The Dark Secret of a Century-Old Skincare Company
Weleda Probes Chilling Claims of Human Experiments On Jews During Holocaust
A century-old natural cosmetics company is launching a new probe into accusations its anti-freeze cream was used in brutal Nazi medical experiments during the Holocaust.
Weleda, the Swiss natural health and skincare giant, is initiating an independent investigation into claims that its anti-freeze cream was used in horrific human experiments at the Dachau concentration camp. The company, known for its widely popular Skin Food range, announced the new probe after a historian, Anne Sudrow, made serious allegations regarding its activities between 1942 and 1943.
According to research commissioned by the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, Sudrow alleges that SS doctor Sigmund Rascher used Weleda's hypothermia-prevention cream in experiments on concentration camp prisoners. Rascher reportedly conducted these brutal tests on up to 300 individuals, forcing them into ice baths to determine if the cream could delay hypothermia. As many as 90 prisoners are believed to have died during these experiments. Sudrow’s research also claims that Weleda placed an order for raw materials from a garden at the camp where prisoners worked.
This new investigation comes after a previous report commissioned by Weleda in 2023 found no conclusive evidence to support these claims. That internal study concluded that while the company requested plants from Dachau, they were never delivered, and no proof existed that Rascher had actually tested the cream on prisoners. However, Weleda's CEO, Tina Müller, now admits the earlier probe "may have been incomplete" and has hired the German Society for Corporate History to conduct a new, more thorough investigation. The historians have been granted complete access to the company's archives, including administrative board minutes from the Nazi era.
Founded in 1921 by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, Weleda has built its global reputation on the principles of anthroposophy, a spiritual philosophy that promotes natural healing and biodynamic farming.
In a statement to the BBC, Müller addressed the gravity of the accusations. "We condemn the atrocities of National Socialism in the strongest possible terms," she said. "Fascism, anti-Semitism, racism, or right-wing extremist ideology have no place with us. 'Never again' expresses our stance. That's why we are committed to a complete reappraisal of our history."