What About Preservatives?

It must be stated here that it is the law for lotion to have an effective preserving medium in it. If somebody does not put a preservative in their product, they are breaking the law and just haven't got caught yet. Therefore, any lotion (that follows the rules) is going to have at least one chemical in it - the preserving medium. Having bacteria, yeast, mold, fungus, etc., in a body product can be very dangerous. The right preserving medium is very effective at staving off the bacteria, etc., that could otherwise grow in a product that contains water. Mo' Maggie Magnesium Lotion uses a very mild (but effective) preserving medium that is Paraben free and formaldehyde free.  It is also 100% vegetable and natural.  It has no petro-chemicals and is approved by EcoCert, NPA and NaTrue standards. (this is really good news in and of itself!)  It's a natural preservative crafted from high purity, renewable sources, of caprylic and undecylenic fatty acids.  You couldn't ask for a more pure preserving medium and we're so pleased to provide this for you in ALL of our lotions:

• Mo' Maggie Magnesium Lotion

• Lil' Mo' Maggie Magnesium Lotion for Babies & Children

• Mo' Soft Hand and Body Lotion [coming back available in the near future]

What About Other Chemicals?

Lotions are made by mixing oils and/or butters together with water.  As we all know, oil and water do not mix - they separate.  This creates the need for water and oil to be emulsified, meaning there must be a way to make the water and oils blend without separation.  Otherwise, the lotion would be like an oil and water salad dressing (separate shortly after shaking the bottle). A chemical must be used to do this.  There are good ones and bad ones.  Mo' Maggie Magnesium lotion has two gentle, but effective vegan emulsifiers.

Lotion also can be very watery because water is usually the main ingredient - otherwise you'd have a very greasy product.  Therefore, a thickener is also added, and Mo' Maggie's thickener is a gentle vegan product. Thankfully with preserving mediums, emulsifiers and thickeners, the percentage rate used is very minimal. But they are all very necessary.

Comparison of Some Magnesium Lotions on the Market:


Product:  Ancient Minerals Magnesium Lotion  
   
* Bottle Size:  5 oz. (other smaller sizes are available)  * Price:  $ 22.77 - 105.36 (prices vary according to site) 
       
* Amount of Magnesium in ONE teaspoon:  185 mg. Elemental Magnesium

* Ingredients:  Purified water, Zechstein® Magnesium, organic glycerin, organic jojoba seed oil, olive squalane, cetearyl olivate, sorbitan olivate, organic coconut oil, glyceryl stearate, cetyl alcohol, organic shea butter, hydroxypropyl starch phosphate, xanthum gum, caprylhydroxamic acid, caprylyl glycol. 

Pros:  The butters and oils used are organic.  (It is unknown if these oils and butters are unrefined)  It contains Zechstein® magnesium straight from the source (the underground ancient seabed in New Zealand). The company was very helpful and courteous when I asked them questions about their product.  The chemical ingredients are among the more safe types, which is good.
Cons:  Contains a few chemicals but not bad ones. According to the Comedogenic Rating Scale, It contains some oils that are considered to be "pore clogging" (Jojoba, Coconut). This perhaps could make it more difficult for the Magnesium to be absorbed but only testing can show that.  It has 65 mg. less magnesium per teaspoon than our Mo' Maggie Magnesium Lotion (however, it still has a decent amount).  The bottle used to contain eight ounces and now comes in a five oz. pump, so the amount of product has decreased.  The price also significantly increased as of this writing but it changes periodically.  As we have checked on the reviews of this product, there have been customer complaints about the decrease in product size, but increase in price.

*****

Product:  Elepure Mineral Lotion

* Bottle Size:  8 oz.         * Price:  $16.99 (price changes periodically)

* Amount of Magnesium in ONE teaspoon:  "Over 300" (no true amount given)

* Ingredients: Magnesium Chloride from the Dead Sea, Organic Aloe Vera Whole Leaf Juice, Organic unrefined Shea Butter, Organic Safflower Oil, Organic Argan Oil, Organic Vegetable Glycerin, Stearic acid, Silver Dihydrogen Citrate, Citric acid & Potassium Sorbate 

Pros: It contains organic Aloe Vera whole leaf juice.  The butter and oils used are non-comedogenic (won't clog pores). It has a higher magnesium content.  One of the preserving mediums is considered a higher quality type that is paraben and formaldehyde free. *Note: Most "natural" preservatives carry a warning/recommendation to add another preservative to render it more effective. This lotion's preserving system is no exception. The manufacturers of their chosen preserving medium recommend adding Potassium Sorbate to make sure products are properly preserved. This lotion has added Potassium Sorbate as a result. 

