Weleda has been part of my business for a long time. I started working with them in 2014, when they knocked on my door at my first warehouse in Frenchs Forest. This photo is from that day. As a side note, my warehouse is now in Warriewood, right next door to them.

Weleda has been making natural skincare since 1921, and they are one of the original toxin-free skincare brands, with a rich and authentic heritage behind how they grow, harvest and process their botanicals into the products we know and love. After more than 100 years, the founding principles and philosophy that shaped their very first formulas still apply to every new product they release.

These are 10 things I love about Weleda.

1. A rich heritage dating back to the 1920s

Weleda was founded in 1921 in Switzerland by philosopher Rudolf Steiner, physician Dr Ita Wegman and chemist Oskar Schmiedel. They started as a small pharmaceutical laboratory and hospital, and their approach to skincare grew directly out of their work in natural medicine. The botanical research that shaped their first formulas is the same foundation their products are built on today.

The most iconic example of this is the Weleda Skin Food, first created in 1926.

2. A signature Phyto-Infusion blend of botanicals

The original Weleda Skin Food is based on a signature Phyto-Infusion blend of botanicals made up of four plant extracts: calendula, chamomile, rosemary and wild pansy. This same signature blend is still used today across all Skin Food products, including the newer face care range.

I have also shared more on their new Skin Food Super Serum, along with all the different ways to use the original Skin Food.

3. Based on anthroposophic medicine

Weleda produces both natural skincare and anthroposophic medicines, and has a long-standing pharmaceutical heritage. Anthroposophic medicine is a holistic approach to health that works with the body as a whole, rather than focusing on isolated symptoms, using plant, mineral and metal-based ingredients.

This philosophy influences how Weleda develops its products, from the way ingredients are grown to how their formulations are created. This is part of what makes Weleda feel so special.

4. Rudolf Steiner developed biodynamic farming

Steiner didn’t just practise biodynamic farming, he developed it. 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 biodynamic farming since its founding, and many of the plants used across their formulations, including those in the signature Phyto-Infusion blend, are grown using these methods.

5. One of the largest biodynamic medicinal gardens in Europe

Their main garden in Germany covers 23 hectares (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 are sourced both from Weleda’s own biodynamic gardens and through long-standing fair-trade partnerships, primarily in the Czech Republic. If you want to know more about this, 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 peak potency, 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.

Calendula is one of the best examples of this. The freshly harvested flowers used in the Weleda Calendula Baby Oil are processed carefully soon after harvest, using alcohol to help extract and preserve the plant’s natural compounds before being incorporated into the final formulation.

7. They use the whole plant, not isolated compounds

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 is not used.

8. It was one of the brands that helped grow my business

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-selling brands. Back then, not many stores were focused on natural beauty, so it was a natural fit from the beginning.

What’s interesting is that my best sellers from back then are still my best sellers today. They tend to be more of Weleda’s hidden gems, like the Hair Tonic, White Mallow Face Cream, Birch Oil 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 not just their own gardens but 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.

When you look at Weleda as a whole, it's not just one product or even one range that stands out, it's how everything connects. From the way their ingredients are grown and processed to the philosophy behind each formula, it all traces back to the same foundations they started with over 100 years ago. That's what makes Weleda different, and why I've been stocking them for over a decade.