Salt & Stone products are generally low in toxicity, but they’re not uniformly “clean” across the entire product line. The brand avoids aluminum, parabens, and synthetic sulfates, and its sunscreens use non-nano zinc oxide as the sole active ingredient. However, several of its newer deodorant formulas contain fragrance compounds that push their safety ratings into moderate-hazard territory on independent databases.
What’s Actually in Salt & Stone Products
Salt & Stone’s product line spans deodorants, sunscreens, body wash, and skincare. The formulas vary significantly, so “non-toxic” depends on which product you’re looking at.
Their sunscreens rely on non-nano zinc oxide as the only active UV filter, at concentrations of 19.6% (SPF 30) and 22.8% (SPF 50). Zinc oxide sits on top of the skin rather than absorbing into it, which is why it’s considered the safest option for sun protection. The “non-nano” designation means the particles are large enough that they don’t penetrate the skin barrier, a concern some people have with smaller zinc particles.
Their natural deodorant gels use a base of propylene glycol and water, with prebiotics from yeast ferment to support the skin’s microbiome. The formulas also include arrowroot powder and corn starch to absorb moisture, seaweed extracts, hyaluronic acid, and aloe. For preservation, they use potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate, both mild, food-grade preservatives, along with a radish root ferment filtrate that acts as a natural antimicrobial. There’s no aluminum, no baking soda (which irritates many people’s underarms), and no parabens.
Why Some Products Rate Higher for Hazard
The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database rates Salt & Stone’s older formula deodorants, like the All Natural Lavender & Sage, as low hazard. But most of their current gel deodorant scents, including Santal & Vetiver, Bergamot & Hinoki, Black Rose & Oud, and several others, receive a moderate hazard classification.
The difference comes down to fragrance. The newer gel formulas list “Fragrance (Parfum)” as a single ingredient, which is an umbrella term that can contain dozens of undisclosed compounds. Some of these formulas also list specific fragrance allergens like benzyl benzoate, citral, limonene, and linalool. These are naturally occurring compounds found in essential oils, but they’re known skin sensitizers for some people. Limonene and linalool, for example, can oxidize on the skin and cause contact dermatitis in sensitive individuals.
This doesn’t mean these products are dangerous. “Moderate hazard” on the EWG scale reflects the presence of ingredients with some documented sensitivity potential, not that the product is toxic in everyday use. But if you have reactive skin or prefer full ingredient transparency, the fragrance component is worth noting.
What the Brand Does and Doesn’t Avoid
Salt & Stone formulas are free of several ingredients that raise concerns in personal care:
- Aluminum: not used in any deodorant product. Their deodorants control odor through prebiotics and plant-based antimicrobials rather than blocking sweat glands.
- Parabens: absent across the line. They use potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate instead.
- Chemical UV filters: their sunscreens skip oxybenzone, avobenzone, and octinoxate entirely, relying solely on mineral zinc oxide.
- Baking soda: not used, which matters if you’ve had irritation from other natural deodorants that rely on it.
What they do use is propylene glycol, which serves as the primary base in their deodorant gels. Propylene glycol is recognized as safe by the FDA and appears in everything from food products to pharmaceuticals, but it occasionally causes irritation in people with very sensitive skin. If you’ve reacted to propylene glycol in other products, this is worth checking before buying.
Reef Safety and Sunscreen Concerns
Salt & Stone markets its sunscreens as reef-safe, which in practice means they avoid oxybenzone and octinoxate, the two UV filters most strongly linked to coral bleaching. Their sole active ingredient, non-nano zinc oxide, is the option most marine biologists consider least harmful to aquatic ecosystems. Hawaii’s sunscreen regulations, which ban oxybenzone and octinoxate, would permit Salt & Stone’s formula.
It’s worth knowing that no sunscreen is certified “reef-safe” by any regulatory body, since no formal standard exists. But zinc oxide-only formulas are as close as you can currently get.
The Bottom Line on Safety
Salt & Stone products are broadly non-toxic in the way most people mean when they search the term: free of aluminum, parabens, chemical sunscreen filters, and formaldehyde releasers. Their sunscreens are among the cleaner mineral options available. The main caveat is the fragrance system in their gel deodorants, which uses a “Parfum” blend that lacks full transparency and contains compounds that can sensitize some skin types. If fragrance sensitivity is a concern, their older “All Natural” formulas rated better on independent safety databases.