One difference between Celtic sea salt, which is harvested on the coast of Brittany, France, and Himalayan crystal salt, harvested 5,000 feet beneath the Himalayan mountains, is color. While Celtic sea salt is gray in color, Himalayan salt is pink. In addition to sodium chloride, Celtic sea salt contains trace amounts of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and zinc, while Himalayan salt contains 84 elements found in the body.
The most obvious difference between Celtic sea salt and Himalayan crystal salt is color. Because Celtic sea salt is harvested in seaside fields lined with natural clay and sand, it’s gray. Clay also probably accounts for its traces of iron and zinc.
This salt is also unique because it retains moisture, feeling slightly wet to the touch. Although Himalayan salt is mined on dry land, part of its folklore claims that it’s fossilized from the remains of the original sea. This may account for its pink color and nutritional content.
Nutritional comparisons of these two salts show that Celtic sea salt is lower in sodium and higher in magnesium, phosphorus and potassium than Himalayan salt. However, Himalayan salt contains considerably more elements in ionic state. In addition, fossilized Himalayan salt is considered some of the purest, while Celtic sea salt is called “fresh.”
