What’s magical about Magic Sand, is that it has a superpower: when it’s exposed to water, the hydrophobic compound of the sand causes the grains of sand to adhere to one another and form cylinders (to minimise surface area). When the sand is removed from water, it is completely dry and free flowing. It was was originally developed to trap ocean oil spills near the shore. This would be done by sprinkling magic sand on floating petroleum, which would then mix with the oil and make it heavy enough to sink. Unfortunately, the expenses of production are too high and thus the Magic Sand is now more used for recreation.