I haven't tried the "oil" magnesium. It is not really an oil...but very concentrated solution which gives a thick feeling to the water.

http://www.puritan.com/health-beauty...il-070885?np=1

Is it this? Doesn't look magnesium specific. I've never tried this...seems a bit pricey for me. I bought 3 bottles of the CVS lotion which I have 1 and 1/2 left. Now this Morton's took over the name and a similar formula, only better.

Our skin has a water non-miscible barrier to it...so that magnesium in water solution is going to be limited in absorption.
Some does get thru, but not as much as special creams/lotions which emulsify the magnesium in water into tiny globules and those pass thru the fatty layer of the dermis to go deeper.

The transdermal gels compounding pharmacies make are specially designed to penetrate deeply into the skin and deliver drugs better. Some people here use them for local pain relief.
You don't see people mixing their medicines in water and putting THAT on the skin...it just doesn't work the same.

So I have always had some reservations about water solutions applied to the skin for minerals. I guess it is a matter of how the product is prepared, which makes it more or less useful.

I was going to expore the magnesium "oils" after my CVS stuff was used up....but now the Morton product seems very good and has a very affordable price. One only needs to put a small amount (about a quarter's diameter) to spread a large area! So 8 oz will last quite a while!