Cons:  The biggest con to their lotion is that their Magnesium is sourced from the Dead Sea. It used to be that minerals sourced from the Dead Sea were considered to be pure and wonderful but over the years it has become a very undesirable source. One problem with this source is that it is above ground, meaning it's subject to many outside pollutants.  The Dead Sea has numberless tourists who immerse and bathe themselves in the water (think urine, body oils, dirty hair and other body parts, saliva, menstrual blood, sweat, mucous, and more). Add to that all of the external pollutants that an above ground source would be subject to (air pollution, garbage found on the shorelines from locals and tourists, companies dumping garbage on purpose, radiation, people urinating/spitting in the water, fertilizers & pesticides contributed by agriculture - not to mention animal waste). Most disturbing, however, is that human waste is now being dumped regularly into the Dead Sea, as reported by local media (i.e. Jerusalem Post).  Because the Dead Sea is mined so much for it's Magnesium Chloride, it's water level has dropped over 82 feet, and looses approximately three feet per year.  This is alarming! There are so many other issues caused by this over-use of the Dead Sea, including sink holes and more. 

It is not stated if their Aloe Vera juice has a preservative - almost all liquid brands have a preservative, and if they don't, their purity could be questioned since most products sit on shelves for awhile and Aloe Vera juice is very perishable. 

I also would predict the price of this lotion is going to go up quite a bit in the future because the preservative alone is about 3-4 times more expensive than most others, and Aloe Vera is extremely expensive. Since Aloe Vera is the second ingredient listed on the bottle, a lot is used.  Argan oil is also extremely expensive.  This begs the question as to why the product is cheaper than others that contain very expensive ingredients.

This lotion doesn't contain an emulsifier - the ingredient that binds water to oils.  It only uses Stearic acid.  Some claim that it can emulsify but in all my studies, I found the experts say it's not very effective at that.  Stearic acid is most often used as a thickener.  I wonder if this lotion will have separation issues as a result.

 

** Update:  I saw a very poor review for this lotion on Amazon which showed photographs of the product squirted into the customer's hand.  This lotion was heavily infected with mold spores.  Mold grows through the entire product before it even shows as "green" in a product, and the photo had a lot of green/black mold growth in the lotion, meaning it was extremely infected.  This tells me that their "natural" preserving medium is not effective whatsoever.  Bacteria/mold growth is extremely dangerous in lotions, much to contrary belief.  They can cause serious health issues - especially if they get into a rash, a sore, on diabetic's skin, etc.  The worst result of this would be getting Sepsis which is very serious and can lead to death.  

*****

Product:  Life Flo Magnesium Lotion
                     
* Bottle Size:  8 oz.         * Price:  $ 13.94 (Prices vary according to sites)
     
* Amount of Magnesium in ONE teaspoon:  Unknown  (*I wrote to the company to ask how much magnesium was in their product but they did not respond to my question.  The same question was asked on their Amazon page by several other customers and the company failed to answer the question there, too).

* Ingredients:  Purified Water, Magnesium Oil (Magnesium Chloride) Coconut Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Shea Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Natural Vanilla Oil, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid and Xanthan Gum.

Pros:  It contains Shea butter which is non-comedogenic (doesn't clog pores) and has natural vanilla oil (but I do not know if the vanilla is chemically/solvent extracted). Overall, the chemical ingredients are considered fairly safe, which is good.  (except for one - the Potassium Sorbate)

Cons:  The oils or Shea butter in the lotion are not organic. It contains a vanilla scent, and most people do not want a scented magnesium lotion. The source of Magnesium is undisclosed - and to me, this is a big red flag. The company refused to answer my questions when I wrote to them directly and when I asked for their guidance on Amazon. Their lotion contains ???? amount of magnesium per teaspoon - they wouldn't disclose this information, either.  Knowing how much magnesium is in a magnesium lotion is a must for customers, so it is unfortunate that this company would not disclose this information.  It's also unfortunate that they ignored my requests for information, as well as the requests of other customers.

