Elisabeth Sigmund, co-founder Dr. Hauschka Skin Care and Make-up
Each year 25th October is a special day for us, for this day would have been Elisabeth Sigmund's Birthday. Elisabeth was the co-founder of Dr. Hauschka Skin Care and developer of the Dr. Hauschka treatments.
Elisabeth was a researcher, developer, Red Cross sister, esthetician and had studied several semesters of medicine. Ever since childhood, Elisabeth researched medicinal plants with benefits for the skin. Her interests formed the basis for her holistic skin care concept, which she developed.
In her Cosmetics Institute in Stockholm she began producing skin-normalising products on a larger scale. It was during this time that she came up with the idea of oil-free night time skin care after seeing such positive effects on her client's skin.
Throughout her life, Elisabeth had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and conducted extensive independent studies into cosmetically active medicinal plants. She consistently used her findings to develop her skin care products.
Elisabeth always loved the theatre, she even temporarily worked in production and her circle of friends included many actors and dancers.
Incidentally, it was for the latter and their tired and sore feet that she developed Ballet Foot Elixir. Today it is known as Sage Purifying Bath Essence.
As an esthetician, she also recognised how stressed the actors’ skin was, as their stage make-up was not derived from well-tolerated products. Therefore, she proposed the idea of a different type of make-up to Dr. Rudolf Hauschka. For her, creating make-up that wasn’t beneficial for the skin was simply inconceivable.
After Elisabeth's husband had experienced such good results with WALA medicines and a student had also spoken of WALA products with such fervour that she asked WALA to send her some of their anthroposophical homeopathic medicines, which she used to further develop her skin care products.
In 1962, Elisabeth Sigmund received a letter from Dr. Rudolf Hauschka asking her for ideas for a ‘very special’ approach to skin care, in line with the WALA principles.
After a period of development and traveling back and forth between Sweden and Southern Germany, the first skin care range was launched in June 1967 and was known then as 'Dr. Hauschka Healing Skin Care by Elisabeth Sigmund’.
Products such as Cleansing Cream, Facial Toner, Clarifying Day Oil, Silk Body Powder and Lip Balm are directly related to her creation.
While working on her memoirs, she stated: "It made me aware, once again, of the internal driving force behind so many things in my life. It was my love of medicinal plants and aesthetics that merged into a passion that determined my life: cosmetics."
Pic: Elisabeth being interviewed, she was 90 years old at the time. Elisabeth passed away peacefully in her home on the morning of 20th December 2013 at the age of 99.