Weleda Personal Care and Medicines

Founded in 1921, Weleda is a world leader in holistic natural cosmetics and anthroposophic pharmaceuticals. The company's origins are deeply rooted in the collaboration between Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, Dutch physician Ita Wegman, and German chemist Oskar Schmiedel. They established a laboratory in Arlesheim, Switzerland, and a branch in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany, which remain the core of the brand's identity today.

Weleda operates as a public limited company (Aktiengesellschaft) under Swiss law, with its primary headquarters in Arlesheim, Switzerland. Uniquely, the company is primarily owned by non-profit foundations, specifically the General Anthroposophical Society and the Klinik Arlesheim AG, which ensures the brand maintains its independence and remains committed to its core values of sustainability and harmony with nature rather than short-term profit.

Manufacturing takes place across multiple specialized sites. The main production facilities are located in Switzerland, Germany, and France, while the company also maintains major international subsidiaries in the UK and USA. Weleda is renowned for its use of biodynamic farming, growing many of its botanical ingredients in its own medicinal plant gardens, the largest of which is in Schwäbisch Gmünd. This vertically integrated approach allows the brand to control the quality of its products from seed to shelf.