Contains Potassium Sorbate, which is considered a "moderate" health hazard.

*****

Product:  Dr. Shealy’s Magnesium Lotion  


* Bottle Size:  8 oz.       * Price:  $ 18.25 (prices vary according to sites)  
       
*Amount of Magnesium in ONE teaspoon:  150 mg. Elemental Magnesium 

* Ingredients:  Distilled or purified water, Magnesium Chloride, Glycerin, Sodium Carboxy Methyl Celluose, lotion base (??), Cyclomethicone, Squalane, and Germaben II.  
(note: I wrote the company and asked them for an ingredient list for their “lotion base”.  This is their reply:  Cetearyl Isononanoate, Ceteareth-20, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Ceteareth-12, Cetyl Palmitate.

Pros:  It has magnesium in it but the source is unknown - and we believe knowing the source is very important.

Cons:  To me, this first con is a big one: It contains no oils or butters. It is entirely chemical except for the water, the magnesium and the glycerin. They don't list the ingredients in the "lotion base" on their label, leaving customers uninformed about what they are putting on/in their bodies.  This is also against the law. Their lotion contains 100 mg. less Magnesium than our Mo' Maggie.  Their preserving system has been written about many times regarding it's toxicity and harshness.  A quick research on this preservative (Germaben II) will reveal these results.

Some of their lotion ingredients are not written in INCI code so that customers can look up each chemical and information about it.


*****

Product:  Dr. Teal's Lavender Magnesium Lotion

*  Bottle Size:  10 oz.       *Price:  $9.15 - 13.23 (prices vary according to sites)
*  Amount of Magnesium in ONE teaspoon:  No information provided by the company

Ingredients:  Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, PEG-100 Stearate, Fragrance (Parfum), Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract, Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt), Tocopheryl Acetate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Stearic Acid, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Xanthan Gum, Dimethicone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Propylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Disodium EDTA.

Pros: It is a nice size of 10 oz.  It has some magnesium in it but it is a sulfur type which many people are sensitive to.  However, some customers do well with Epsom Salt so it's an individual choice. It has a decent price, especially for the size.  It has some shea butter in it.  It contains a little bit of vitamin E.

Cons:  After the main ingredient of water (and it's not stated if the water is purified), the second largest ingredient is glycerin.  Glycerin is wonderful in lotions but not as one of the main ingredients, because it is sticky like honey.  The glycerin is also not organic, and the source wasn't mentioned, so it's either animal fat derived or corn derived (and often GMO).  It has many chemicals in it but some are fairly harmless (i.e. chemical thickeners, which happens to be the third ingredient).  However, some of the chemicals are worth mentioning in more detail.

There is Lavender extract in it, but extracts offer very little fragrance to a product and they are so diluted they generally offer no therapeutic effects.  This is why this product also has a synthetic Lavender fragrance added as well - an ingredient which comes before the Lavender extract.

It contains Cocoa Butter which is rated a "4" on the comedogenic rating scale, meaning it's highly pore clogging.  This means if your pores are clogged, chances are you will absorb much less magnesium into your skin.

The product contains Corn Starch (most non-organic corn starch is GMO)  It also contains Aluminum Starch which is identified as a "modified" food starch – modified often means GMO.  This ingredient is subject to limitations on heavy metal residues, is considered safe as used in cosmetic formulations provided that established limitations imposed on heavy metal concentrations are not exceeded.

This product contains Sodium Hydroxide, which is the chemical name for LYE.  This ingredient is used to balance out Ph levels. To be fair, LYE is used to make pretzels, but I just wanted to explain what this chemical is.  Dimethicone is silicone - used in making plastics.  This chemical rates as a "moderate" health hazard.

This lotion contains Propylene Glycol which is an ingredient I personally run from, but I will let you make your call on that one.  

Chlorphenesin is considered generally safe and it is one of the preservatives in this lotion.  However, is also sold as a muscle relaxant drug and there are reports that babies and children can have weaker breathing and other problems as a result if this chemical is used on them in a product. Most likely there is a very small amount in this lotion. 

I want to point out that the Shea Butter in the ingredient deck is listed under other ingredients that normally there wouldn't be a lot of, like a fragrance. This means that very little Shea butter is in the actual product.  To me, this means the foundation of the product is water, glycerin, chemicals and synthetic fragrance, with some other chemicals with the small amount of Shea butter and cocoa butter below.  Those two butters are the only true "oils" in the lotion, at very minimal amounts.

