Is Celtic Sea Salt The Best Choice? We've Found Better From Australia!

April 12, 2026 Biome team

Is there a better salt than Celtic sea salt?
Yes—for Australians, Tasman Sea Salt is a comparable natural sea salt that is locally produced, harvested from pristine waters, slightly lower in sodium, and has a lower environmental footprint.

First published in August 2023. Updated in April 2026.

Celtic sea salt has taken off in popularity due to health trends on social media. Unlike regular table salt, Celtic sea salt is not highly refined, so it retains some of the natural minerals found in seawater, and it tastes great.

But we’re wondering… why all the fuss about a salt produced way over in the busy Atlantic, when there is an Australian salt that's a better choice for us here at home?

Tasman Sea Salt vs Celtic Sea Salt

Here’s how the two compare:

Origin: Tasmania vs Atlantic coasts of France and Spain
Processing: Both are unrefined and minimally processed
Sodium content: Tasman Sea Salt is slightly lower
Minerals: Both retain trace sea minerals and nutrients
Appearance: White flakes vs grey (from clay in Celtic salt ponds)
Environmental impact: Tasman Sea Salt is evaporated with clean energy and less food miles for Australians
Flavour: Both enhance food, but in our opinion Tasman is more flavourful!

What is Celtic Sea Salt?

Celtic sea salt is a natural salt harvested from the Atlantic Ocean near France and Spain. It is also known as sel gris or grey salt because of its colour, which comes from the minerals and clay ponds used during harvesting.

Like other natural sea salts, it is not refined or heavily processed, and it retains trace elements such as magnesium, potassium and calcium. It’s often used as a finishing salt for its flavour and texture.

Are the minerals in sea salt actually beneficial?

Short answer: yes, but not in meaningful amounts.

When minerals such as magnesium, potassium and calcium are consumed from a range of dietary sources, they play important roles in hydration, digestion, and overall health.

However, it’s important to understand this:

All sea salts—Celtic, Tasman or otherwise—are primarily sodium chloride
While they contain trace minerals, the amounts per serving are typically too small to have a measurable health effect
Nutritional labelling standards require meaningful quantities to be declared—and most sea salts do not meet that threshold to see it on the packaging

So while we prefer healthier natural sea salts over highly refined table salt, they are not to be relied on as a source of nutrients.

Why choose a natural sea salt over table salt?

We far prefer a natural sea salt to refined table salt, which is typically mined underground and heavily processed to remove impurities

Natural sea salts:

Are less processed
Not fortified with iodine
Retain trace elements from seawater
Offer better flavour and texture

Why Australians are switching to local sea salt

More so than ever with the fossil fuel crisis and rising prices in our world, most people lean to choosing locally produced alternatives for their food—and salt is no exception.

Choosing an Australian sea salt means:

Supporting local jobs and small businesses
Reducing food miles and emissions
Backing innovation in sustainable production
Enjoying a product sourced from cleaner waters

We actually have two local choices at Biome:
Tasman Sea Salt Flakes and an inland choice Murray River Salt Flakes

Is Tasman Sea Salt cleaner than Celtic sea salt?

tasman sea salt from pristine waters off Tasmania

Tasman Sea Salt is situated on the border of the Southern Ocean, which means that the salt is harvested from the cleanest ocean in the world.

Far away from any pollutants or contaminants, salt from the ocean around Tasmania does not need to be cleaned or rinsed during production, unlike most other sea salts.

Tasman Sea Salt is a pure white sea salt flake after harvesting and this is all down to the purity of the water that they harvest the salt from.

Is Tasman Sea Salt high in minerals?

Tasman Sea Salt is 100% unrefined and unprocessed. The process simply involves evaporating seawater using an innovative clean energy method.

Nothing is added, and nothing is removed.

Like all sea salts, it contains trace minerals including:

About 90% of Tasman Sea Salt is sodium chloride with sea minerals and nutrients making up about 10%.

Tasman Sea Salt contains trace minerals that are essential for human life including potassium, magnesium, calcium and iodine, to name a few. These minerals are also electrolytes when dissolved in water.

In addition to sodium, the nutritional label on Tasman sea salt lists Potassium (containing higher levels of potassium than many other salts on the market).

Is Tasman Sea Salt lower in sodium?

Yes—slightly.

Tasman Sea Salt contains around 32% sodium, compared to approximately 34% in Celtic sea salt.

This difference comes from the presence of other trace minerals, though it does not significantly change overall dietary sodium intake.

Is Tasman Sea Salt more sustainable?

Tasman Sea Salt is produced using an innovative clean energy harvesting process that uses evaporative cooling.

This means that less energy is required and environmental impact is reduced.

And importantly for Australians—choosing local reduces transport emissions.

Who makes Tasman Sea Salt?

Tasman Sea Salt is made by Chris and Alice, a family who returned to Tasmania in 2013 to create a local sea salt from the island’s pristine waters.

They live on the east coast of Tasmania with their three daughters and their dog, and their philosophy is simple: purity matters—both in provenance and flavour.

Their business reflects a commitment to: Clean, local production; sustainability; and, high-quality food

Final verdict: Tasman vs Celtic sea salt

Both Tasman and Celtic sea salts are natural, unrefined options that enhance flavour and avoid the heavy processing of table salt, and contain trace minerals.

For us, Tasman Sea Salt stands out as the better local choice due to: