Martina Gebhardt:
Demeter cosmetics from the monastery
Martina Gebhardt founded her company in 1986, after a self-made sage-thyme salve caused a scar on her cheek to fade. Today her manufactory in Wessobrunn Monastery in Upper Bavaria is the world's first and only fully Demeter-certified cosmetics company. 140+ products, no synthetic emulsifiers, no glycerin. Formulas drawn from monastery sources and thousand-year-old spagyric knowledge.
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Demeter certification
Demeter-certified
or organic farming
"More than 35 years ago I was considered a pioneer in producing natural cosmetics. Later I was one of the first to switch to organic, and finally to Demeter-certified cosmetics."Martina Gebhardt, Founder
From a scar to a
cosmetics manufactory
As a small child, a dog bit Martina Gebhardt on the cheek. The scar remained. As a teenager, a doctor treated it with a lanolin salve based on sage and thyme, and the scar faded. This experience laid the foundation for everything that followed.
Gebhardt began making herbal creams herself, studied monastery pharmacy recipes and financed her architecture degree at the Munich University of Applied Sciences with them, graduating in 1986. That same year she founded her company.
Today the manufactory produces in Wessobrunn Monastery in Upper Bavaria, which Martina Gebhardt acquired in 2014 and has been restoring according to historical plans with the support of heritage conservation. The monastery has three artesian springs, a biodynamic medicinal plant garden and a complete Demeter farm cycle with its own bees, sheep, runner ducks and fish.
Spagyric: a
millennia-old process
The word spagyric derives from the Greek terms for to separate and to combine. It is an alchemical process for extracting plant essences, rooted in the cultures of Egypt, China and India and further developed by Paracelsus (1493-1541).
Conventional extraction methods obtain either the water-soluble or the oil-soluble parts of the plant. Spagyric uses all three principles of the plant: the spirit (volatile components), the soul (extract) and the body (mineral salts from the ash). The result is an essence carrying the plant's complete effect.
According to her own account, Martina Gebhardt came across this process when she believed she had discovered a new method of plant extraction, until she was told: spagyric has already existed for over 8,000 years.
The process in three steps
The medicinal plant tincture undergoes fermentation. The alcohol (the volatile component, the so-called spirit) is then distilled off. The distillate contains the plant's volatile active substances.
The distillation residue is burned to ash (calcined). This releases minerals and trace elements that are otherwise inaccessible in any other extraction method.
Distillate and dissolved mineral salts are brought back together. The result contains the complete plant effect: water-, oil- and salt-soluble components combined. Harmful accompanying substances that could cause side effects are eliminated through the processing.
Martina Gebhardt range:
the main product lines
Belladonna Naturkosmetik carries the complete Martina Gebhardt range with 140+ products. All bottled in opal glass, all Demeter-certified, all preserved without synthetic preservatives through heat sterilisation.
Face care is organised into system lines by skin condition: Rose for dry and sensitive skin, Salvia (sage) for blemished and oily skin, Ginseng for demanding skin, Shea Butter for very sensitive skin. All lanolin-based, without glycerin.
Explore face care Body & handsBody lotions and body oils, the Hand & Nail line for well-groomed hands and the Happy Feet foot care. Made from biodynamic raw materials, with plant oils and butters in Demeter quality.
Explore body care Mature skinThe line for mature skin is deliberately called Happy Aging, not anti-aging. Martina Gebhardt: "Anti means resistance and ultimately turns against ourselves." Cream, Lotion, Cleanser, Tonic and Vital Mask support the regeneration of mature skin from 40.
Explore Happy Aging Baby & KidsThe Baby & Kids line with calendula for the sensitive skin of babies and children. Like the entire range: without synthetic preservatives, without mineral oils, Demeter-certified and bottled in opal glass.
Explore baby & kidsMartina Gebhardt sustainability:
Demeter, the strictest standard
Demeter is the most demanding certification standard in natural cosmetics. It covers not only the raw materials but the entire value chain: from cultivation through processing to packaging and the working conditions of everyone involved.
Over 95% of raw materials come from biodynamic (Demeter) or certified organic cultivation, some plants directly from the medicinal plant garden of Wessobrunn Monastery. The Demeter standard requires at least 90% biodynamic ingredients.
Since its founding in 1986, all products have been bottled in opal glass. Opal glass protects light-sensitive ingredients and enables heat sterilisation as preservation, without biocidal preservatives.
A closed farm cycle is part of the Demeter standard. Wessobrunn Monastery is home to its own bees, sheep, runner ducks and fish, which enliven the biodynamic operation and live from it.
The formulas are free of synthetic emulsifiers, surfactants, glycerin or alcohol. Lanolin (wool wax) forms the cream base and is physiologically similar to human skin sebum.
Demeter explicitly examines the contractual situation of all employees at every stage of the value chain. This is unusual in the cosmetics sector and a distinguishing feature of the Demeter standard.
Martina Gebhardt is a member of the International Association of Manufacturers Against Animal Testing in Cosmetics (IHTK). All products additionally carry the BDIH mark for Controlled Natural Cosmetics.
What you should know about Martina Gebhardt
Answers to frequently asked questions about ingredients, application and product selection in the FAQ below.
Why no glycerin?
Martina Gebhardt avoids glycerin in the creams. Glycerin is inexpensive and binds moisture, but according to the brand it can draw moisture out of the skin when the surrounding air is dry. Instead, lanolin (wool wax) forms the cream base, structurally similar to human skin sebum and penetrating deep into the skin. Added to this are plant oils and herbal extracts in pure spring water. The creams contain no alcohol, whereas the tonics do, where it serves as a natural part of the formula.
What does Demeter mean for cosmetics?
Demeter is the strictest standard in the organic field and goes far beyond organic. For cosmetics this means: biodynamically grown raw materials, transparent supply chains, audited working conditions and a production method that incorporates the rhythms of nature. In 1998 Martina Gebhardt herself helped develop the Demeter cosmetics standard, as none existed at the time.
Who is Martina Gebhardt cosmetics suitable for?
The products are aimed at people who seek maximum transparency in ingredients and are willing to use simple, effective formulas without fillers. They are particularly popular with people who have sensitive or reactive skin, as the formulas are concentrated on a few well-tolerated active substances. The baby and child line is designed for especially sensitive skin. Those looking for vegan cosmetics should note: lanolin (wool wax) is an animal product.
Frequently asked questions about
Martina Gebhardt
Natural cosmetics brands
like Martina Gebhardt
Those who appreciate Martina Gebhardt will find further brands at Belladonna that rely uncompromisingly on natural ingredients.
Holistic face care
Dr. Hauschka shares the approach of the skin's own activity and also works with medicinal plant extracts, NATRUE-certified since 1967. For emulsifier-free high-tech formulas, Dr. Hauck is recommended, with especially well-tolerated formulas for sensitive skin.
Probiotic natural cosmetics
ESSE from South Africa works with probiotic and prebiotic ingredients for a healthy skin microbiome. Pharmos Natur from Israel relies on freshly pressed aloe vera gel as its main active ingredient, likewise minimalist and highly effective.
Classic natural cosmetics
Annemarie Börlind from the Black Forest and BIOTURM with its Lacto-Intensiv active complex stand for proven German natural cosmetics with a long tradition and clear efficacy profiles.
Martina Gebhardt at Belladonna
The complete range with 140+ Demeter-certified products. Personal advice from trained specialists with over 40 years of experience in natural cosmetics. Or book a free consultation online or by phone.