Santa Cruz Paleo and LMNT are close on formula and far apart on price. Santa Cruz Paleo delivers 800mg sodium, 300mg potassium, 60mg magnesium, and 40mg calcium for $1.00 per serving. LMNT delivers 1,000mg sodium, 200mg potassium, 60mg magnesium, and no calcium for $1.50.
*Updated formula. Santa Cruz Paleo has shipped more than one version, and older tubs list 1,000mg sodium and 200mg potassium. Check your panel; there's a section on this below.
The short answer: Santa Cruz Paleo matches LMNT on magnesium, beats it on potassium and calcium, and costs a third less. It's $1.25 per gram of sodium against LMNT's $1.50, with 50% more potassium and 40mg of calcium that LMNT doesn't have at all. LMNT's case rests on 200mg more sodium per serving and the convenience of a pre-measured stick pack.
Santa Cruz Paleo vs LMNT: The Numbers
| Metric | Santa Cruz Paleo | LMNT | Liquid IV (SF) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 800mg* | 1,000mg | 500mg |
| Potassium | 300mg* | 200mg | 370mg |
| Magnesium | 60mg | 60mg | 0mg |
| Magnesium form | Glycinate | Malate | None |
| Calcium | 40mg | 0mg | 0mg |
| Sugar | 0g | 0g | 0g |
| Sweetener | Stevia | Stevia | Allulose |
| Price/serving | $1.00 | $1.50 | $1.56 |
| $/g sodium | $1.25 | $1.50 | $3.12 |
| Container price | $29.99 | $45.00 | $21.84 |
| Servings | 30 | 30 | 14 |
| Form | Tub/scoop | Stick pack | Stick pack |
Data verified against manufacturer websites. Prices as of August 2026. See the full 17-brand comparison →
Santa Cruz Paleo's ingredient list is sea salt, citric acid, Himalayan pink salt, natural flavor, magnesium glycinate, potassium chloride, and stevia leaf extract. Two salt sources rather than one, and no sugar.
Check Which Formula You're Buying
Santa Cruz Paleo has shipped two different formulas and both are still in circulation. They're easy to tell apart once you know what to look for:
- Current formula. 5.42g scoop, 30 servings. 800mg sodium, 300mg potassium, 60mg magnesium, 40mg calcium. Ingredients list salt (sea salt and Himalayan), citric acid, potassium chloride, magnesium glycinate, calcium carbonate, natural flavor, and organic stevia.
- Earlier formula. 4.16g scoop, 30 servings. 1,000mg sodium, 200mg potassium, 60mg magnesium, no calcium.
The scoop size on the panel is the quickest tell. Every figure in this article refers to the current formula.
If you end up with the earlier one, the comparison moves in Santa Cruz Paleo's favor rather than against it. At 1,000mg of sodium for $1.00 per serving it matches LMNT's sodium exactly at two-thirds the price, which is $1.00 per gram of sodium against LMNT's $1.50. Under that version the only remaining argument for LMNT is the stick pack.
Either way the conclusion holds. The current formula trades 200mg of sodium for more potassium, added calcium, and a lower price; the earlier one gave up nothing at all.
Where Santa Cruz Paleo Wins
Price ($1.00 vs $1.50 per serving). A third cheaper outright, and $29.99 for the tub against $45.00 for a box of LMNT. Over a year at one serving daily, that's roughly $365 versus $548.
Cost per gram of sodium ($1.25 vs $1.50). Even accounting for the lower sodium dose, Santa Cruz Paleo is the better sodium value.
Potassium (300mg vs 200mg). Fifty percent more. Both are small against the 3,400mg and 2,600mg adequate intakes for adult men and women,[1] but the direction favors Santa Cruz Paleo.
Calcium (40mg vs none). Santa Cruz Paleo includes 40mg of calcium as calcium carbonate; LMNT has none. It's a small amount against a 1,300mg daily value, but it's a mineral you're otherwise not getting from your electrolyte drink.
Magnesium is a tie, not a win. Both provide 60mg. Santa Cruz Paleo uses glycinate and LMNT uses malate, and NIH guidance notes that magnesium forms which dissolve well in liquid absorb better than magnesium oxide or sulfate,[2] with both of these qualifying. Glycinate is the gentler form on an empty stomach, which is the only real distinction.
Where LMNT Wins
Sodium (1,000mg vs 800mg). Twenty-five percent more per serving. If you're chasing a high daily target on keto, during a fast, or in heavy heat, fewer servings gets you there. Sweat sodium losses run roughly 500 to 1,150mg per liter during hard exercise,[3] and the ACSM position stand frames replacement against measured losses rather than a fixed dose.[4]
Pre-measured sticks. A scoop introduces variability that a stick pack doesn't. Packed versus loose powder can swing a scoop noticeably, so your actual dose drifts. Sticks also travel better and don't require carrying a tub.
