# What Makes "Himalayan Salt" Pink? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 10, 2013, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318 "2013-04-10T12:49:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2013, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/1 "2013-04-10T12:49:07Z")
I wold have though iron oxide (rust)-but the contents don’t indicate any extra Fe. At any rate, what’s the big attraction of this stuff? Exotic location? Connection with Buddhism? I like my regular table salt-mined from 300 million year old deposits. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2013, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/2 "2013-04-10T12:52:35Z")
I’m going with dinoflagellates, for no good reason except that I like the word. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/3 "2013-04-10T14:00:48Z")
Per Wiki: \* In 2003 the Bavarian consumer protection agency Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit analyzed 15 specimens of Himalaya salt sold in Germany and could detect at least ten different minerals, in addition to sodium chloride (98%). The agency stated that the salts come from Pakistan and can, like all salts, cause hypertension (high blood pressure). German public television broadcaster ZDF presented the analyzed chemical composition of Himalayan salt, stating that the specimen contained 95–96% sodium chloride, contaminated with 2–3% polyhalite (gypsum) and small amounts of ten other minerals. **The pink color is due to iron oxide.** \* ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/4 "2013-04-10T14:06:05Z")
Blood of the innocents? ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2013, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/5 "2013-04-10T14:14:33Z")
Damn \*\*silenus \*\*and your facts. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2013, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/6 "2013-04-10T14:21:56Z")
Yeah, I forget we were in CS and not GQ. Otherwise I would have made a snarky comment or tried for an obscure reference. Sorry. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2013, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/7 "2013-04-10T15:11:18Z")
I’ll market my own “Himalayan Salt”-improved…with 3 times the ferric oxide of the competition! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2013, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/8 "2013-04-10T22:43:39Z")
Yeti pee ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2013, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/9 "2013-04-10T22:51:52Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Yeti pee That, or from the poor shlub who has to work in the salt mine. “Here, let me make goooood salt for gringo - Aaaahhhhh!” Himalayan, Heralayan - no difference. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/10 "2013-04-10T23:34:01Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > **The pink color is due to iron oxide.** \* So, even a master chef can be a little rusty? ---
**Author:** ![PINKSALT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3be4f8/32.png) [@PINKSALT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PINKSALT)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/11 "2013-04-11T00:10:00Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I wold have though iron oxide (rust)-but the contents don’t indicate any extra Fe. At any rate, what’s the big attraction of this stuff? Exotic location? Connection with Buddhism? > I like my regular table salt-mined from 300 million year old deposits. The reason for the special color in Himalayan pink salt has to do with the addition of a number of different minerals present in the salt. In addition to sodium, potassium, iron, magnesium, calcium, and copper are all present in trace amounts. These additional minerals transfer color to the salt, with iron creating the pleasing pink color. The salt is harvested in the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range and is essentially fossilized sea salt. Because of its taste and color appeal, it was used for currency in ancient times and it may still serve this purpose in modern days. Primarily, people trade Himalayan pink salt for grain, which does not grow well or profusely in the foothills. Today, it may be more likely that the salt is sold and currency used to purchase grain. People praise Himalayan pink salt for its crunch, and also because the salt in crystallized form is considered pure and unrefined. Due to lack of refining, it doesnʼt lose its mineral content, as do other salts. It can be a bit healthier to consume, but it is still salt. While a little salt in the diet is excellent, ---
**Author:** ![PINKSALT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3be4f8/32.png) [@PINKSALT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PINKSALT)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/12 "2013-04-11T00:11:49Z")
The reason for the special color in Himalayan pink salt has to do with the addition of a number of different minerals present in the salt. In addition to sodium, potassium, iron, magnesium, calcium, and copper are all present in trace amounts. These additional minerals transfer color to the salt, with iron creating the pleasing pink color. The salt is harvested in the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range and is essentially fossilized sea salt. Because of its taste and color appeal, it was used for currency in ancient times and it may still serve this purpose in modern days. Primarily, people trade Himalayan pink salt for grain, which does not grow well or profusely in the foothills. Today, it may be more likely that the salt is sold and currency used to purchase grain. People praise Himalayan pink salt for its crunch, and also because the salt in crystallized form is considered pure and unrefined. Due to lack of refining, it doesnʼt lose its mineral content, as do other salts. It can be a bit healthier to consume, but it is still salt. While a little salt in the diet is excellent ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/13 "2013-04-11T02:48:24Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > I’m going with dinoflagellates, for no good reason except that I like the word. Who are you, my wife? Girl just loves her dinoflagellates. Makes me think of a Jurassic