Milk of magnesia brands without bleach (and other unpleasantness)
Milk of magnesia can be useful for more than just laxative purposes. People use it for such diverse purposes as skincare, dental care, deodorizing, and to make magnesium bicarbonate (my favorite application).
However, many milk of magnesia products have the magnesium hydroxide in solutions of sodium hypochlorite (effectively diluted bleach) and can include artificial colors, xanthan gum, sorbitol, and more. I think it's useful to avoid these additives, particularly the sodium hypochlorite when using the product for dental care as it may discolor your teeth. Fortunately, most generic store-brands are actually superior to name-brand Phillips milk of magnesia.
Zero-additive milk of magnesia product recommendations:
All of these brands contain nothing but magnesium hydroxide and purified water. They need to be shaken well before using.
| Name | ingredients |
|---|---|
| Dollar General Milk of Magnesia (Original Flavor) Available on dollargeneral.com | Magnesium hydroxide, purified water. Confirm ingredients before purchasing (Dollar General seems to have been reformulating a lot) |
| Good Sense Milk of Magnesia | Magnesium hydroxide, purified water. |
| Kroger Milk of Magnesia (Original Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, purified water. |
| TopCare Milk of Magnesia (Original Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, purified water. |
| Walgreens Milk of Magnesia (Sugar-free, Regular Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, purified water. Check the ingredients before purchasing, I believe this product was recently reformulated, so old stock may still be on sale. |
Other milk of magnesia products
These are the milk of magnesia brands I compared to make the recommendations above.
| Name | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| CVS Milk of Magnesia (Cherry Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, carboxymethylcellulose sodium, citric acid, flavor, glycerin, microcrystalline cellulose, purified water, red 28, sodium citrate, sodium hypochlorite, sucrose, xanthan gum. |
| CVS Milk of Magnesia (Mint Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, flavor, mineral oil, purified water, saccharin sodium. |
| CVS Milk of Magnesia (Original Flavor) | Unknown ingredients, but probably in the process of being reformulated with sodium hypochlorite. |
| Equate (Walmart Store-brand) Milk of Magnesia (Original Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, purified water, sodium hypochlorite. |
| Equate (Walmart Store-brand) Milk of Magnesia (Wild Cherry Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, carboxymethylcellulose sodium, citric acid, D&C red no. 28, flavor (contains alcohol), glycerin, microcrystalline cellulose, purified water, sodium citrate, sodium hypochlorite, sucrose, xantham gum. |
| Geri-Care Milk of Magnesia (Cherry Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, carboxymethylcellulose sodium, citric acid, D and C red no. 28, flavor, glycerin, microcrystalline cellulose, purified water, sodium citrate, sodium hypochlorite, sucrose, xanthan gum. |
| H-E-B Milk of Magnesia (Cherry Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, anhydrous citric acid, D&C red #28, flavor, glycerin, purified water, sorbitol solution, sucrose, xanthan gum. |
| H-E-B Milk of Magnesia (Mint Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, light mineral oil, peppermint oil, purified water, saccharin sodium. |
| H-E-B Milk of Magnesia (Original Flavor) | Unknown ingredients, but probably in the process of being reformulated with sodium hypochlorite. |
| Kroger Milk of Magnesia (Mint Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, light mineral oil, peppermint oil, purified water, saccharin sodium. |
| Major Milk of Magnesia (Original Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, purified water, sodium hypochlorite. |
| Meijer Milk of Magnesia | Magnesium hydroxide, light mineral oil, peppermint oil, purified water, saccharin sodium. |
| Phillips Milk of Magnesia (Fresh Mint Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, flavor, mineral oil, purified water, saccharin sodium, sodium hypochlorite. |
| Phillips Milk of Magnesia (Original Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, purified water, sodium hypochlorite. |
| Phillips Milk of Magnesia (Wild Cherry) | Magnesium hydroxide, anhydrous citric acid, carboxymethylcellulose sodium, D&C red #28, flavor, glycerin, microcrystalline cellulose, purified water, sodium citrate, sodium hypochlorite, sucrose, xanthan gum. |
| Publix Milk of Magnesia (Cherry Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, anhydrous citric acid, D&C red #28, flavor, glycerin, purified water, sorbitol solution, sucrose, xanthan gum. |
| Safeway Milk of Magnesia (Mint Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, light mineral oil, peppermint oil, purified water, saccharin sodium. |
| TopCare Milk of Magnesia (Cherry Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, anhydrous citric acid, D&C red #28, flavor, glycerin, purified water, sorbitol solution, sucrose, xanthan gum. |
| TopCare Milk of Magnesia (Mint Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, purified water, light mineral oil, peppermint oil, purified water, saccharin sodium. |
| Walgreens Milk of Magnesia (Cherry Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, carboxymethylcellulose sodium, citric acid, D&C red no. 28, flavor (contains alcohol), glycerin, microcrystalline cellulose, purified water, sodium citrate, sodium hypochlorite, sucrose, xanthan gum. |
| Walgreens Milk of Magnesia (Mint Flavor) | Magnesium hydroxide, flavor, purified water, saccharin sodium, sodium hypochlorite. |