10 German Cosmetic Brands You Should Know

Generally regarded as Germany’s popular non-drugstore cosmetics brand, Art Deco is the go-to for most middle class women here. The company has been clever in that they have designed a beauty box, which is essentially an empty case for a shadow or blush, that allows customers to choose which shade they want in their palette. Though the individual parts aren’t cheap – each shade is around €6 and a case with space for four will set you back another €10 – there is an enormous variety of shades to choose from.

Also killing it in the multitude of colours department is the cult favourite, Zoeva. Make-up brushes are still made by hand but acquiring one won’t leave you bankrupt. Vegans, take note, Zoeva has a special range of brushes that don’t use any animal products. Frequent travelers will like the mini versions that fit perfectly in a small cosmetics bag.

Could the thermal spring water in Baden-Baden really be the fountain of youth? Sans Soucis isn’t making any claims, but just to be safe, all of their products are made with water from this famous spa town. Sans Soucis offers mainly cleansing and moisturising products, but it has a few high quality foundations available as well.

Béatrice Wenker first worked as a model and then trained as a beautician – that’s a lot of time spent in the make-up chair. Her own skin care line, mawiLove has three products, all serums meant to boost tetrapeptides, repair and firm up tired skin

If you’re familiar with Clinique or Estée Lauder, then Dr Hauschka products will seem very familiar. It’s a sort of low-key old school glamour that has made the products popular with royalty and celebrities for many years. Dr Hauschka is known mainly for their skin care and luxury bath products but they do also have a small make-up range.

This German/Swiss brand is a staple in most natural/organic shops and appears regularly in the skincare sections of better supermarkets and drugstores. The products are made as simply as possible and are designed to deliver what they promise. No Weleda formulations have ever been tested on animals. There are several lines available, the most popular of which are the Skin Food moisturisers and the Calendula Baby Lotion.

One of the oldest cosmetic brands in the world, Farina’s main product is the original cologne from Cologne – the one that all others were named after. Though now the product is used primarily as a scent, in its earlier incarnations, customers bought eau de cologne as protection against the plague and all manner of other ailments. The elixir is made from traditional ingredients including bergamot and amber gris and, for what it’s worth, smells significantly better than modern scents.

Eva Steinmeyer’s great-grandmother used to mix herbal creams for family and neighbours. One day, in the 21st century, Steinmeyer discovered the old recipe book and set out to modernise the formulas in order to mix old knowledge with new practice. The A4 line focuses on anti-aging products like Golden Oil for Face and Body.

Just because you like organic products and care about animals and the environment, doesn’t mean you want to wear linen or clay on your face. Und Gretel founder Christina Roth was determined to find a way to offer intense colour without using synthetic preservatives, and she did. Und Gretel make-up is made up of natural ingredients like avocado oil, chamomile extract, sage, mineral pigments and waxes.

Very similar to Weleda, but a little easier on the wallet, Lavera is a great first stop if you find yourself in need of toiletries in Germany. They’ve got everything from soap, lotion, deoderant, sunscreen, makeup and hair products. It’s a great choice for those that are sensitive of skin, as Lavera has a specialist line of products designed to be extra gentle.