Weleda is a company that operates in many countries and makes beauty products and natural medicines. Both types of products are created using anthroposophic principles, which is a type of alternative medicine that focuses on natural healing methods.
The company’s name comes from the German version of the name of Veleda, a spiritual leader from the Bructeri tribe who lived in the first century. Weleda uses renewable energy and natural ingredients grown with special farming techniques that work with nature. None of their ingredients or products are tested on animals.
Weleda Group is a member of the Union for Ethical Biotrade (UEBT), an organization that supports fair trade and ethical practices in the use of natural resources.
History
In 1920, Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher, and Ita Wegman, a Dutch gynecologist, founded "Futurum AG" in Arlesheim, Switzerland, and "Der Kommende Tag AG" (a company aimed at promoting economic and spiritual values) in Stuttgart, Germany. The profits from these companies were used to support projects related to anthroposophy, such as building the Goetheanum and creating the Free Waldorf School in Stuttgart. In 1920, Der Kommende Tag AG purchased the former "Colonial-Werke Paul Rumpus" in Schwäbisch Gmünd. Today, this location is where Weleda’s headquarters is based. In 1921, the two companies wanted to combine their resources for financial reasons. In 1922, Futurum AG was renamed Internationale Laboratorien AG (ILAG), and new shares were issued. At a meeting, Rudolf Steiner asked shareholders to transfer their shares in Der Kommende Tag to ILAG to protect the companies’ assets, which were struggling financially. The companies were merged under a new name: Internationale Laboratorien und Klinisch-Therapeutisches Institut Arlesheim A.G. The German facilities became branches of the Swiss parent company. Following Rudolf Steiner’s suggestion, the name "Weleda" was registered as a trademark in Germany on September 20, 1924, and in Switzerland on September 25, 1924. The company was then renamed Weleda AG. The name Weleda comes from the Germanic prophet and healer "Veleda." The Weleda logo, designed by Rudolf Steiner, is based on the Rod of Asclepius, a staff wrapped with a snake, a symbol used in medicine and pharmacy.
The creation of Weleda happened during the Lebensreform movement in Germany, which promoted alternative medicine and healthy eating.
During the 1920s, Weleda expanded its product line. Some of these early products, like toiletry milk, massage oil, and skin cream, are still sold today. Weleda’s sales doubled between 1925 and 1928, and the company grew internationally. Subsidiaries were established in several countries, including the United Kingdom (1924), the Netherlands (1926), the United States (1926), and Czechoslovakia (1926).
In the 1930s, parts of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) opposed anthroposophy, viewing it as conflicting with National Socialism. As a result, Rudolf Steiner’s books were banned from Bavarian public libraries, and the Anthroposophical Society was outlawed. Weleda faced threats of being banned but avoided them through effort. In 1943, Weleda provided a single batch of frostbite protection cream to the German military, the Wehrmacht. The cream was made using petroleum jelly supplied by the Wehrmacht. This cream was sent to Staff Surgeon Sigmund Rascher of the German air force, who later conducted hypothermia experiments on prisoners at Dachau concentration camp. In the 1990s, Weleda apologized to survivors of these experiments and supported a study by the University of Basel to investigate the events. Weleda survived the Nazi era and World War II with minimal damage because its Swiss headquarters remained neutral.
During the economic growth of Europe in the 1950s and 1960s, Weleda added new products, such as therapeutic tea (1950), sea buckthorn elixir (1955), and lavender bath milk (1961). Weleda continued to grow globally, opening subsidiaries in Italy (1953), New Zealand (1955), Sweden (1956), Brazil (1959), and Argentina (1965). Demand for natural cosmetics increased worldwide in the 1990s. By 1992, Weleda operated in 30 countries with over 10,000 products. Additional subsidiaries were created, including Weleda Chile (1992), Weleda Peru (1993), Weleda Japan (1999), Weleda Slovakia (2000), and Weleda Finland (2004). In 2018, Weleda opened City Spas in the Netherlands, and in 2020, another City Spa opened in Hamburg. In 2021, two more City Spas opened in Amsterdam and Stuttgart.
In 2021, Weleda celebrated its 100th anniversary by partnering with the British charity treesisters to support global reforestation projects. The company aims to plant one million trees through initiatives led by or supporting women. The project began with a Christmas gift sale in 2020, which funded the planting of 47,255 trees. As of today, 78,355 trees have been planted.
Anthroposophic philosophy and biodynamics
Weleda uses Holistic medicine and Anthroposophic medicine for its products. Anthroposophic medicine is a type of practice that is not considered a real science and is based on a philosophy called Anthroposophy.
Weleda's plant-based ingredients are grown using a farming method called biodynamics. Biodynamic farming was created in 1924 by Rudolf Steiner, one of Weleda's founders. This method views the entire farm as a living system, where soil health, plant growth, and animal care are connected tasks that depend on each other in the environment.
Products
Weleda is a major company that makes natural and organic beauty products and medicines for a type of alternative medicine called anthroposophic therapy. Their products include skin care items, such as Weleda Skin Food, products for baby and mother care, and homeopathic medicines. The company follows a special approach called "lead plants," where certain plants like arnica, birch, calendula, iris, lavender, and wild rose guide the creation of their products. This means that every ingredient and the full formula work together to achieve the desired results.
Weleda is also known for making a product called Iscador, which is a fermented extract from white mistletoe. This product was developed based on a vision from 1917 by Rudolf Steiner, who believed that combining summer and winter mistletoe extracts would unlock its true healing power against cancer. In the 1980s, Iscador was used in Switzerland and Germany to treat some cancers. However, studies later showed it was not effective, and it is no longer recommended by Swiss health organizations.
Sustainability
Weleda releases an annual report about its sustainability efforts. The company has created several gardens to grow ingredients for its products using biodynamic farming methods. These methods include sustainable farming practices, avoiding the use of pesticides, and following the natural seasons. Using a method called lead plants, Weleda grows medicinal plants such as calendula, valerian, lavender, and sage in its gardens.
Weleda Benelux has been climate-neutral for many years. Companies in the Netherlands and Belgium have participated in a project called Soil & More Impacts since 2008. The Dutch company also organizes composting operations worldwide. Weleda has partnered with TerraCycle, a waste management company, to help customers recycle product packaging. Consumers can return empty packaging from the Skin Food product line for free recycling. The collected packaging is cleaned and melted into hard plastic to make new recycled products.
Weleda Australia has partnered with the Kitchen Garden Foundation to teach children about the importance of pollinators. This partnership includes creating a network of "Bee B&B Hotels" at primary schools. In 2019, Weleda worked with Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) to protect orangutans and commit to using sustainable palm oil. The company pledged $100,000 to a 20-month project aimed at balancing nature conservation and human needs in the Mawas area.
In 2018, Weleda received the first-ever Union for Ethical Biotrade (UEBT) Certification and label for responsible sourcing. This certification shows consumers that the products they buy are made by companies that respect people and protect biodiversity.
Awards
Weleda received the top award at the 2021 Sustainable Beauty Awards, organized by Ecovia, in two categories: "Sustainable Leadership" and "Sustainable Pioneer."