No magnesium amount is listed in the description, on the label, or answered in customer questions.


Product:  Living the Good Life Naturally Magnesium Lotion


* Bottle Size:  8 oz.      * Price:  $ 24.00 
         
* Amount of Magnesium in ONE teaspoon: 185 mg. Elemental Magnesium/tsp.

* Ingredients:  Distilled Water, Certified Organic Cold Pressed Sunflower Oil, Shea butter extracted by boiling, and Cosmocil, a Pthlalate and Formaldehyde Free Preservative System, Cetearyl Olicate, Sorbitan Olicate, Cetyl Palmitate, Sorbitan Palmitate, Zechstein Magnesium

Pros:  Contains certified organic oil and Shea Butter - and both rate "zero" on the comedogenic rating, meaning they don't clog pores. Contains a little better than normal preservative when it comes to "natural".  However - see "cons" below about the preservative they use. Contains Zechstein Magnesium which is the purest source.  The chemicals used are pretty safe.  All in all, a pretty decent lotion as far as ingredients go!   

Cons:  Contains 65 mg. less magnesium per teaspoon than Mo' Maggie.  Although the preservative they use is one that is considered more natural and gentle, my studies have shown that the preservative used is a bactericide, but it doesn't do well with antifungal/anti-mold properties, and generally needs additives to help with that.  In other words, it needs extra preservatives to cover broad spectrum dangers (yeast, mold, bacteria). It works best with pH of products less than 6 which normally isn’t what is made in the handcrafted lotion industry.

The lotion is higher priced.

​*****

Product: Seven Minerals Magnesium Lotion

*  Bottle Size:  oz.   Price:  24.95-49.95

Ingredients:  Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Magnesium Chloride, Helianthus annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Carthamus tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Persea gratissima (Avocado) Fruit Butter, Polysorbate 60, Cetearyl Alcohol, Aralia racemosa Extract (Spikenard), Lavandula angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Thymus mastichina Flower (Spanish Marjoram) Oil, Candida bombicola/ Madhuc a longifolia Seed Ferment Extract, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) Butter*, Sodium Anastate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sodium Levulinate, Beta Glucan, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthum Gum, Arachidyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Archidyl Glucoside, Alcohol Denature (Sugar Cane), Tocopherol, Royal Jelly, Theobroma cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter*, Persea gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Aloe barbadensis Leaf Powder, Citrus limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Hydrastis canadensis (Goldenseal) Extract*, Camellia sinesis Leaf Extract, Enchincea angustifolia Leaf Extract.

Pros:  It has some organic butters/oils in it. IF you want essential oils in the product, it has a few. Generally, most of the chemicals listed are pretty safe.

Cons:  It has a very long list of chemical ingredients, and although most (not all) are considered safe, there are still a lot of them. Polysorbate 60 isn't the best choice. It's not horrible but is a possible reproductive toxin and could cause tumor formation at high doses. I doubt there's a lot of it in the lotion. 

Sodium Levullnate is derived from levulinic acid and the Cosmetics Database finds this ingredient to be an irritant, even at low doses.  

It contains several essential oils, which isn't a good idea in a product that is supposed to be for a specific purpose like mineral supplementation.  Many people dislike fragrance in their product, and many people can be allergic or sensitive to fragrance oils or essential oils. While I understand the therapeutic benefits of essential oils (and I use them personally), the oils used in this lotion aren't a "one size fits all" combination.  Unfortunately, there are several essential oils that can be hormone disruptors.

This lotion contains oils and butters that are comedogenic (clog pores), including Cocoa Butter, which rates a "4" on the Comedogenic rating scale (highly pore clogging).  If the lotion clogs pores, how can the minerals absorb into the skin fully or effectively?   This lotion contains Avocado BUTTER, which means it's basically Avocado SHORTENING, because it's hydrogenated.  This isn't good news for the body or the skin, as hydrogenated oils can cause inflammation (inside and out).  The magnesium content of this lotion isn't wholly clear because in one place the seller says it has "less than 10%" and in another place the seller says it has "5%".  Either way, this a low concentration of magnesium in a magnesium lotion. This lotion carries a high price tag, claiming the normal price is $49.95 for 8 oz. and is on sale for $24.95 (as of this writing).


