Becker Manicure

Becker Manicure is a German manufacturer of precision steel instruments for manicure, pedicure and grooming, based in the blade-making city of Solingen. The company was founded in 1930 by Erich Becker (1901–1968) and has stayed in family hands across three generations [2]. It is still operating, with current leadership held by Erich's grandson Michael Becker.

The legal entity is Becker Manicure GmbH & Co. KG, but most of its consumer-facing products reach buyers under the umbrella name BECKER Solingen and, in particular, the flagship tool brand ERBE Solingen. The business combines traditional Solingen sharpening techniques with in-house electroplating, leather-goods production and a sustainability programme that has drawn repeated industry recognition.

Erich Becker started the company in Solingen in 1930, concentrating from the outset on personal-care steel instruments. His son Siegfried Becker (1935–2016) took over in 1968, and Siegfried's son Michael Becker assumed leadership in 2006, giving the firm three generations of continuous family ownership [2]. The company describes its work as "three generations in the manufacture of high quality steelware," with Solingen know-how passed down through the family.

Solingen itself is central to the company's identity. Under a 1938 German decree, only goods made entirely within the city and meeting a strict manufacturing code may carry the protected "Made in Solingen" mark — a geographic-origin seal rather than a generic country label. Becker manufactures in Solingen and applies "Made in Solingen | Germany" to its ERBE line.

The most cited technical milestone is the sapphire coating for nail files, which according to the company was developed by Siegfried Becker several decades ago, in the 1950s [6]. The firm expanded into shaving accessories during the 1980s, broadening its range from nail care into wider grooming.

Manufacturing infrastructure has shaped later milestones. On-site combined heat-and-power plants were installed in 2016. In 2021 a Solingen leather-goods factory that had operated since the 1950s became part of Becker Manicure GmbH & Co. KG, adding handmade items such as toiletry bags, card holders and spectacle cases to the company's output [8]. In 2024 the company received its fourth "Ethical Style" award from the Nordstil trade fair, cited for environmentally friendly, resource-conserving production [4].

Becker Manicure GmbH & Co. KG operates a portfolio of five brands [1]. ERBE Solingen, founded alongside the company in 1930, is the premium manicure, pedicure and cosmetic-instrument line. PEDI Solingen specialises in callus planes and blades, while YES Solingen is positioned as a younger, lower-priced range sold largely through pharmacies and self-service outlets.

The portfolio also includes two heritage grooming names the company distributes rather than owns. It acts as the exclusive dealer for Germany, Austria and Switzerland of Taylor of Old Bond Street, a London shaving brand tracing its origins to 1854, and it carries Mondial Antica Barberia, an Italian shaving house founded in Florence in 1908 [5].

The company frames quality, sustainability and innovation as its guiding pillars, summed up in the product attributes it gives its instruments: "resistant — sustainable — reliable" [1]. Its stated approach combines modern design with hand-sharpening, repairability and adherence to the Solingen manufacturing code.

Positioning spans home and professional use. ERBE is described as a Solingen premium brand serving both self-care and professional manicure, pedicure, cosmetics and shaving work. Distribution runs through several channels: a factory outlet in Solingen, a dedicated shaving area at the Alsterhaus department store in Hamburg, and sales through pharmacies and specialty retailers.

The ERBE manicure range covers scissors, nippers, files and care tools, offered in finishes from nickel-plated and gold-plated to fully nickel-free or stainless steel. Files include glass, ceramic, emery-paper and sapphire variants. Among the signature items are the LANZA cuticle scissors and the RALLYE manicure case, along with a Titanium Edition of nail scissors that the company says has a self-sharpening effect for longer service life [6].

Several in-house technologies underpin the range. The proprietary Vitaloy coating is described as an "absolutely nickel-free" finishing procedure for metal surfaces, aimed at allergy-sensitive users; the company states it withstands heavy deformation without cracking and passed an extended series of laboratory tests [7]. A separate Natural Line uses plastic-free, biodegradable materials such as certified wood for foot files. Becker also runs a fully automated electroplating plant that takes external work for the automotive, sanitary and costume-jewellery sectors in addition to coating its own tools.

Sustainability is a substantial part of the company's public profile and the basis for its repeated Ethical Style recognition. Becker holds ISO 14001 environmental and ISO 9001 quality certification, and reports an EcoVadis rating [3]. The on-site combined heat-and-power plants generate 170,000 kWh a year, covering about 32 percent of the site's electricity demand, while a photovoltaic system covers roughly a further 30 percent and is credited with saving 45 tonnes of CO2 annually [4].

In its electroplating operations the company reports a 90 percent metal-recovery rate, audited annually, with separate water circulation systems, in-house water treatment and hydrometallurgical extraction of metals from sludge [7]. Packaging uses 100 percent recycled cardboard fibre and 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic, is FSC-certified, and is assembled without glue to ease disposal. ERBE products are also designed with repairability in mind, able to be reground or readjusted to extend their service life.

The company's principal public recognition is the "Ethical Style" award from the Nordstil trade fair, which it states it has received four times, most recently in 2024, for environmentally friendly and resource-conserving production. It also identifies itself as a member of Deutsche Manufakturen, an association of German manufactories.

Becker Manicure remains active. It is led by Michael Becker, the third-generation owner since 2006, and continues in-house manufacturing including electroplating and leather goods [2]. The most recent visible activity includes the 2024 Ethical Style award and an ongoing company blog featuring manicure and grooming products [10]. Its scope is multi-region, centred on the Solingen headquarters and Hamburg shaving boutique, with distribution across German-speaking markets and direct export reaching Nordic countries.