Salt panning
For centuries, the salt pans in the northern Adriatic Sea area long had a significant impact on the economy of the countries and city-states in this area. They were the subject of political disputes and wars as salt was considered a precious raw material and strategic merchandise due to its usefulness, and was important for the preservation of food and the production of gunpowder. In the past, there were a number of smaller and larger salt pans in the Gulf of Trieste and Istria (e.g. in Milje, Koper, Izola, Lucija), however, today only the Sečovlje and Strunjan salt pans remain. They were not only characterized by political and economic interests, but also by the whims of nature which sometimes made salt production impossible for longer periods, however, sometimes it offered an over-abundance.
In the abundance of different kinds of high-quality salts, Piran salt is one of the most prominent as it is cultivated according to the method of more than 700 years ago. The Sečovlje salt pans are the northernmost still functioning salt pans in the Mediterranean area and one of the few salt pans in the world where salt is produced after several centuries-old processes originating from at least the 14th century. Their speciality is that the salt pan workers cultivate petola at the bottom of the crystallization ponds. This is a biosediment which prevents the sea mud merging with the salt and gives the salt numerous microelements and minerals necessary for the human organism. It is cultivated completely through natural crystallization using their bare hands, and the tools and procedures of their ancestors.
Salt panning distinctively shaped the cultural landscape, i.e. areas that are the work of human hands.
Brine from the Sečovlje Salt Pans: A Natural Inspiration for Skincare
22. 7. 2026
Discover the story of brine from the Sečovlje Salt Pans, where the sea, sun and wind create a unique link between Thalasso Spa Lepa Vida, natural skincare and the traditions of salt making.
The salt harvesting season is in full swing at the Sečovlje Salt Pans. While salt makers gather crystals from the crystallisation fields, one of the sea’s most elemental transformations continues almost unnoticed across the evaporation ponds. Sun and wind gradually concentrate the seawater, while water managers use their knowledge to guide it through the different fields. Day by day, the concentration of dissolved salts and minerals increases.
In this way, the sea gradually becomes brine – naturally concentrated seawater. After the salt has been harvested, an even more concentrated brine remains in the basins, known as mother brine or acqua madre.
Alongside salt and salt-pan mud, brine is one of the most valuable natural products of the Sečovlje Salt Pans and, at the same time, the element that connects them. Salt crystals are born from it on the petola, salt-pan mud matures in contact with it, and at Thalasso Spa Lepa Vida it becomes the centrepiece of a unique experience. As an ingredient in Lepa Vida cosmetics from the Piran Salt Pans, its story continues in contemporary skincare.
From the sea to salt
When seawater enters the salt pans, it is not yet ready to crystallise. It must first travel through a system of evaporation ponds, where the sun and wind gradually increase its concentration. To learn more, follow the journey of seawater through the evaporation fields.
When the brine reaches the crystallisation basins, sea-salt crystals begin to separate from it on the petola. Once they have been harvested, a dense mother brine remains in the basins – the most concentrated form of brine, in which minerals remain dissolved.
In addition to sodium chloride, brine also contains magnesium, calcium and potassium salts, primarily in the form of chlorides, bromides, carbonates, sulphates and iodides.
Brine
from salt to salt-pan mud
On the one hand, salt crystals separate from the brine on the petola; on the other, the brine creates the environment in which salt-pan mud matures and gradually develops the characteristics of a marine peloid, now used in thalassotherapy and cosmetics.
Brine therefore connects two seemingly different faces of the salt pans: the white crystals harvested by salt makers and the dark fango that slowly matures in the salt-pan environment. To discover more about this gradual transformation, explore the story of how salt-pan mud is formed and its role in the rituals of Thalasso Spa Lepa Vida in our news archive.
A brine bath:
when the skin feels the salt pans
At Thalasso Spa Lepa Vida, the story of the salt pans’ natural elements continues through nurturing and relaxing rituals. Here, brine is neither a distant inspiration nor an ingredient brought in from elsewhere. It is part of the landscape that surrounds guests throughout their visit.
A bath in brine, or mother brine, lasts 20 minutes, with the brine heated to a pleasant 36–38°C. Its minerals revitalise the skin, its high density creates a feeling of lightness and floating, and the warmth helps the body gradually relax.
Yet the experience is shaped by more than the bath itself. It is completed by the warm salt-pan air, the wind, the heat of the sun and the light reflected from the water surfaces and white crystals.
This is precisely what makes Thalasso Spa Lepa Vida so distinctive: brine can be experienced where it is created – in a place where traditional salt production still follows the rhythms of nature.
