Ingredient Library
Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt)
Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt)
Magnesium sulfate, or Epsom salt, dissolves into mineral-rich water that eases tired muscles and softens skin. Restorative, it suits soaking and body care.
A natural history
Epsom salt takes its name from a real place, the little town of Epsom in England. The story goes that in the early sixteen hundreds, during a dry summer, a local farmer found a spring on Epsom Common but his cattle refused to drink, for the water was strangely bitter. That bitter spring turned out to be rich in a mineral salt, and Epsom became one of England's first and most fashionable health spas, where high society came to take the waters.
The mineral behind the magic was magnesium sulfate, and a warm soak in it has been a cherished ritual of rest ever since. Dissolved in a bath, Epsom salt has soothed tired muscles and softened the feel of skin for generations, a simple, timeless comfort at the end of a long day.
What it does for your skin
A warm Epsom soak is, above all, a soothing ritual. In a controlled study, bathing in a mineral, magnesium rich salt solution supported the skin's moisture and barrier and left it looking smoother and calmer than plain water.[1] It is worth being honest: the popular idea that magnesium is absorbed through the skin in a soak is much debated and not well proven, so the real gift of an Epsom bath is comfort and relaxation.[2] In a soak it soothes and softens tired, tense skin.
References
[1] Proksch E, et al. Bathing in a magnesium-rich Dead Sea salt solution improves skin barrier function, enhances skin hydration, and reduces inflammation in atopic dry skin. Int J Dermatol. 2005;44(2):151-157. doi:10.1111/j.1365-4632.2005.02079.x
[2] Grober U, et al. Myth or reality, transdermal magnesium? Nutrients. 2017;9(8):813. doi:10.3390/nu9080813
Found in these formulas
Questions, answered
It is a soothing, relaxing ritual that helps ease tired, tense muscles and soften the feel of skin in a warm bath.
This is much debated and not well proven, so the true benefit of an Epsom soak is the comfort and relaxation of the warm mineral bath itself.