Good Friday procession. > [@PINKSALT](#): > > The reason for the special color in Himalayan pink salt has to do with the addition of a number of different minerals present in the salt. In addition to sodium, potassium, iron, magnesium, calcium, and copper are all present in trace amounts. These additional minerals transfer color to the salt, with iron creating the pleasing pink color. > The salt is harvested in the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range and is essentially fossilized sea salt. Because of its taste and color appeal, it was used for currency in ancient times and it may still serve this purpose in modern days. > Primarily, people trade Himalayan pink salt for grain, which does not grow well or profusely in the foothills. Today, it may be more likely that the salt is sold and currency used to purchase grain. > People praise Himalayan pink salt for its crunch, and also because the salt in crystallized form is considered pure and unrefined. Due to lack of refining, it doesnʼt lose its mineral content, as do other salts. It can be a bit healthier to consume, but it is still salt. While a little salt in the diet is excellent Nice, but I liked it better with the blanks between paragraphs. 😉 Welcome aboard! ---
**Author:** ![Rattlerjake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rattlerjake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rattlerjake)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/14 "2018-03-09T00:02:06Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I wold have though iron oxide (rust)-but the contents don’t indicate any extra Fe. At any rate, what’s the big attraction of this stuff? Exotic location? Connection with Buddhism? > I like my regular table salt-mined from 300 million year old deposits. The big attraction is that it is natural just as it is mined and it contains 84 essential minerals, unlike your stupid, bleached and “refined” table salt! There are several health benefits attributed to PHS also. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/15 "2018-03-09T00:11:47Z")
> [@Rattlerjake](#): > > The big attraction is that it is natural just as it is mined and it contains 84 essential minerals, unlike your stupid, bleached and “refined” table salt! There are several health benefits attributed to PHS also. By whom? Please provide a cite for your statements. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/16 "2018-03-09T00:13:26Z")
> [@Rattlerjake](#): > > The big attraction is that it is natural just as it is mined and it contains 84 essential minerals Cool. You have a list of those minerals? > [@](#): > > There are several health benefits attributed to PHS also. Cool. You have a list of those health effects? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/17 "2018-03-09T00:19:41Z")
Never mind–a bit of googling [shows](https://www.livestrong.com/article/387840-himalayan-rock-salt-health-benefits/) that it contains the essential “minerals” > [@](#): > > actinium, aluminum, antimony, arsenic, astatine, barium, beryllium, bismuth, boron, bromine, cadmium, calcium, carbon, cerium, cesium, chlorine, chromium, cobalt, copper, dysprosium, erbium, europium, fluorine, francium, gadolinium, gallium, germanium, gold, hafnium, holmium, hydrogen, indium, iodine, iridium, iron, lanthanum, lead, lithium, lutetium, magnesium, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, neodymium, neptunium, nickel, niobium, nitrogen, osmium, oxygen, palladium, phosphorus, platinum, plutonium, polonium, potassium, praseodymium, protactinium, radium, rhenium, rhodium, rubidium, ruthenium, samarium, scandium, selenium, silicon, silver, sodium, strontium, sulfur, tantalum, tellurium, terbium, thallium, thorium, thulium, tin, titanium, uranium, vanadium, wolfram, yttrium, ytterbium, zinc and zirconium. Nice to know that you’ll get your essential daily supply of transuranics, among others. I see that they neglected to list wooium. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/18 "2018-03-09T00:28:32Z")
Himalayan pink salt’s got it all. [These people](https://www.himalasalt.com/) in particular cover all the bases: \*"Unrefined, No Additives, All Natural. Certified Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, Kosher, and many certified Organic. Ethically Sourced, Artisan Made. ™ When it comes to quality, we are unsurpassed. Food safety and transparency matter to us. HimalaSalt is produced in our own VEGAN-ALLERGEN FREE FACILITY where we use Dr. Bronner’s organic soap and organic apple cider vinegar with hot water to clean our equipment."\* Like, wow! [Here’s the spectral analysis](http://themeadow.com/pages/minerals-in-himalayan-pink-salt-spectral-analysis), which is pretty spectacular. True, the bad stuff is in really tiny quantities, but as the Food Babe reminds us, there is no safe level of ANY chemical. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/19 "2018-03-09T00:34:57Z")
You could get the same effect by going outside, scooping up some dirt from your yard, and mixing that in with your regular salt. Dirt’s full of minerals, too, and that’s basically all that Himalayan salt is: Dirty salt. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/20 "2018-03-09T00:55:41Z")
> [@](#): > > actinium, aluminum, antimony, arsenic, astatine, barium, beryllium, bismuth, boron, bromine, cadmium, calcium, carbon, cerium, cesium, chlorine, chromium, cobalt, copper, dysprosium, erbium, europium, fluorine, francium, gadolinium, gallium, germanium, gold, hafnium, holmium, hydrogen, indium, iodine, iridium, iron, lanthanum, lead, lithium, lutetium, magnesium, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, neodymium, neptunium, nickel, niobium, nitrogen, osmium, oxygen, palladium, phosphorus, platinum, plutonium, polonium, potassium, praseodymium, protactinium, radium, rhenium, rhodium, rubidium, ruthenium, samarium, scandium, selenium, silicon, silver, sodium, strontium, sulfur, tantalum, tellurium, terbium, thallium, thorium, thulium, tin, titanium, uranium, vanadium, wolfram, yttrium, ytterbium, zinc and zirconium. [Tom Lehrer] These are the only ones of which the news has come to Harvard There may be many others but they haven’t been discovered [/Tom Lehrer] (From memory - apologies for any misquote) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318.md?page=2)