formulated to be fast-absorbing and non-greasy, which is exactly why it suits a nightly routine.

Is it safe for sensitive skin and kids? Yes. It is fragrance-free, all natural and formulated to be gentle, which is what makes it suitable for daily use, sensitive skin and children. As with any new product, patch test first on very reactive skin.

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