Himalayan Pink Salt — Complete Element List

At a glance

Typical Himalayan Pink Salt (from Pakistan’s Salt Range) is chiefly chloride and sodium, with minor amounts of sulfur, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. A wide set of other elements appear at trace or ultra‑trace levels (often reported below instrument detection limits). Values vary by mine, color grade, and method.

Chloride ≈ 590.93 g/kg Sodium ≈ 382.61 g/kg Sulfur ≈ 12.4 g/kg Calcium ≈ 4.05 g/kg Potassium ≈ 3.5 g/kg Magnesium ≈ 0.16 g/kg

Amounts shown above are from a detailed spectral analysis; see sources below. Other peer‑reviewed work shows broad ranges across samples.

What’s new vs. a typical “short list”

Beyond Na, Cl, Mg, Ca, K, Fe and Zn, published analyses also report bromine, strontium, rubidium, and many rare earth / noble metals at ultra‑trace levels, plus formal non‑detects for some claimed elements. Use the table below for the complete catalog.

Elemental catalog (as reported)

Mixed units are preserved exactly as reported in a comprehensive spectral analysis (g/kg, ppm, or method‑specific limits). “<” denotes a value below the stated threshold. Symbols corrected where necessary.

Element	Symbol	Amount (unit)	Notes
Hydrogen	H	0.30 g/kg	Reported via DIN
Lithium	Li	0.40 g/kg	AAS
Beryllium	Be	<0.01 ppm	AAS
Boron	B	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Carbon	C	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Nitrogen	N	0.024 ppm	ICG
Oxygen	O	1.20 g/kg	DIN
Fluoride	F	<0.1 g	Potentiometric
Sodium	Na	382.61 g/kg	Flame spectrometry
Magnesium	Mg	0.16 g/kg	AAS
Aluminum	Al	0.661 ppm	AAS
Silicon	Si	<0.1 g	AAS
Phosphorus	P	<0.10 ppm	ICG
Sulfur	S	12.4 g/kg	TXRF
Chloride	Cl	590.93 g/kg	Gravimetric
Potassium	K	3.5 g/kg	Flame spectrometry
Calcium	Ca	4.05 g/kg	Titration
Scandium	Sc	<0.0001 ppm	FSK
Titanium	Ti	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Vanadium	V	<0.001 ppm	AAS
Chromium	Cr	0.05 ppm	AAS
Manganese	Mn	0.27 ppm	AAS
Iron	Fe	38.9 ppm	AAS
Cobalt	Co	0.60 ppm	AAS
Nickel	Ni	0.13 ppm	AAS
Copper	Cu	0.56 ppm	AAS
Zinc	Zn	2.38 ppm	AAS
Gallium	Ga	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Germanium	Ge	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Arsenic	As	<0.01 ppm	AAS
Selenium	Se	0.05 ppm	AAS
Bromine	Br	2.1 ppm	TXRF
Rubidium	Rb	0.04 ppm	—
Strontium	Sr	0.014 g/kg	AAS
Yttrium	Y	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Zirconium	Zr	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Niobium	Nb	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Molybdenum	Mo	0.01 ppm	AAS
Technetium	Tc	—	Unstable artificial isotope (N/A)
Ruthenium	Ru	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Rhodium	Rh	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Palladium	Pd	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Silver	Ag	0.031 ppm	AAS
Cadmium	Cd	<0.01 ppm	AAS
Indium	In	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Tin	Sn	<0.01 ppm	AAS
Antimony	Sb	<0.01 ppm	AAS
Tellurium	Te	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Iodine	I	<0.1 g	Potentiometric
Cesium	Cs	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Barium	Ba	1.96 ppm	AAS/T
Lanthanum	La	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Cerium	Ce	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Praseodymium	Pr	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Neodymium	Nd	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Promethium	Pm	—	Unstable artificial isotope (N/A)
Samarium	Sm	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Europium	Eu	<3.0 ppm	TXRF
Gadolinium	Gd	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Terbium	Tb	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Dysprosium	Dy	<4.0 ppm	TXRF
Holmium	Ho	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Erbium	Er	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Thulium	Tm	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Ytterbium	Yb	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Lutetium	Lu	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Hafnium	Hf	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Tantalum	Ta	1.1 ppm	TXRF
Tungsten	W	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Rhenium	Re	<2.5 ppm	TXRF
Osmium	Os	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Iridium	Ir	<2.0 ppm	TXRF
Platinum	Pt	0.47 ppm	TXRF
Gold	Au	<1.0 ppm	TXRF
Mercury	Hg	<0.03 ppm	AAS
Thallium	Tl	0.06 ppm	AAS
Lead	Pb	0.10 ppm	AAS
Bismuth	Bi	<0.10 ppm	AAS
Polonium	Po	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Astatine	At	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Francium	Fr	<0.1 ppm	TXRF
Radium	Ra	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Actinium	Ac	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Thorium	Th	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Protactinium	Pa	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Uranium	U	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Neptunium	Np	<0.001 ppm	FSK
Plutonium	Pu	<0.001 ppm	FSK

Interpret ultra‑trace and “non‑detects” cautiously. Reported values near detection limits can vary between instruments and batches.

Safety & context

Peer‑reviewed ranges Across 31 retail pink salts, calcium ~531–5737 mg/kg, magnesium ~147–11,938 mg/kg, potassium ~98–4,529 mg/kg; arsenic and silver were not detected in any sample; one sample exceeded the lead limit (>2 mg/kg). Darker Himalayan samples tended to have more minerals.
Methods Spectral/XRF results are fast but have different detection limits than ICP‑MS; ultra‑trace figures can reflect method uncertainty. Use mg/kg lab reports for regulatory work.
Batch variation Composition varies by mine section, color grade, and processing (flake, coarse, fine).

Sources

Comprehensive spectral analysis table: The Meadow — Minerals in Himalayan Pink Salt
Peer‑reviewed ICP‑MS survey of retail pink salts (Australia, 2020, CC‑BY): Fayet‑Moore et al., Foods 9(10):1490
On XRF vs ICP‑MS capabilities/detection limits: McComb et al., 2014 (open‑access)