*****

Let's Take a Look at Mo' Maggie:


Product:  "Mo' Maggie" Organically Based Magnesium Lotion


*  Bottle Size:  8 oz.    *  Price:   $ 15.95

*  Amount of Magnesium in ONE teaspoon: approx. 250 mg. Elemental (bio-available) Magnesium

*  Ingredients: Pure Magnesium Chloride/Trace Minerals mined from the ancient underground Zechstein seabed in The Netherlands, Purified water, Organic Shea Butter (fair trade, sustainably sourced), Emulsifying Wax NF (very mild, vegan emulsifier), Glyceryl Stearate (very natural emulsifier and skin conditioner - with excellent safety rating on the EWG Skin Deep Database), Organic cold-pressed virgin Sunflower oil, Organic Argan Seed Butter (considered "Liquid Gold" or the 'Rolls Royce' of skin oils), VegeCide - an extremely pure and natural preserving medium that's approved by EcoCert, NPA and NaTrue standards, Organic Glycerin, Organic Prickly Pear Seed Oil (another high end, beneficial skin oil), Organic Cold Pressed Virgin Hemp Seed Oil, Xanthan Gum (very natural thickener derived by fermenting sugar), and L-Arginine (a natural amino acid that helps us create a perfect Ph in our lotions).

There is more mineral solution in our lotion than there is water! 
Pros and cons of our product are shown below.

 

Pros:  

• Mo' Maggie's main ingredient is the pure Magnesium/Trace Mineral Brine sourced from the ancient underground Zechstein seabed in the Netherlands, and because it comes from the source, it carries the official Zechstein Seal on every bottle!  It is prohibited to carry this seal unless the magnesium is sourced from this underground Seabed.  

 

• ​​Mo' Maggie's Shea butter and various oils are 100% certified ORGANIC!

• Mo' Maggie contains the HIGHEST CONCENTRATION of Genuine Zechstein® Magnesium in a lotion on the market, which also supplies many trace minerals! This main ingredient (Magnesium Chloride) is sourced from the ancient, pristine pure underground Zechstein seabed in the Netherlands and therefore carries the genuine Zechstein seal!  What does this mean for you?  Genuine Zechstein® Magnesium is GUARANTEED to be free of Mercury, Lead, Arsenic, and Fluoride!  Each Batch is produced under strict GMP, ISO 9001, and ISO 14001 quality control standards.  Above ground sources of Magnesium can be subject to mercury and other pollutants.  

• Mo' Maggie contains Shea butter and oils that rate ZERO on the Comedogenic Rating Scale so it won't clog pores at all. This means the Magnesium & trace minerals have the best chance of absorbing into your skin and going right to your cells where they're needed!

• No added dyes!

• No added fragrances!

• No parabens!

• No phthalates!  

• No formaldehyde releasers!

• NEVER, ever, ever tested on animals!

• Non-GMO

• Vegan

• Our preserving medium is ultra pure and gentle, and is completely non-toxic. It contains no petro-chemicals.  It is approved by EcoCert, NPA and NaTrue standards which says a LOT about how pure it is.  

• Our emulsifiers are vegan, high quality and gentle.

• Our thickeners are natural, vegan and gentle.

• There is absolutely no aroma to our lotion at all because the formula is so clean.

Cons:  Contains chemicals like all other lawfully made lotions.  (preserving medium, thickeners and emulsifiers).  As stated above, they are all extremely high quality and gentle. Other than that, we can't find any cons. Can you?

By the way, our "Lil' Mo' Maggie" Magnesium Lotion for Babies & Children has all of the same ingredients and wonderful qualities as our Mo' Maggie Magnesium Lotion.  It just has a more gentle level (100 mg. per teaspoon) of Magnesium for the needs of our younger population.

We firmly believe that with the very large population on our planet, there are plenty of people that can be served by many excellent companies out there, and that includes other companies who make magnesium lotion.  We want to be successful, and we want others to be successful as well.  The world is big enough so that if a company puts out a good product, they can succeed.  Ultimately it is the consumer's choice.  We just wanted to present just a few comparisons to help you on your researching journey. There really are some good lotions out there, but of course, we believe ours is the best (and we're just a little biased, right?)  ((grin)) 

Wishing you wellness and health!

The Mo' Natural family...