Alternative Health

Salt heavy metals watchlist

11 salt products ordered by heavy metal contamination and public third-party evidence. This is a watchlist, not a COA-verified ranking. Data comes from Lead Safe Mama independent testing and the ABNRF salt study.

11 products tested Evidence-based watchlist tier

Evidence-based watchlist, not COA-verified ranking

Alternative Health trust rule: any salt product without a public, downloadable COA or equivalent product-level lab report is automatically docked 50 points and cannot enter the COA-verified tier. The products on this page are ordered using the best public evidence we could find -- certifications, investigative testing, regulatory filings, and independent lab summaries -- but they are not treated as full COA-backed products like the bottled water rankings.

Key finding

Celtic Sea Salt tested at 626 ppb lead -- the highest of any salt tested. Redmond Real Salt at 290 ppb lead. A. Vogel Herbamare tested positive for all four metals including 184 ppb arsenic. Jacobsen Oregon, Maldon, and Diamond Crystal all tested non-detect for lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic. Same brand, different origin: Jacobsen Italian tested at 98 ppb lead vs Jacobsen Oregon at ND. (Lead Safe Mama, April 2025)

1

Jacobsen Salt Co. Pure Kosher Sea Salt

Oregon, USA -- Sea salt

Third-Party Tested

Lead

ND <1.5 ppb

Arsenic

ND <6 ppb

Cadmium

ND <3 ppb

Mercury

ND <1.5 ppb

Microplastics

~0.17/tsp

Aluminum

ND

Cleanest salt tested. All four metals non-detect with lowest detection limits. Artisan sea salt from Netarts Bay. (Lead Safe Mama April 2025 + ABNRF)

2

Maldon Sea Salt Flakes

Essex, England -- Sea salt

Third-Party Tested

Lead

ND <5 ppb

Arsenic

ND <10 ppb

Cadmium

ND <5 ppb

Mercury

ND <5 ppb

Microplastics

~0.4/tsp

Aluminum

ND

All four metals non-detect. Trace microplastics from ocean source. (Lead Safe Mama April 2025 + ABNRF)

3

Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt

Michigan, USA -- Pure salt

Third-Party Tested

Lead

ND <5 ppb

Arsenic

ND <10 ppb

Cadmium

ND <5 ppb

Mercury

ND <5 ppb

Microplastics

ND

Aluminum

ND

All metals non-detect. Zero microplastics. Zero aluminum. Cleanest refined option. (Lead Safe Mama April 2025 + ABNRF)

4

Saltverk Flaky Sea Salt (White)

Iceland -- Sea salt

Third-Party Tested

Lead

ND <1.5 ppb

Arsenic

21.0 ppb

Cadmium

ND <3 ppb

Mercury

ND <1.5 ppb

Microplastics

No data

Aluminum

No data

Lead, cadmium, mercury all ND. Arsenic detected at 21 ppb -- from geothermal spring source. (Lead Safe Mama April 2025)

5

Morton Iodized Salt

USA -- Iodized salt

Third-Party Tested

Lead

7.9 ppb

Arsenic

ND <10 ppb

Cadmium

ND <5 ppb

Mercury

5.0 ppb

Microplastics

ND

Aluminum

ND

Lead at 7.9 ppb and mercury at 5.0 ppb detected. Confirmed by Lead Safe Mama April 2025. ABNRF previously found ND -- different batches or lab sensitivity. (Lead Safe Mama April 2025)

6

Saltverk Lava Salt (Black)

Iceland -- Sea salt w/ charcoal

Third-Party Tested

Lead

18.0 ppb

Arsenic

23.0 ppb

Cadmium

ND <3 ppb

Mercury

ND <1.5 ppb

Microplastics

No data

Aluminum

No data

Lead at 18 ppb from activated charcoal addition. Arsenic at 23 ppb from geothermal source. (Lead Safe Mama April 2025)

7

A. Vogel Herbamare Original

Camargue, France -- Herbed sea salt

Third-Party Tested

Lead

78.0 ppb

Arsenic

184.0 ppb

Cadmium

51.0 ppb

Mercury

22.0 ppb

Microplastics

No data

Aluminum

No data

Positive for ALL four metals. Highest cadmium (51 ppb), highest mercury (22 ppb), highest arsenic (184 ppb) of any salt tested. Herbal ingredients likely concentrate contaminants. (Lead Safe Mama April 2025)

8

Jacobsen Salt Co. Pure Italian Sea Salt

Trapani, Italy -- Sea salt

Third-Party Tested

Lead

98.0 ppb

Arsenic

ND <10 ppb

Cadmium

ND <10 ppb

Mercury

ND <10 ppb

Microplastics

No data

Aluminum

No data

High lead at 98 ppb despite same Jacobsen brand. Italian-sourced salt tests dramatically worse than their Oregon product. Origin matters. (Lead Safe Mama April 2025)

9

Baja Gold Mineral Sea Salt

Sea of Cortez, Mexico -- Mineral sea salt

Third-Party Tested

Lead

114.0 ppb

Arsenic

11.0 ppb

Cadmium

ND <10 ppb

Mercury

ND <10 ppb

Microplastics

No data

Aluminum

No data

Lead at 114 ppb. Marketed as high-mineral premium salt. Lead contamination undermines the mineral benefit claim. (Lead Safe Mama April 2025)

10

Redmond Real Salt

Utah, USA -- Mined rock salt

Third-Party Tested

Lead

290.0 ppb

Arsenic

91.0 ppb

Cadmium

ND <3 ppb

Mercury

ND <1.5 ppb

Microplastics

ND

Aluminum

0.75 mg/tsp

Lead at 290 ppb -- second highest tested. Arsenic at 91 ppb. Also elevated aluminum (ABNRF). One of the most popular 'healthy' salts. (Lead Safe Mama April 2025 + ABNRF)

11

Selina Naturally Celtic Sea Salt

Guerande, France -- Sea salt

Third-Party Tested

Lead

626.0 ppb

Arsenic

ND <6 ppb

Cadmium

ND <3 ppb

Mercury

ND <1.5 ppb

Microplastics

ND

Aluminum

1.3 mg/tsp

Highest lead of ANY salt tested at 626 ppb. Over 125x the Jacobsen Oregon detection limit. Also elevated aluminum (ABNRF). Marketed as a premium health salt. (Lead Safe Mama April 2025 + ABNRF)

Data sources

ABNRF Salt Study -- independent third-party laboratory analysis of 7 salt brands for lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, aluminum, and microplastics. Per-serving values based on ~1 teaspoon (5g).

Lead Safe Mama -- community-funded independent testing by Tamara Rubin for lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic in consumer products. 58 salt-related test posts published since 2024.

All products on this page use the self-reported verification tier (max score 60) because we are aggregating third-party data, not commissioning our own COA testing. When we commission independent testing, products will be upgraded to full COA verification.

Related

Lead (Pb) Profile

No safe level of exposure. Full entity profile.

Water Rankings

11 COA-verified bottled water brands.

Methodology

How we score and verify products.