# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/21 "2018-03-09T01:40:01Z")
> [@Lord\_Mondegreen](#): > > (From memory - apologies for any misquote) From memory? You just copied that list from Darren Garrison. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/22 "2018-03-09T01:47:41Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > From memory? You just copied that list from Darren Garrison. I imagine he’s referring to the quote, not the list of elements. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/23 "2018-03-09T02:05:43Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > I imagine he’s referring to the quote, not the list of elements. Yes of course, I was kidding. ---
**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, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/24 "2018-03-09T02:38:51Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Yes of course, I was kidding. I actually realized I was leaving myself open for that, but was too lazy to clarify:) ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/25 "2018-03-09T03:12:41Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Yes of course, I was kidding. TFW, the whoosh-pointer-outer gets whooshed themselves… ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/26 "2018-03-09T04:37:54Z")
> [@](#): > > HimalaSalt, The Purest Salt on Earth™… Um… no, it’s not “pure”. Pure salt is white. This stuff is not pure, that’s why it’s pink. > [@](#): > > …was created 250 million years ago during a time of pristine environmental integrity. Er… actually, salt is probably a lot older than 250 millions years. Most of it was probably original with the planet, making it billions, not millions, of years old. It just reconfigures and redeposts over time. > [@](#): > > HimalaSalt is sourced deep from within the remote Himalayas, and is a high quality, whole natural salt, free of impurities Once again: Pure salt is white. This stuff is not pure, that’s why it’s pink. > [@](#): > > "Unrefined, No Additives, All Natural. Certified Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, Kosher, and many certified Organic. Unrefined? Yummy! It has all the original gritty bits of the sea it settled out of! Non-GMO? Well, _yeah_- IT’S A ROCK. It has no DNA to “genitically modify” and it sure as heck is NOT an “organism”. Gluten-free? Yes, I should think so since _it’s not wheat or barley or rye - **it’s a rock.** Kosher? \* :::shrug::: I guess it could be made kosher-style. Organic? WTF? \*\* It’s a goddamned rock - it’s NOT organic!_\* > [@](#): > > [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. “Pure” my sweet ass…! ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/27 "2018-03-09T05:51:56Z")
One of my woo acquaintances posted a link to this stuff that included ‘absorbs vibrational energy’. My credit card failed to ensue. ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/28 "2018-03-09T06:46:25Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > 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. Rather amazing that it still “may contain peanuts”. ---
**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, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/29 "2018-03-09T11:33:49Z")
> [@](#): > > Himalayan pink salt’s got it all. [These people](https://www.himalasalt.com/) in particular cover all the bases: You neglected to mention this part: \*\* > [@](#): > > [COLOR=#666666]HimalaSalt restores this natural alkaline balance crucial to wellbeing. Which is playing to [the belief](https://respectfulinsolence.com/2007/06/08/your-friday-dose-of-woo-acid-base-or-woo-2/) that having your body fall outside a specific pH is the cause for cancer and pretty much anything else that can go wrong with the human body. Then there is: \*\*[/COLOR] \*\*\*\*[COLOR=#666666] > [@](#): > > HimalaSalt is sourced deep from within the remote Himalayas While it may be remote from America, as far as I can tell from a breif googling, all the “Himalayan” mountain salt [comes from the Punjab region of Pakistan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayan_salt), [near a city of 35,000](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khewra,_Punjab), from the [Khewra Salt Mine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khewra_Salt_Mine). It isn’t a pristine wilderness where the salt is cracked on the thighs of Sherpa virgins. (Jackmannii may wish to address this, but I suspect he will participate as much as PINKSALT.)**[/COLOR]**[COLOR=#666666]\*\*\*\*[/COLOR] ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/30 "2018-03-09T13:14:09Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Um… no, it’s not “pure”. Pure salt is white. This stuff is not pure, that’s why it’s pink. It is astonishing how often I’ve seen the “purity” claim made for these tainted salts. Want pure salt for cheap? Get some Kosher salt. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/31 "2018-03-09T13:18:30Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Um… no, it’s not “pure”. Pure salt is white. Strictly speaking, pure salt crystals are colourless. > [@](#): > > WTF? \*\* _It’s a goddamned rock - it’s NOT organic!_\*\* Much as I enjoyed the rant, I just want to point out that being a rock would not preclude a thing [from](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_shale) [being](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lignite) [organic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bituminous_coal). > [@Jackmannii](#): > > Himalayan pink salt’s got it all. [These people](https://www.himalasalt.com/) in particular cover all the bases:[…] HimalaSalt is produced in our own VEGAN-ALLERGEN FREE FACILITY It’s a relief that their facility is free of Vegans…[the fur](http://aliens.wikia.com/wiki/Vegan_(Robert_Heinlein))would get everywhere. ---
**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, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/32 "2018-03-09T13:51:00Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > It is astonishing how often I’ve seen the “purity” claim made for these tainted salts. Want pure salt for cheap? Get some Kosher salt. Of note is that Rattlerjake (who I accidentally attributed as Jackmannii in an earlier post) thinks that the pure salt we _do_ use is “bleached.” ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/33 "2018-03-09T14:16:19Z")
> [@Lord\_Mondegreen](#): > > [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) That’s what I thought when I saw that list, that someone had just copied a list of all the elements. Then I noticed that the noble gases are missing. ---
