I've been stocking Weleda since 2012, and my best sellers from back then are still my best sellers today.
Weleda first knocked on my door back in 2014, at my very first warehouse in Frenchs Forest (this photo was taken that day). Funnily enough, my warehouse is now in Warriewood, right next door to them. More than a decade on, we're practically neighbours. They've been making natural skincare since 1921, which makes them one of the original toxin-free brands, long before "toxin-free" was a phrase anyone used. They grow, harvest and process their own botanicals, and more than 100 years on, the founding principles behind their very first formulas still apply to every product they release.
So these are 10 things I love about Weleda.
1. A rich heritage dating back to the 1920s
It all started in 1921, in Switzerland, with a philosopher, a physician and a chemist: Rudolf Steiner, Dr Ita Wegman and Oskar Schmiedel. They began with a small pharmaceutical laboratory and hospital, and the skincare grew out of their work in natural medicine. The botanical research that shaped those first formulas is the same foundation behind their products today.
The best example is the Weleda Skin Food, first created in 1926, which makes this year Skin Food's 100th birthday. I've written about its 15 most popular uses.
2. The signature Phyto-Infusion blend of botanicals
The original Weleda Skin Food is made with a Phyto-Infusion blend of four plant extracts: calendula, chamomile, rosemary and wild pansy. It's the same blend they've used from the start, and you'll find it across every Skin Food product today, including the latest face care range. I wrote all about their Skin Food Super Serum here.
3. Based on Anthroposophic medicine
Weleda produces both natural skincare and anthroposophic medicines, with a long-standing pharmaceutical heritage. Anthroposophic medicine works with the body as a whole rather than focusing on isolated symptoms, using plant, mineral and metal-based ingredients.
4. Rudolf Steiner developed biodynamic farming
Biodynamic farming was developed by Steiner himself. In 1924 he delivered the Agriculture Course at Koberwitz, which became the foundation of biodynamic farming and the organic agriculture movement. Biodynamic farming treats the farm as a self-contained ecosystem, using plant-based preparations to build soil health and timing the harvest to natural cycles. Weleda has practised it since its founding, and many of the plants used across their formulations, including those in the signature Phyto-Infusion blend, are grown this way.
5. One of the largest biodynamic medicinal gardens in Europe
Their main garden in Germany covers 57 acres and is one of the largest biodynamic medicinal plant gardens in Europe. They grow 260 plant species biodynamically there, with 180 of those used directly in their products. They also operate eight Weleda gardens worldwide across Europe, South America and New Zealand to source specific plants in their native environments.
The Weleda Birch Cellulite Oil is a good example of this. Young birch leaves are harvested in spring when their concentration of flavonoids, saponins and tannins is at its highest. These leaves come from Weleda's own biodynamic gardens and from long-standing fair-trade partnerships, primarily in the Czech Republic. I wrote this guide to birch for skin and cellulite.
6. Plants are processed immediately after harvest
Weleda farmers hand-select blossoms, leaves and roots at their seasonal peak, and these plants go from field to processing within hours to preserve their active compounds. The fresh plant material is then combined with organic alcohol or pure spring water to create the tinctures that form the base of their products. The calendula in the Weleda Calendula Baby Oil is processed soon after harvest, with alcohol to extract and preserve the plant's natural compounds before it's blended into the final formulation.
7. They use the whole plant
Weleda processes around 1,000 natural raw materials across their three production sites. They release the properties of each plant through grinding, cutting or squeezing, rather than isolating single compounds. This is very different to how many mainstream cosmetic brands formulate, where individual actives are extracted in a lab and the rest of the plant goes to waste.
8. It was one of the brands that helped shape my early store
Weleda was one of the early brands I stocked when I was building my business back in 2012, and it quickly became one of my best sellers. Back then, hardly anyone was focused on natural beauty, so it was a natural fit from the very beginning. My best sellers from back then are still my best sellers today, and they tend to be Weleda's hidden gems: the Hair Tonic, the White Mallow Face Cream and the Salt Toothpaste.
9. One of the first brands certified by the UEBT
Weleda is one of the first brands worldwide to hold the Union for Ethical Biotrade (UEBT) Sourcing with Respect certification. This confirms their entire supply chain meets high standards for biodiversity and fair treatment of farming communities, covering their own gardens and every ingredient sourced from global partners.
10. Weleda co-founded the NATRUE certification
In 2007, Weleda and a group of European organic cosmetics companies co-founded NATRUE as a non-profit. NATRUE is now one of the most rigorous international standards for natural and organic cosmetics globally. All Weleda products carry the NATRUE certification, and the entire range is certified natural or organic.
About the Author ~ Irene Falcone
Irene Falcone is a clean beauty writer and co-host of a wellness podcast. She has spent more than 15 years reading the back of beauty labels, and is a Telstra Business Women's Awards winner and a judge for the Clean + Conscious Awards.
Leave a comment