There’s something so relaxing about easing into a tub sprinkled with bath salts and letting the stress of the day melt away. Whether you’re shopping for an indulgent spa gift for friends and family or want to stock your shelves with aromatic bath salts, this is a product category that truly has something for everyone. When shopping for the best bath salt soak, you’ll want to consider your overall goals, as well as pay attention to the ingredients to ensure you’re picking a quality product. Keep reading our bath salts and soaks guide to learn more.
Best Bath Salts & Soaks Overview
- Best Overall: French Girl Mint Sea Soak Enlivening Bath Salts
- Best Budget: Dr Teal’s Soothe & Sleep with Lavender Pure Epsom Salt Soaking Solution
- Best Luxury: Senteurs d’Orient + NET SUSTAIN Jasmine of Arabia Mediterranean Bath Salts
- Best with CBD: Lord Jones High CBD Formula Bath Salts
- Best Bath Bomb: Prima Bath Gem Effervescent Mineral Soak with CBD
- Best with Himalayan Pink Salt: Herbivore Botanicals Calm Bath Salts
- Best for Tired Muscles: Kneipp Joint & Muscle Arnica Mineral Bath Salt Soak
- Best Detoxifying: Goop G.Tox Detox 5 Salt Bath Soak
- Best-Smelling: Aveda stress-fix Soaking Salts
- Best Hydrating: Tree Hut Detoxifying Mediterranean Salt Soak Fig & Olive
- Best for Sensitive Skin: SheaMoisture Pink Himalayan Salt Relaxing Mineral Soak
Our Picks for the Best Bath Salts
No matter your skin type and preference, our list features the best bath salt soak for you to try.
Epsom salt is one of the most common types of bath salt soaks. But if you want to elevate your experience, the French Girl sea salt soak is a luxurious product that promises to revitalize your body by calming the muscles and aiding in the elimination of toxins. Along with Epsom salt, this bath salt combines other salt varieties, including Himalayan pink salt, which is added to promote relaxation before sleep. You’ll also get a subtle essential oil-based scent with notes of menthe and rosemary. Buy it at Revolve, Net-a-Porter or Amazon!
- Product Type: Loose bath salts
- Size: 10 oz.
- Key Ingredients: Epsom salt, Himalayan pink salt, essential oils
- Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes
- Fragrance: Rosemary, menthe
- Skin Type: All
Pros
- Loose bath salts
- Helps soothe muscles and detoxify
- Incorporates natural fragrance
- Softens skin
Cons
- Product may melt in transit
You can’t go wrong with a classic. Dr. Teal’s is a great budget-friendly option because this product is readily accessible both in-stores and online. If you want to upgrade the classic Epsom salt soak, their soaking solution is a great place to start. Along with being incredibly affordable, the lavender essence is great for aromatherapy to help calm you after a draining day. The Epsom salt helps to soothe tired muscles, while the lavender works to relax you in preparation for bed. Best of all, these bath salts are packaged in resealable velcro for easier handling. Buy it at Ulta or Amazon!
- Product Type: Loose bath salts
- Size: 48 oz.
- Key Ingredients: Epsom salt, lavandula angustifolia oil
- Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes
- Fragrance: Lavender oil, fragrance
- Skin Type: All
Pros
- Affordable option
- More widely available
- Paraben- and phthalate-free
- Lavender scent for aromatherapy
- Easy resealable container
Cons
- Contains chemical fragrance
If only the most indulgent experiences will do, you’ll consider Senteurs D’Orient’s entry to be the best bath salts. Their Jasmine of Arabia Mediterranean Bath Salts is a gorgeously packaged blend containing Mediterranean Sea salt. It’s paired with calcium and magnesium minerals and blended with essential oils that nourish your skin and soothe your senses. You’ll love that this product is locally made and that it comes with nine gauze sachets for a mess-free experience. Simply drop a sachet in your bath or open it for a more immersive experience. Buy it at Net-a-Porter!
- Product Type: Bath salts sachets
- Size: 9 x 1.20 oz.
- Key Ingredients: Sea salt, benzyl salicylate, linalool, hexyl cinnamal
- Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes
- Fragrance: Jasmine
- Skin Type: All
Pros
- Individually wrapped gauze sachets
- Contains Mediterranean Sea salt
- Vegan-friendly and cruelty-free
Cons
- Contains chemical-based fragrance
CBD is an excellent ingredient for anyone dealing with not just sore muscles but also anxiety. If you need a good soak to forget about the day, the Lord CBD soak is the best option for you. The large 12-ounce container comes with a scoop, giving you the freedom to add a little or a lot of bath salts to the tub.
