Santaverde, one of the pioneers of certified natural and organic cosmetics, has been around for over 30 years. A special story that started in 1985 in Estepona, Andalusia.
It all started with saving her own skin...
When Santaverde founder Sabine Beer and her husband Kurt bought an old finca near Estepona in Andalusia in 1985, she encountered aloe vera for the first time, this ancient medicinal plant whose healing properties had been known in Europe since the Middle Ages.
Her neighbour on the finca, an American, introduced her to aloe vera and its surprising healing power.
”It was an unpleasant situation for me at first. Our neighbour approached me about my skin problems, which I tried to cover up with a thick layer of make-up. Without waiting for my answer, he fetched a freshly cut aloe leaf from his garden and recommended that I apply the jelly-like inside several times a day to my inflamed and simultaneously dry skin areas. At that time I could absolutely not imagine that this strange gel could help me, but then tried it anyway.”
After only a short time, there was a clear improvement in her skin problems. Puzzled, Sabine Beer searched for aloe vera cosmetics with a similar effect. However, she did not find anything, although she was used to investing a lot of money in cosmetics and skin care to solve her skin problem. And so, without further ado, she decided to grow this miracle plant herself on her finca according to ecological guidelines. The first foundation stone for Santaverde was laid.
...how it continued with Santaverde
Originally, Sabine Beer only wanted to grow aloe vera and sell the pure juice, which is extracted from the jelly-like content of the leaves, the fillets, to the cosmetics industry. The cosmetics industry, in turn, should be able to produce effective skin care products for people with skin problems. However, this project proved to be difficult. Everywhere she went she was told that processing the pure juice would be too time-consuming and expensive. Moreover, there would be problems with preservation. A mixture of freeze-dried aloe vera powder with water would be much more efficient. This way, however, was out of the question for Sabine Beer. Since most of the sensitive ingredients are damaged or lost during the drying process from aloe vera juice to powder, the use of aloe vera powder, the so-called aloe vera concentrate, is a deception of consumers in Sabine Beer's eyes. Especially when the labels of these care products show fresh aloe vera leaves.
The birth of the special Santaverde formulation principle
Sabine Beer decided to produce cosmetics herself using fresh, natural aloe vera juice instead of water as the main ingredient: the special Santaverde formulation principle was born. It was an elaborate project that finally succeeded with the help of numerous scientific studies and years of research work by pharmacists and biologists. The first Santaverde organic skin care products went on sale in 1997.
The aloe vera gel pur is one of the first Santaverde skin care products: Whether for sunburn, allergy-prone skin, insect bites or impurities - the aloe vera gel has a scientifically guaranteed regenerating, moisturising and binding, soothing and cooling effect.
Aloe Vera from our own selection
Every single leaf of the organically grown aloe vera plants is harvested by hand and immediately processed in the production laboratory on site at the Santaverde Finca in Andalusia. This way, the sensitive ingredients of the fresh aloe vera plant are preserved in the pure juice.
Santaverde today
Santaverde now offers more than 40 highly effective Aloe Vera natural and organic cosmetic products for healthy and beautiful skin, as well as a 100% pure organic Aloe Vera direct juice, for drinking, certified according to EU guidelines for organic farming. All Santaverde organic skin care products carry the NATRUE seal for certified natural cosmetics, the Leaping Bunny seal as a sign against animal testing and the seal of the Vegan Society. All Santaverde products are free from synthetic fragrances, colours and preservatives.
From Hamburg into the wild world
While in the early days the business was run from the family home of Sabine Beer and her husband, today about 30 employees work in the revitalised premises of a former chocolate factory in Hamburg and on the finca in Estepona.
Santaverde products are available in authorised health food shops, organic shops, selected pharmacies and perfumeries as well as in the company's own online shop and internationally.
"First-class active ingredient cosmetics based on social responsibility and respect for nature are still our main concern,"
Sabine Beer emphasises and is pleased that more and more demanding consumers now share this claim.
Sustainability & Social Responsibility
Santaverde has been consistently focusing on ecological and social business for over 30 years. Thinking and acting sustainably is an inseparable part of our corporate values.
You can find out more about our values and our sustainable actions on our sustainability page.
