The Interview: Nima Jalali on building Salt & Stone into bodycare’s breakout brand

Salt & Stone has become one of those brands that seems to be everywhere all at once - on bathroom shelves, in gym bags, across Sephora’s bestseller lists - yet the person behind it has remained deliberately out of the spotlight. 

Founded in 2017, the performance-driven, design-led bodycare brand has been scaling at remarkable speed: today it sells one deodorant every six seconds, ranking the number one deodorant brand globally at Sephora.

Now stocked in more than 1,700 doors across 40 countries, with a distinctly unisex audience, Salt & Stone has quietly captured serious market share - rising to number two in the premium and prestige deodorant category overall. In 2025, it surpassed the $150 million mark in revenues. In the UK, where it launched at Sephora in November 2023, it has already become the retailer’s number one deodorant and second biggest body brand.

But behind the polished packaging and cult scents is a founder whose path into beauty was anything but conventional. In this interview, Nima Jalali peels back the curtain on the years before the hype, the personal turning point that led him to launch Salt & Stone, and how a former professional snowboarder built one of prestige body care’s fastest-growing brands without shouting about it.

You launched Salt & Stone in 2017 with a very distinct vision for performance-driven, design-led personal care. What originally drew you into this category, and what did those early days look like for you as a founder?

After a knee injury, I embraced a more natural lifestyle and became intentional about the products I was using. I found that nothing on the market checked all the boxes in terms of ingredients, performance, scent and design. That gap is what drove me to create clean products that could keep up with an active lifestyle while offering an elevated experience.

In the early days, it was just me running the brand out of my studio apartment. It was all-consuming, but exciting, and never felt like work. I loved building the brand and wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Before Salt & Stone, you had a career as a professional snowboarder. How has that background shaped the ethos of the brand?

Salt & Stone is inspired by the places I grew up around and love, salt from the Pacific Ocean, and stone from my snowboarding career on the mountains. Snowboarding taught me discipline, focus, and a strong work ethic. Not coming from the beauty industry pushed me to look beyond it for inspiration in how the brand shows up. Those experiences have defined Salt & Stone’s performance-driven and design-led approach.

Salt & Stone now sells one deodorant every six seconds. Did you ever imagine the brand scaling at this pace, and what was the turning point that signalled you’d built something with global resonance?

It’s gone beyond what I ever expected. A few weeks after launching the brand, Colette reached out about stocking us. That was the moment I realised what we were building really had the potential to resonate globally.

How do you approach retail partnerships, and what drives your decision on where Salt & Stone shows up? Are there any upcoming partnerships we should keep an eye out for in the UK?

We approach retail partnerships with intention, focusing on the places where our customers are and can experience our products in a meaningful way. We recently launched at Space NK, and we’re excited to continue building partnerships that feel authentic to the brand.

What made you decide to bring Salt & Stone to the UK in 2023?

We were seeing such incredible resonance in the US, and already had consumers in the UK asking for the brand. We had a lot of confidence in how the brand would perform in the UK, and it’s been really cool to see that come to fruition.

You’re currently available in 40 countries and more than 1,700 retailers globally. What have been the biggest learnings in scaling a prestige brand internationally without losing its core DNA?

Scaling internationally has reinforced the need to be thoughtful about where and how the brand shows up. Even as we expand into new markets and retailers, staying true to our performance-driven, design-led approach is key. It’s about growing thoughtfully and keeping every experience intentional.

What has allowed Salt & Stone to capture the prestige body care market share so aggressively compared to more established competitors?

Salt & Stone has captured market share by moving fast while staying extremely focused on every single detail. It’s the mix of performance, design, and scent that really sets us apart.

Salt & Stone is known for its signature scents. What are your best sellers? Any favourites?

Santal was one of the first scents we launched with and is still our best-selling scent globally–but it’s pretty closely followed by Bergamot and our newest scent, Saffron & Cedar.

My personal favourite product is our Bergamot Body Wash. I use it every morning after my run. It’s so fresh and it really sets the tone for the day while capturing the sensory experience we aim for with every Salt & Stone product.

Are there new categories or product technologies you’re excited about? I hear there’s a body oil launch on the horizon…

I’m really excited about introducing Body Oil [launching today]. It’s a fast-absorbing, rich formula that really hydrates the skin and is a great addition to a scent routine.

In January, Salt & Stone is staging a two-day takeover on Aspen Mountain and shooting a campaign with Olympic skier Alex Hall. Can you tell us about this? 

My personal story and background haven’t always been at the forefront of the brand, but they’ve always influenced it. Bringing our first major winter activation to Aspen felt full circle, and it was a great way to connect with the winter sports community. We had a lot of fun creating the thoughtful details, including the giant deodorant. Working with Alex Hall felt really natural; he reflects the core values of the brand and is a testament to how our deodorant performs, even for Olympic athletes.

Looking ahead, what does 2026 and beyond look like for Salt & Stone? 

We have a really exciting year planned with some fun collaborations and new scents coming. We’re focused on growing thoughtfully and building a legacy brand that people feel connected to for years to come.

Do you have plans to expand further into the UK?

We don’t have anything else specific to share yet, but we’re really excited to be launching at Sephora EU in March across 600 doors.