Not Your Average Night Cream

Susan Kurz believes the skin is like a plant. “The epidermis is the root, the dermis is the stem and leaf, and the subcutaneous is the seed and flower,” explains the president of Dr. Hauschka Skin Care, which combines pharmaceutical technology and traditional herbal preparations with a holistic approach to healing the skin by supporting its natural functions.

Founded in 1967 by chemist Rudolf Hauschka and aesthetician Elisabeth Sigmund, the beauty company’s lab, WALA Heilmittel is in Erfelden, Germany. WALA stands for Warmth-Ash-Light-Ash, representing the rhythmical, water-based extraction process used after plants are harvested by hand at sunrise—when the oils are most concentrated—yielding bath oils, skin treatments and cosmetics without alcohol or preservatives. “Rather than suppressing one symptom like dryness or oiliness, we activate the skin’s ability to heal itself,” says Kurz, whose book, Awakening Beauty, will be published in May.

The brand is also dedicated to fair trade and eco-conscious business practices, like helping rose farmers in Turkey convert to biodynamic agriculture and teaching women in Burkina Faso how to turn shea nuts into butter so they can earn money to send their children to school.