BASEL โ Weleda, the 104-year-old Swiss maker of natural cosmetics, announced it will conduct an independent historical investigation following a new report suggesting that one of its skin creams was used in Nazi medical experiments at Dachau concentration camp.
The research, led by historian Anne Sudrow and commissioned by the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, alleges that in late 1942 Weleda delivered a โfrost creamโ to the Munich home of SS doctor Sigmund Rascher, who was conducting hypothermia experiments on prisoners at Dachau. The report states that about 300 prisoners were subjected to freezing conditions, and between 80 and 90 died during or after the experiments.
In a statement, Weleda said it โcondemns the atrocities of the Nazi regimeโ and would fund a large, independent study to clarify its role. The company, which was founded in 1921 in Switzerland and Germany, said fascism, antisemitism, and racism have โno place in Weleda.โ
The company also said it had already provided historians with full access to its archives and pointed to an earlier 2024 internal report that examined its wartime activities. That report, prepared by the Society for Corporate History, acknowledged that Weleda supplied frost cream to the German armed forces but said there was no direct evidence proving the product was used in the Dachau experiments or that company officials knew of any such use.
Sudrowโs findings suggest closer personal ties between some Weleda staff and SS officials, as well as the companyโs reliance on medicinal plants grown on plantations run by the SS. Those revelations, she said, merit a deeper independent inquiry to determine the full extent of any cooperation or complicity.
The new allegations have drawn attention from Jewish organizations and Holocaust memorial institutions. The Central Council of Jews in Germany and other Jewish groups have urged Weleda to cooperate fully with independent scholars and publish the results transparently. They stressed that acknowledging and documenting corporate links to Nazi crimes is a moral and historical duty.
Weleda, which operates in more than 50 countries, is widely known for its natural skin care and holistic health products. The company said the forthcoming investigation will be entirely independent and involve external experts in Holocaust and corporate history.
Holocaust researchers said the case underscores how some civilian industries benefited from Nazi-era contracts or research programs, even when not directly involved in crimes. โIndependent, documented research is the only way to establish truth,โ said a statement from the Dachau Memorial Site. โCorporate responsibility includes confronting difficult aspects of history.โ
For many in the Jewish and pro-Israel communities, the case is a reminder that the Holocaustโs legacy extends beyond governments and military figures to companies that operated during that period. Transparent investigations, they say, are essential to ensuring that future generations understand both the mechanisms of Nazi exploitation and the moral responsibilities of those who may have profited from it.
Weleda has not admitted wrongdoing but said it โdeeply regrets any possible associationโ with Nazi crimes. The company pledged to make the results of the independent study public once it is completed.
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This article is based on verified information from The Guardian, the Dachau Memorial Site report by Anne Sudrow, Weledaโs official corporate statements, the Society for Corporate Historyโs 2024 study, the Times of Israel, and JTA.