Along with being gluten-free, this is also a vegan-friendly and clean beauty pick. You’ll get 240 milligrams of CBD to detoxify your body. This pick is perfect for normal, dry, combination, and oily skin types. It’s also perfect as an exfoliator to help slough off dry or textured skin to reveal a glowing complexion. Epsom and Himalayan pink salts combine with essential oils and flower petals for the ultimate self-care experience. Buy it at Sephora!
- Product Type: Loose bath salt scrub
- Size: 12 oz.
- Key Ingredients: Broad-spectrum CBD, Epsom, and Himalayan pink salts, arnica flower, calendula flower, eucalyptus oil, citrus oil
- Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes
- Fragrance: Citrus, floral
- Skin Type: All
Pros
- Infused with 240 mg of broad-spectrum CBD
- Combines Epsom and Himalayan pink salts
- Naturally scented with flower petals and essential oils
- Cruelty-free, vegan-friendly
- Comes with a scoop
- Doubles as a scrub
Cons
- Flower petals can create a mess post-bath
One common complaint about bath salts is that it’s easy to use too much if they’re loose. Prima fixes this problem by creating bath salt bath bombs with CBD. Essentially, this is the best bath salt soak for people that are fed up with measuring and scooping.
This bath bomb features family farmed hemp oil that relies on a non-toxic extraction process. The doctor-formulated bath salts blend is vegan and cruelty-free while being made from 100% clean ingredients in a sustainable, carbon-neutral manner. This bath bomb is designed to soften skin while acting as a stress reliever. The hypoallergenic soak is free from synthetic fragrances, mineral oil, PEGs, sulfates, parabens, and phthalates. Shop for it at Nordstrom, Sephora, or Amazon!
- Product Type: Bath salt bath bomb
- Size: 6 oz.
- Key Ingredients: CBD, Epsom salt, hemp oil, lavender, eucalyptus, and camphor oils
- Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes
- Fragrance: Floral
- Skin Type: All
Pros
- Easy-to-use bath bomb format
- 100% clean ingredients
- 25 mg of CBD
Cons
- Single use nature of this item may be pricey for some
Himalayan pink salt is considered an ideal ingredient for bath salt soaks because of its restorative properties. The Herbivore Botanicals pick is a simple loose bath salt blend featuring notes of ylang-ylang and vanilla. These soaking salts rely on Himalayan pink salts sourced from the Pacific Ocean and then solar dried for extraction.
You’ll like that the ylang-ylang essential oil works to maintain your skin’s moisture and oil balance, while vanilla offers aromatherapy support to soothe and relax your mind. This is a vegan and cruelty-free product that is free from artificial ingredients, alcohol, fillers, and artificial colors. Buy it at Nordstrom, Revolve, or Amazon!
- Product Type: Loose bath salts
- Size: 8 oz.
- Key Ingredients: Pacific Sea salt, Himalayan pink salt, ylang-ylang, and vanilla essential oils
- Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes
- Fragrance: Ylang-ylang, vanilla
- Skin Type: All
Pros
- All-natural ingredients
- Combines Pacific sea salt with Himalayan pink salt
- Vegan and cruelty-free
- Features responsible packaging
- Free from fillers, artificial fragrance or colors
Cons
- Small packaging means you may only get a few soaks out of this product
Whether you exercised a bit too much at the gym or have a strenuous job that routinely leaves your muscles begging for relief, the Kneipp bath soak is the perfect way to soothe your body. You’ll get a clean beauty soak rich in essential oils for the perfect aromatherapy treat after a long day. Arnica, rosemary, and eucalyptus combine for a relaxing experience. Meanwhile, the clean ingredients mean that you don’t have to worry about exposure to questionable items, like parabens, silicones, petrolatum, mineral oil, or paraffin. You’ll also finish your bath with smoother, softer skin. Shop for it at Ulta or Amazon!
- Product Type: Loose bath salts
- Size: 17.6 oz.