Availability and flavor range. LMNT has far wider distribution and many more flavors. Santa Cruz Paleo is a smaller operation with a narrower lineup.
What's Actually in Santa Cruz Paleo
Seven ingredients: sea salt, citric acid, Himalayan pink salt, natural flavor, magnesium glycinate, potassium chloride, and stevia leaf extract. No sugar, no dextrose, no maltodextrin, no artificial colors.
Two details are worth pulling out. The first is the dual salt source. Using sea salt and Himalayan pink salt together is partly a trace-mineral claim, and that part is mostly marketing, since trace minerals in salt appear in quantities too small to matter nutritionally. The second is magnesium glycinate, which is a genuinely reasonable choice. Glycinate is chelated and well tolerated, and it's the form people who react badly to magnesium oxide usually land on.
The stevia is the same sweetener LMNT uses, so if stevia is your objection to LMNT, switching here won't solve it.
Is Santa Cruz Paleo Keto and Paleo Friendly?
Yes on both counts, and the label supports it without any interpretation needed. Zero sugar, zero carbohydrate, no dextrose or maltodextrin carrier, and stevia rather than a sugar alcohol. It fits ketogenic, carnivore, paleo, and fasting protocols the same way LMNT does.
For keto specifically, the 800mg sodium dose is the relevant figure. Sodium excretion rises during carbohydrate restriction, which is why keto-adapted eaters need considerably more than general guidance suggests. Our guide to the best electrolytes for keto ranks every zero-sugar brand by what it costs to reach a 3,000mg daily target, where Santa Cruz Paleo's price advantage compounds across four servings.
If you're using electrolytes during a fast, the calculation is the same and the stevia is the only open question. Our look at whether stevia breaks a fast covers what the research actually shows.
Santa Cruz Paleo vs Liquid IV
Against Liquid IV Sugar-Free, Santa Cruz Paleo wins decisively on the metrics that matter for hydration. It has 60% more sodium (800mg vs 500mg), 60mg of magnesium and 40mg of calcium against none of either, costs $1.00 per serving against $1.56, and comes in at $1.25 per gram of sodium against $3.12. Liquid IV holds a modest potassium edge (370mg vs 300mg) plus B vitamins and grocery-store availability.
On value there's no real contest: Santa Cruz Paleo delivers about 2.5 times the sodium per dollar.
The Tub Tradeoff
Format is where most of the price difference comes from, not formulation. Single-serve sachets cost more to produce and package than bulk powder, and that shows up in every stick-pack product in our comparison. LMNT sells no tub at all, only stick packs and Sparkling cans, which our breakdown of the LMNT label covers in more detail.
What you give up with a tub is dose precision and portability. What you gain is roughly a third off the price. If you drink your electrolytes at home in the morning, the tub is close to free money. If you need something in a gym bag or a desk drawer, sticks earn their premium. Our list of cheaper alternatives to LMNT puts every tub option side by side.
The Case Against Switching
Two honest caveats before you move. Santa Cruz Paleo is a small brand, and small brands carry real risks that don't show up in a comparison table: formulas get reformulated, sizes get discontinued, and stock runs out. LMNT's scale is itself a feature if you want the same product available every month for years.
The second is that the scoop is not a trivial annoyance. Powder settles in shipping, so an early scoop from a fresh tub and a late scoop from a packed one aren't the same dose. If you're managing sodium for a medical reason rather than general hydration, that variability is a genuine argument for pre-measured sticks, and it's worth weighing more heavily than the price gap.
Which Should You Choose
- Santa Cruz Paleo if you're price-sensitive, drink electrolytes at home, want more potassium and the added calcium, and don't need the last 200mg of sodium.
- LMNT if you need maximum sodium per serving, travel with your electrolytes, or want the dose measured for you.
The verdict: Santa Cruz Paleo is the better buy for most people. It wins on price, potassium, and magnesium, and gives up only 200mg of sodium to do it. LMNT remains the right answer when the sodium ceiling or the stick-pack format genuinely matters to you, and it's worth being honest with yourself about whether it does. At roughly $180 a year, convenience is the thing you're actually paying for.
References
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. "Potassium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals." NIH ODS. ods.od.nih.gov
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. "Magnesium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals." NIH ODS. ods.od.nih.gov
- Vitale K, Getzin A. "Nutrition and Supplement Update for the Endurance Athlete: Review and Recommendations." Nutrients, 2022; 14(7):1318. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Sawka MN, Burke LM, Eichner ER, Maughan RJ, Montain SJ, Stachenfeld NS. "American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand: Exercise and Fluid Replacement." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2007; 39(2):377-390. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov