Sea salt is evaporated seawater, primarily sodium chloride plus trace minerals like magnesium, potassium, and calcium, used in scrubs as a physical exfoliant and in toners or mists as a mineral rich solution.
In scrubs it provides mechanical exfoliation of the surface skin layer, while in solution its minerals can transiently affect hydration through osmotic effects.
The credible clinical research behind mineral brine benefits for skin, including improvement in psoriasis, comes specifically from Dead Sea salt, which has a fundamentally different, magnesium dominant mineral profile from ordinary ocean sea salt, so that evidence should not be assumed to carry over to standard sea salt used in most retail scrubs and toners.
Sea Salt References
Dead Sea bath salt for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris, a double blind controlled study, Israel Journal of Medical Sciences
Treatment of psoriasis with 30% Dead Sea salt lotion, Journal of Dermatological Treatment
Our team reviews ingredient research and uses up-to-date evidence to rate ingredients based on the categories below.
Best
Ingredients with the most rigorous and convincing evidence. These are the standouts backed by consistent findings across independent, peer reviewed clinical research.. When we call an ingredient Best, it has earned that distinction through genuine, reproducible proof that it improves skin.
Good
Reliable, well tolerated ingredients that do their job without complaint. They may not carry the headline benefits of a Best rated active, but they hydrate, stabilize a formula, or support the ingredients around them in ways that make a real difference in how a product performs and feels.
Average
Ingredients that are perfectly safe and serve a clear function, typically as an emollient, thickener, or filler, but do not offer any meaningful skin benefit beyond that basic job. Not a red flag, just not a reason to choose one product over another.
Bad/Worst
Ingredients with documented potential to irritate skin, disrupt the barrier, or trigger sensitization in some users, often synthetic fragrance, drying forms of alcohol, or certain essential oils. Not automatically a dealbreaker for every skin type, but worth knowing about before you commit to a product.