- Key Ingredients: Salt, arnica, rosemary, and eucalyptus oils
- Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes
- Fragrance: Rosemary, arnica, and eucalyptus
- Skin Type: All
Pros
- Up to 10 baths per container
- Clean beauty product formulated without parabens, phthalates, silicones, petrolatum, paraffin, or mineral oil
- Natural fragrance from arnica, rosemary, and eucalyptus
- Great for soothing sore muscles or joints
Cons
- Doesn’t specify type of salt or where it’s sourced
Sometimes you need a more aggressive bath salt soak if you’re trying to jumpstart a self-care routine. Goop Beauty promises to detoxify everything that ails you. This pick combines five different salts: pharmaceutical-grade Epsom salt, Himalayan pink salt, Dead Sea salt, New Zealand solar salt, and baking soda. These are blended with matcha tea extract, coriander, cardamom, activated charcoal, grapefruit, and helichrysum essential oils.
You’ll get roughly three soaks per 24-ounce package of bath salts. This is a clean beauty pick that’s free from petroleum, parabens, artificial dyes, fragrance, or phthalates. It’s also cruelty-free and vegan. Buy it on Sephora!
- Product Type: Loose bath salts
- Size: 24 oz.
- Key Ingredients: Epsom salt, Himalayan pink salt, Dead Sea salt, New Zealand solar salt, baking soda, activated charcoal
- Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes
- Fragrance: Grapefruit, helichrysum
- Skin Type: All
Pros
- Aids in detoxification and aromatherapy
- A clean beauty pick
- Blends five salts
Cons
- Up to three baths per package
Aveda is known for creating effective products that are perfect for tackling several skin and hair concerns. Their bath salts are designed with an uplifting aroma that will soothe your senses. It combines sugar and minerals for a blend designed to boost your mood and reduce stress. This 16-ounce container of bath salts is cruelty-free and free from parabens, sulfates, and phthalates. It also contains sunflower seed oil to boost hydration. Buy it at Nordstrom or Amazon!
Key Features:
- Product Type: Loose bath salts
- Size: 16 oz.
- Key Ingredients: Sodium chloride, sunflower seed sil
- Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes
- Fragrance: Lavender
- Skin Type: All
Pros
- Ideal for boosting mood and relieving stress
- Combines sugar and minerals
- Sunflower seed oil aids in hydration
Cons
- Contains fragrance
While taking a bath isn’t normally known for leaving your skin more hydrated than when you got in the tub, some bath salts are infused with hydrating ingredients to boost the look and feel of your skin. The Tree Hut soak is packed with moisture-loving shea butter. Better still, you’ll get activated charcoal to aid in detoxification, while fig extract offers a lush scent, and olive oil also aids in moisturizing your skin.
Best of all, this is a great remedy if you suffer from seriously dry or cracked skin. And you can rest easy knowing that this product is vegan and free from formaldehyde, parabens, sulfate, alcohol, and gluten. Buy it on Amazon or Ulta!
- Product Type: Loose bath salts
- Size: 3 lbs
- Key Ingredients: Epsom salt, sea salt, shea butter, activated charcoal, olive oil, fig extract
- Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes
- Fragrance: Fig
- Skin Type: All
Pros
- Epsom salt and sea salt blend
- Contains shea butter and olive oil for moisturizing properties
- Activated charcoal for detoxification
Cons
- Contains fragrance
When you have sensitive skin, you have to be careful about the products you use, as harsh ingredients can encourage irritation. The SheaMoisture soak is the best for sensitive skin beauty fans. You’ll like that it’s fair trade certified and combines Epsom Salt with Himalayan pink salt while also infusing shea butter and vegetable glycerin to boost hydration. Subtle notes of orange flower oil and clary extract oil create a gentle scent that you’ll love. Buy it at Ulta or Amazon!
- Product Type: Loose bath salts
- Size: 16 oz.
- Key Ingredients: Epsom salt, Himalayan pink salt, shea butter, orange flower oil, clary extract, glycerin
- Cruelty-Free/Vegan: Yes/Yes
- Fragrance: Orange, clary
- Skin Type: Sensitive, All
Pros
- Produced relying on fair-trade and certified organic ingredients
- Combines Epsom salt and Himalayan pink salt
- Free from sulfates, parabens, phthalates, and mineral oil
- Boosts hydration with shea butter
Cons
- Contains fragrance
What to Look for in the Best Bath Salts?
Bath salts can be a great option for some much-needed self-care time. Whether you’re trying to ease tired muscles or just want to unwind after a long day, there are a few factors you need to keep in mind when shopping for bath salts.
Consider the Salt Source
Bath salt soaks come in a variety of blends. The most basic option is Epsom salt, which technically isn’t even salt but rather magnesium sulfate. Epsom salt is usually a great option for people shopping on a budget and is usually readily available at drugstores, big-box retailers, and online.
