February 2018 – Dr. Hauschka Australia Blog

Dr. Hauschka Moisturisers each have their own leading plant, which gives them their distinctive character, as individual as your skin.

The philosophical approach behind Dr. Hauschka Skin Care is Anthroposophy, meaning ‘wisdom of man/woman’.

Philosopher and natural scientist Dr. Rudolf Steiner’s work is not for the faint hearted, however, it’s interesting to have an understanding of how this relates to the development of product formulations and the efficacy of Dr. Hauschka Skin Care preparations. Through close observation of plants in their natural environments Steiner explored the relationship between plants and people. His work revealed the healing qualities of specific plants and showed how each of their three parts is symbiotic with the human body and skin; the body’s largest organ. This concept he named ‘three-fold’.

Three parts to people

According to the three-fold image, the human being is made up of three core systems: the nerve-sense, the rhythmic and the metabolic-limb.

Three parts to plants

Like humans, plants have their own three-fold system. For a plant, however, the system is turned upside down. While in a human the nerve-sense system is found in the head, in a plant, it’s in the roots, the other way around. The metabolic-limb system is at the top of a plant in its flowers, fruits and seeds. At the centre of a plant, the stem and leaves is the rhythmic system.

Three parts to skin

Skin has three layers; the epidermis (top layer), dermis (mid layer) and subcutaneous or hypodermis (3rd and deepest layer). You would have heard of the term ‘third degree burns’, meaning all three layers of the skin.

Three-fold systems of Human Beings, Plants and the Skin — Three-fold systems of Human Beings, Plants & Skin

Making a difference

Real health and beauty come from the inside and the outside. In its natural state, the skin is healthy and balanced. However skin condition can easily be compromised when other factors come into play; such as internal and external environmental issues, lifestyle, hormonal issues, transitions or stress. Peace of mind is beneficial for the skin as is adequate sleep, nutritious food, fresh air and exercise.

Negative effects on the skin may result in acne/ blemishes, inflammation, dry and/or dehydrated skin, premature wrinkles or simply a complexion that lacks health and radiance. At this point the natural world helps to heal. How this relates to Dr. Hauschka Skin Care is understanding the remarkable similarities between plants and the skin, so we are able to select ingredients that support particular skin functions.

We can take Rosemary as an example of how we look at a medicinal plant ingredient. Rosemary has few flowers, and an abundance of leaves. The leaves are the plant’s rhythmic system. We look at the effect Rosemary has on our rhythmic system: enhancing circulation, warming and invigorating.

Dr.Hauschka Skin Care preparations contain elements of plant root, leaf and flower, so all three layers of skin are addressed.

Our preparations are developed by Anthroposophically Trained Doctors and Pharmacists in conjunction with our highly qualified Dr. Hauschka trained Estheticians. Our formulations are complex and they comprise of many elements, never one or two.

‘One violin doesn’t make an orchestra.’

Every ingredient that goes into a Dr. Hauschka Skin Care product has an important job to do for your skin. Whether delivering essential moisture, encouraging resilience, nourishment, protection from the environment, improving efficacy or something for the senses as well as your skin in the form of essential oils. Each element is thoughtfully selected for its particular effects and its interaction with the other ingredients in the formula.

*WALA and Dr. Hauschka Skin Care have been working with healing plant and mineral extracts since the 1930’s. This pharmaceutical and medicinal expertise joins over 45 years of pioneering work in truly holistic skin care to create the purest, most effective natural, organic and biodynamic skin care products available.

*WALA produces Dr. Hauschka skin care and make-up and WALA anthroposophical homeopathic remedies.

WALA/Dr. Hauschka biodynamic medicinal plant gardens

Dr. Hauschka Quality

Authentic natural and organic skin care and make-up, certified to NATRUE standards
Free from synthetic chemical fragrances, dyes and preservatives
Free from mineral oils, parabens, silicone and PEGs
Dermatologically tested for sensitive skin
Wherever possible, all raw materials come from controlled organic or biodynamic (Demeter certified) cultivation and are recovered under fair conditions
We do not test on animals

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In creating the formulations for Dr. Hauschka Skin Care products, we draw on the many things that nature has to offer. For example, medicinal plants, botanical oils and waxes and genuine essential oils. Working with renewable natural raw materials has many logistical challenges, therefore long term planning is imperative for us. Many of the medicinal herbs we need are grown by our gardeners in our own biodynamic garden or in the fields on our Demeter certified farm, Sonnenhof. We also purchase other raw materials from regional sources as the climate is not suitable for growing some of the plant species from which we obtain raw materials. WALA*/Dr. Hauschka initiates and supports organic or biodynamic cultivation projects all over the world to ensure premium quality, sufficient quantity, continuity and longevity of ingredient supplies, and we embrace social responsibility and fair price principles. A prime example of this is Rose Essential Oil partnerships in Bulgaria, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and our most recently launched Rose Project in the Ethiopian Highlands.

Did you know?

• There are 30 organic or biodynamic roses in every tube of Rose Day Cream.

• We sell 2 tubes of Rose Day Cream per minute worldwide!

• We purchase the highest quantity of the world’s highest grade organic rose essential oil. It comes from our biodynamic or organic cultivation partnership projects in Ethiopia, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria and Afghanistan.

• Approximately one hectare of roses is needed to obtain 1 kg of precious Rose Essential Oil, which is used in nearly all Dr. Hauschka Skin Care and Make-up products and in many WALA medicines.