**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, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/34 "2018-03-09T14:18:24Z")
Of course, we would expect **Lord Mondegreen** to misremember the lyrics to a song. So it was prudent for him to include the disclaimer. On another note, I wonder if these Himalayan salt companies could be prosecuted under truth in labeling laws. A lot of what goes on their packaging is trivially true (Gluten free! GMO free!), and a lot is meaningless puffery, but “pure” really does have a clear, unambiguous meaning, and Himalayan salt is clearly, objectively, much less pure than Morton’s. Calling it “pure” isn’t just puffery or exaggeration; it’s an outright lie. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/35 "2018-03-09T14:52:58Z")
Didn’t notice this in my earlier nitpicking: > [@Broomstick](#): > > Er… actually, salt is probably a lot older than 250 millions years. Most of it was probably original with the planet, making it billions, not millions, of years old. It just reconfigures and redeposts over time. That’s not actually true - salt is not original with the planet. It’s a result of geological processes. Oldest halites known of are ~ 840Ma old, it’s doubtfull we’ll find much older than that. And that’s just that deposit, _most_ salt occurs in the ocean, but not as salt crystals, as dissolved Cl[sup]-[/sup] and Na[sup]+[/sup] ions. When that is deposited, I wouldn’t call it reconfigured, it’s a new mineral deposit, which process is ongoing. Numbers are hard to come by, but I’d guess only about 40% of world salt production is rock salt, and of that, most isn’t destined for human consumption. ---
**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, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/36 "2018-03-09T15:06:07Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Never mind–a bit of googling [shows](https://www.livestrong.com/article/387840-himalayan-rock-salt-health-benefits/) that it contains the essential “minerals” > > Nice to know that you’ll get your essential daily supply of transuranics, among others. > > I see that they neglected to list wooium. Looks like I posted the wrong link at “Live Strong” for the full list (it seems to be one of those annoying sites where as you scroll down it shows different articles and changes the URL as you go.) [Here](https://www.livestrong.com/article/534033-what-are-the-84-minerals-in-himalayan-salt/) is the correct one. One interesting thing I saw on revisiting the wrong link [is the concept of cooking food on a slab of the salt](https://themeadow.com/pages/how-to-cook-steak-on-a-himalayan-salt-block), which seems almost as good as boiling it directly in ketchup. (YMMV on if you actually like those ideas.) ---
**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, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/37 "2018-03-09T15:14:33Z")
Wow, [here](http://wellnesswillpower.com/84-bio-available-minerals-for-your-wellness/) is an even better site (for certain values of “good.”): The Himalayan pink salt has balanced crystalline. The crystals are not isolated from the **[COLOR=#993366]84 natural minerals**[/COLOR]. They are connected in such a very harmonious condition. This structure makes the energy balance; thus, absorption by the body is quite easy. The crystals provide primal energy to the body. The result is purely gain for the body with no energy loss. [ul] [li] **Natural unprocessed salt** , such as Himalayan pink salt, contains about 84 percent sodium chloride (just under 37 percent of which is pure sodium). The remaining 16 percent are naturally-occurring trace minerals, including silicon, phosphorus, and vanadium[/li][li]**Processed (table) salt** contains 97.5 percent sodium chloride (just over 39 percent of which is sodium). The rest is man-made chemicals, such as moisture absorbents and flow agents, such as ferrocyanide and aluminosilicate.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/38 "2018-03-09T16:02:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > On another note, I wonder if these Himalayan salt companies could be prosecuted under truth in labeling laws. A lot of what goes on their packaging is trivially true (Gluten free! GMO free!), and a lot is meaningless puffery, but “pure” really does have a clear, unambiguous meaning, and Himalayan salt is clearly, objectively, much less pure than Morton’s. Calling it “pure” isn’t just puffery or exaggeration; it’s an outright lie. Technicalities. While it is not _pure salt_ it is, arguably, _purely Himalayan pink salt_ in that it contains nothing but that particular item. Lawyers make fortunes over such minutiae. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/39 "2018-03-09T16:09:32Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > **Natural unprocessed salt** , such as Himalayan pink salt, contains about 84 percent sodium chloride (just under 37 percent of which is pure sodium). The remaining 16 percent are naturally-occurring trace minerals, including silicon, phosphorus, and vanadium Also naturally occurring items like arsenic, mercury, and various heavy metals usually considered toxic. Not to mention the radioactive elements like uranium and bits of polonium. Yum! > [@](#): > > **Processed (table) salt** contains 97.5 percent sodium chloride (just over 39 percent of which is sodium). The rest is man-made chemicals, such as moisture absorbents and flow agents, such as ferrocyanide and aluminosilicate. > [/LIST] Yeah, well, you need the moisture absorbents so it doesn’t turn into a solid lump requiring a hammer to reduce back to powder. They’re not put there by evil, cackling corporate masterminds to poison the populace. Also, aluminosilicates are also naturally occurring, found in things like kaolin and other clay deposits. Ah, so much ignorance and woo…! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318/40 "2018-03-09T16:38:50Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > One interesting thing I saw on revisiting the wrong link [is the concept of cooking food on a slab of the salt](https://themeadow.com/pages/how-to-cook-steak-on-a-himalayan-salt-block), which seems almost as good as boiling it directly in ketchup. (YMMV on if you actually like those ideas.) Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it (the slab, not the ketchup). It doesn’t make the food as salty as you’d imagine, and it’s a great way to do communal steak cooking at the table. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-himalayan-salt-pink/655318.md?page=3)