Conversely, you can opt for sea salts. These salts are composed of sodium chloride, and while similar to regular table salt, their larger crystal structure allows them to hold more nutrients and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, potassium, and iron.
While sea salt can be sourced from anywhere in the world, the most popular options tend to be Himalayan pink salt, Dead Sea salt, and Mediterranean Sea salt. However, the increased presence of microplastics in the Mediterranean Sea makes it a controversial salt source.
It’s also not uncommon to see salt blends. This means that you may have two or more different types of salts in your product. Epsom salt is commonly paired with Himalayan pink salt, but other sea salt blends are available too. Whichever you pick, make sure that one or more salts are the first ingredients listed. Usually, ingredients are listed in order of potency, with items at the beginning having the highest concentrations.
Color
Bath salts can vary in color whether you’re buying them ready-made or decide to create a DIY concoction. If you prefer natural colors, then typically you’ll find that pink, white, clear, and even light brown hues are your most likely options. Alternatively, many brands can use artificial colorants to create other hues that don’t normally occur in nature.
Scents
Bath salt doesn’t have to be scented. But if you’re interested in aromatherapy as a part of your soaking experience, you can find bath salt soaks in a wide array of scents. You’ll need to decide whether you want naturally derived scents or if you’re okay with a product that uses fragrance – a term used to describe synthetic scents.
If you have sensitive skin or are concerned about experiencing an adverse reaction to a synthetic chemical, unscented or naturally scented picks that rely on essential oils will be the safer route.
Additional Ingredients
Some bath salts also incorporate extra ingredients either to boost aromatherapy, skin benefits, or to detoxify. Again, these aren’t required, and you can just as easily use a simple salt-only bath salt soak. However, if you like the idea of extra ingredients, consider which benefits are most important to you.
For example, if you want a moisturizing or skin-softening bath salt blend, look for products that include moisture-rich ingredients, like shea butter or jojoba oils. Meanwhile, if you want to indulge in a detoxifying soak, you’ll find that activated charcoal is one of the most popular options for this goal.
Alternatively, also think about whether whole flowers or herbs have been added to your bath salt blend. While whole flower petals may be pretty, keep in mind that they can be annoying to clean after you’ve finished your bath. In some cases, large plant material can clog your bath drain.
Quantity vs. Price
Depending on the product you pick, the packaging size and amount of bath salts needed to create an effective soak can vary. You’ll want to weigh this factor into your shopping decision and contrast that with what you’re spending. Some bath salt products are designed to be single-use, while others are multi-use.
Packaging
Finally, think about the packaging. With a single-use product, packaging may not be quite as important. However, if you pick a larger product that’s intended to sustain you for several soaks, you want packaging that preserves the freshness of your salts. In particular, when bath salts are exposed to moisture, they can clump and, in a worst-case scenario, encourage mold and bacteria to grow.
Likewise, if you do pick a multi-use package, you might find that you prefer versions that come with a scoop, which makes adding it to your bath significantly easier. This is especially true if the scoop is designed to provide the right amount of salt to a full tub.
Bath Salt FAQ
If you have picked your ideal product and still have questions, we answer the most common bath salt-related questions below.
If you’re using bath salts with quality ingredients free from unnecessary additives, yes, they’re incredibly safe. In reality, they’re very therapeutic and are often recommended as a treatment for a wide range of conditions.
Because of their high mineral content, taking a bath salt soak allows your body to absorb minerals through the skin. Specifically, bath salts contain magnesium, which is incredibly effective at soothing muscles, reducing stress-related symptoms, like headaches, and even relieving joints.
While bath salts are generally well tolerated by most people, a small segment of the population should talk to a physician before using bath salts. In particular, anyone with chronic skin conditions such as psoriasis, acne, or atopic dermatitis should get professional advice first from a dermatologist or physician. Additionally, people currently experiencing an allergic reaction should avoid using bath salts until they recover, and those with medical conditions such as diabetes or heart disease should check with their doctor first.
Experts recommend that you soak for at least 15 minutes. However, you can soak for up to an hour. Be mindful of the temperature, as spending extended time in very hot water can have adverse effects for some people.
Absolutely! Making DIY bath salts is a cost-effective way to indulge in self-care. Better still, you can create custom blends for specific concerns such as skin softening, soothing joints, or even for relaxation. Plus, you can make bath salts in less than 30 minutes – making them an easy DIY project for anyone to tackle.
Photos via Sephora, Ulta, Instagram