Wed, 10 Sep 2025

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 Weleda launches inquiry into Nazi camp skin test claims

A new study alleges the skincare brand's product was used for human experiments by a Nazi doctor.

* Weleda, a natural cosmetics company, is investigating its links to a Nazi concentration camp after allegations an anti-freeze cream it produced was tested on prisoners.
* Historian Anne Sudrow claims Weleda ordered raw materials from a garden at the Dachau camp and made a cream used in human experiments by SS doctor Sigmund Rascher.
* Weleda said a 2023 report found no evidence Dr. Rascher tested the cream on prisoners, but acknowledged new findings "may not have been fully explored in previous research".
* The company condemned the Nazi regime's atrocities and is committed to researching its history transparently.
* A separate study by German body Society for Corporate History (GuG) found Weleda requested plants from the Dachau camp garden, which were never delivered.
* Dr. Rascher ordered 20kg of Weleda's anti-freeze cream as part of his "cold experiments", but there was no evidence the company knew it was used on concentration camp prisoners.
* The investigation is expected to be published in early 2027 after Weleda provided historians with full access to its archives.
  >>