At Thalasso Spa Lepa Vida, we first encounter brine through sensation – warmth, lightness and calm. When it enters the world of cosmetics, attention turns to its effects on the skin.
Discover more about the brine bath and other Thalasso Spa Lepa Vida experiences in our current offer. As the number of guests is limited, advance booking by email is required.
Brine in contemporary skincare
The skin barrier plays an important role in skincare. As the outer protective layer, it helps limit water loss and protects the skin from environmental influences. When its balance is disrupted, the skin may become dry and sensitive.
Mineral-rich saline waters have long been the subject of dermatological and cosmetological research. Among the most extensively studied are the waters and saline solutions of the Dead Sea. In one controlled study involving people with atopic dry skin, regular immersion of the forearms in a magnesium-rich Dead Sea salt solution over six weeks improved hydration of the stratum corneum. Among participants with elevated baseline TEWL, researchers also observed an improvement in skin barrier function compared with tap water.
Because mineral composition and methods of use vary, these findings cannot be directly applied to brine from the Sečovlje Salt Pans. They do, however, help explain why concentrated mineral-rich waters are of interest in contemporary skin research and the development of cosmetic formulations.
Research conducted in 2024 and 2025 at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana also belongs within this broader scientific context. The studies examined the effects of brine from the Sečovlje Salt Pans on selected skin parameters and its use in combination with different cosmetic formulations.
What did the research show?
Fifteen female volunteers took part in a study of the Piran Salt Pans Lepa Vida Brine cosmetic product. After seven and fourteen days of use, all participants showed a marked reduction in transepidermal water loss (TEWL), indicating improved skin barrier function. No effect on the erythema index or skin pH was confirmed.
With intensive use of brine on its own, hydration values were lower. In the 2025 study, brine was also examined in combination with different cosmetic formulations. When combined with one of the tested cream formulations, skin hydration increased, while the effect was not the same with the other formulations.
The findings therefore suggest that, in addition to the brine itself, both the way it is used and the composition of the complete product are important. In a balanced formulation, the mineral richness of brine is complemented by moisturising and other caring ingredients.
Lepa Vida
when the story of the salt pans continues at home
Every visit to Thalasso Spa Lepa Vida comes to an end, but the connection with the salt pans can continue at home.
Brine is one of the key ingredients in the Lepa Vida cosmetics range from the Piran Salt Pans. In products for face, hand and body care, it is combined with moisturising and other caring ingredients selected according to the purpose of each formulation and the needs of the skin.
July product of the month: Moisturising Body Gel with Brine and Honey
In the Moisturising Body Gel with Brine and Honey, brine is complemented by glycerine, aloe vera, honey, panthenol and vitamin E.
The gel has a light, fast-absorbing texture that moisturises and pleasantly refreshes the skin without leaving a greasy feel. It is especially soothing after a day in the sun, after swimming, or whenever the skin needs an added sense of freshness and comfort. A gently cooling sensation enhances the feeling of freshness, while the gel is also suitable for daily body care.
Until the end of July, the Moisturising Body Gel with Brine and Honey is available at 20% off.
In Lepa Vida products, brine is more than an inspiration: it is an authentic connection with the environment from which the brand originates. Through it, the feeling of the Sečovlje Salt Pans continues in everyday skincare rituals – simply, sensorially and thoughtfully.
A return to the rhythm of the salt pans
At a time when we often look for quick solutions, the Sečovlje Salt Pans teach us a different rhythm. The sun does not hurry. The wind does not rush ahead. The sea takes no shortcuts.
Brine, too, is created slowly – through the movement of water, evaporation and the crystallisation of salt. Its value therefore lies not only in its mineral composition, but also in the place, time and knowledge that make its creation possible.
Its story can be experienced most fully where it begins: in the heart of the Sečovlje Salt Pans, in an open-air bath beneath the sky. Lepa Vida cosmetics allow us to take a small part of that connection home.
At Thalasso Spa Lepa Vida, nature is not a backdrop. It is the essence of the experience.
And brine is one of its purest expressions.
About
SOLINE Pridelava soli d.o.o.
Seča 115, 6320 Portorož, Slovenija, EU
VAT Reg. No.: SI 61597856
Registration number: 1365495
Current account: 10100-0032654851
Registration at the District Court in Koper,
Reg. No. 1/05615/00.
Seča 115, 6320 Portorož, Slovenija, EU
VAT Reg. No.: SI 61597856
Registration number: 1365495
Current account: 10100-0032654851
Registration at the District Court in Koper,
Reg. No. 1/05615/00.
Lepa Vida Thalasso Spa
Sales and Marketing:
Nataša Šmon Kokošinek
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Nataša Šmon Kokošinek
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