Ethiopia

When it comes to sources of Rose Essential Oil, countries such as Turkey, Bulgaria, Iran and Afghanistan come to mind – but Ethiopia? As it turns out, the Ethiopian highlands, which are well known for their coffee, provide the ideal conditions for growing the very fragrant Damask Rose, and it yields an exceptionally precious essential oil.

WALA/Dr. Hauschka Skin Care support the Terra PLC Damask Rose Farm, a fair trade initiative in Ethiopia. We are helping to create a self-reliant and economically sustainable community by establishing a biodynamic resource for Damask Rose Essential Oil, a key ingredient in the Dr. Hauschka range.

In 2005 WALA/Dr. Hauschka Skin Care provided Ethiopian grower, Fekade Lakew, with rose cuttings and introduced him to a consultant to train and advise on biodynamic cultivation methods. It took 7 years before the first harvest of rose blossoms. At that time, in 2012, Lakew also initiated the biodynamic certification process. Once certified, his farm was the sole certified biodynamic source of rose essential oil in Africa.

A key benefit of growing roses near the equator is that the lifespan of the bloom increases substantially, giving farmers twice the time to harvest, and requiring fewer pickers who can often be employed beyond the typical picking season. Ethiopian roses in particular are nearly twice as heavy as blossoms from other countries resulting in a greater yield from fewer plants.

WALA/Dr. Hauschka Skin Care committed to purchasing all of the rose essential oil produced at Fekade Lakew’s farm for a period of ten years, and 60-70% thereafter. This ensures that the initiative has ample time to establish itself without becoming dependent upon a single customer for all its revenue in the long term.

Damask Rose Essential Oil from Ethiopia is used in the formulations of nearly all Dr. Hauschka products, including Rose Day Cream, Rose Day Cream Light, Rose Nurturing Body Wash, Rose Deodorant, Rose Nurturing Body Oil, Rose Nurturing Body Moisturiser, and many of our make-up products. When a Dr. Hauschka customer purchases products featuring this hero ingredient, she/he helps support the growth of this fair trade effort in Ethiopia and Dr. Hauschka’s other rose cultivation projects around the globe.

WALA medicines; WALA Heilmittel GmbH — Rose Project – Iran

Iran

The cultivation of roses in ‘Persia’ is an ancient tradition. There are 1500 growers who work as independent operators for Zahra Rosewater Company, our partner in Iran. Through biodynamic practices over the last few decades the annual production yield is now 900 tonnes of rose water (rose hydrosol) and 150 kgs of rose essential oil. WALA/Dr. Hauschka purchase more than one third of all the rose oil and dried rose blossoms that Zahra produces. The Iranian government subsidises chemical fertilisers, so initially it was extremely difficult to convince the farmers to refrain from using them, and to embrace biodynamic agriculture. Education and training were and still are important pillars of the collaboration with these growers.

Anyone working with Zahra is family and as part of this family-oriented collaboration, older people no longer able to work receive a kind of pension, Zahra has improved the water supply to the villages and supports the schools. A local health centre set up by Zahra guarantees primary health care. Zahra makes it possible for gifted children to attend a special school. The hope is that they will return to their villages with a good education and work there. The idea is working, Lalehzar has the lowest unemployment rate in the region. Zahra also donates part of its profits to the orphanages of the Sanati Foundation.

Bulgaria

Rose oil has been produced for the French perfume industry since the end of the 19th century. These days, however, the perfume industry uses mainly synthetic chemical ‘perfume’ as a much cheaper option. WALA/Dr. Hauschka instigated long term supply contracts with Bulgarian rose growers and the provision of loans to support our new partners. Organic Certification was gained in 2003.

rose flowers, Ethiopia; Rosenblüten, Äthiopien — Rose Project – Turkey

Turkey

Some 320 mountain farmers in the Baskoop Rose Co-operative have adapted their methods of cultivation to supply certified organic roses. WALA is significantly contributing to securing the livelihoods of the local farming families and to the survival of the traditional and labour intensive rose distilling industry. WALA also bears all costs for agricultural, technical and organic consultations and some of the costs of certification.

Auf dem Rosenfeld — Rose Project – Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Did you know that 80% of the world’s heroin comes from Afghanistan? In order to combat the opium trade in Afghanistan and on the initiative of German Agro Action a project was set up for producing rose oil in 2004. This project offers an alternative means of securing a sustainable and honourable livelihood for local farmers. WALA/Dr. Hauschka expressed an interest in the project in 2006 and has been supporting it ever since. Today over 700 farmers are growing organic Damask roses on more than 100 hectares of land. A large volume of organic rose oil is produced, most of which is sold to WALA/Dr. Hauschka. This ancient Afghan tradition has been brought back to life with this budding partnership.

Our Rose Essential Oil is derived from Rosa damascena, named so from Damascus in Syria, also known as the Damask Rose. This most fragrant of roses produces the highest quality Rose Essential Oil, also known as Rose Otto, or Attar of Roses.

We use Rosa gallica also known as The Apothecary’s Rose for precious Rose Wax and Rose Petal Extract.

Rose Hips from Dog Rose (Rosa Canina)

*WALA produces Dr. Hauschka skin care and make-up and WALA anthroposophical homeopathic remedies.

Thanks for reading our blog. xx