SALT & STONE

SALT & STONE is a body-care and skincare brand founded in Los Angeles in 2017 by Nima Jalali, a former professional snowboarder [3]. It makes aluminium-free deodorants, body washes, lotions, mists and facial products organised around a handful of fragrance lines, and positions itself as clean, high-performance personal care aimed at an active, outdoors-oriented audience.

In March 2026 the brand entered a new phase of ownership: the private-equity firm Advent International announced it would acquire a majority stake, with the deal expected to close in April 2026 [5]. Jalali remains an equity holder and the company continues to operate, but as of this writing SALT & STONE is majority-owned by an outside investor rather than founder-controlled.

The company traces its beginnings to a knee injury that led Jalali away from professional snowboarding and toward what the brand describes as "a more natural lifestyle." According to SALT & STONE's account, he found that nothing on the market met his standards across ingredients, performance, scent and design, and that gap prompted him to develop clean products intended to keep up with an active life. He launched the brand in 2017 [3].

Jalali's snowboarding background is a recurring thread in how the company presents itself. The brand frames its work as drawing on "a deep understanding of the elements — their effects on the skin and body" alongside an emphasis on fragrance, a positioning it sums up as products made "in harmony with nature."

SALT & STONE's range spans deodorant, body wash, body mist, body cream and lotion, hand cream, facial cleanser, body oil and candles, sorted primarily by scent rather than by function. Fragrance lines include Santal & Vetiver, Bergamot & Hinoki, Saffron & Cedar, Neroli & Basil, and Black Rose & Oud. Its aluminium-free deodorant, sold with a claim of 48-hour protection, is the product most closely identified with the brand [3].

The company also produces a sun-care line, including a Sunscreen Lip Balm SPF 30 that uses non-nano zinc oxide for broad-spectrum, mineral protection. Across the range, the brand highlights ingredients such as seaweed, spirulina, kelp, hyaluronic acid, probiotics, red algae and niacinamide, which it describes as antioxidant- and nutrient-rich blends chosen to "protect, cleanse, support and recover."

The brand positions itself at the intersection of clean formulation, performance and scent, aimed at a unisex, adventure-minded customer. Its stated values centre on ingredient quality, natural inspiration and sensory experience, and it sells at a premium price point through prestige retail. Distribution is multi-channel: SALT & STONE reports being stocked in roughly 1,500 doors globally, through Sephora, Nordstrom, Erewhon, the Paris retailer Dover Street Parfums, Amazon and its own direct-to-consumer site [3].

SALT & STONE ties several sustainability claims to its products. The company says its packaging is made from up-cycled ocean plastics and that manufacturing runs on renewable solar and hydroelectric energy [3]. It also states that its formulas are cruelty-free and that the brand holds Leaping Bunny certification [6].

After its 2017 launch, the brand grew quickly through social media and prestige retail. Trade coverage described triple-digit year-over-year revenue growth and a widely shared moment in which a single TikTok video praising the deodorant drew 13.8 million views; BeautyMatter reported that "one product sells every seven seconds" and named the company to its Future50 list for 2025 [3].

In August 2024, the investment firm Humble Growth took a minority stake in the business [4]. By 2025, Cosmetics Business reported that SALT & STONE had generated more than US$165 million in revenue with double-digit growth across all channels [5]. The following year brought the change in control described below.

SALT & STONE was founder-owned in its early years before taking outside investment. Humble Growth acquired a minority stake in 2024 [4]. On 24 March 2026, Advent International announced an agreement to acquire a majority stake, a deal expected to close in April 2026; as part of the transaction Humble Growth exits, while founder Nima Jalali stays on as an equity holder [5]. Reporting at the time also noted new leadership around the founder, including a president, a chief marketing officer and an incoming chair.

Beyond its BeautyMatter Future50 placement, the brand has drawn trade and business press attention as a fast-growing independent. WWD covered the 2024 Humble Growth investment [4], Cosmetics Business reported the 2026 Advent International acquisition [5], and Inc. profiled Jalali in a founder feature. The company's rapid rise is frequently linked to the broader clean-beauty trend and to a Gen-Z, socially driven audience.

SALT & STONE is an active, growing business now in the process of being acquired. Its most recent notable development was the March 2026 announcement that Advent International would take a majority stake, alongside continued expansion into Sephora Europe [5]. Because the founder remains an equity holder and operations continue, the brand is best described as recently acquired rather than dormant or defunct.