Bioturm

Bioturm is a German maker of certified natural cosmetics, based in Marienrachdorf in the Westerwald region between Cologne and Frankfurt. It was founded in 2001 by Martin and Karin Evers, a couple who had spent years in the organic food trade before turning to skin care [2]. Most of its products are built on a fermented organic whey complex, and the company concentrates on dry, sensitive and irritated skin, including care used alongside medical treatment for atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.

The business is still family-run and is now led by the second generation. Bioturm says its range has grown to more than 160 products and that, outside Germany, it sells in around 30 countries. The brand marks its 25th anniversary in 2026. Its catalogue spans facial and body care, cleansing, deodorants, hair and scalp care, and a line of vegan, plastic-free solid bars.

Before Bioturm, Martin and Karin Evers ran their own organic shop and later the food brand Martin Evers Naturkost. According to the company's team page, Martin Evers also made organic baby food under the name pro-biJo, and he turned to cosmetics after selling his natural-food brand [3]. The company describes the couple as "Bio-Pioniere", organic pioneers.

The idea for the skin care grew out of that food background. In the company's telling, Martin ran tests during his years in the organic food business and noticed that organic whey, the watery liquid left over when milk is turned into cheese or quark, contains components also found on healthy skin. That observation became the basis for what Bioturm calls its Lacto-Intensiv Wirkkomplex, a "lacto-intensive active complex" made from whey.

The name joins "Bio", for organic, with "Turm", the German word for tower. It refers to the historic water tower in Marienrachdorf that stands on the company's original site. Bioturm says the tower became a symbol of its philosophy, standing for vision, stability and protection.

Accounts of the founding differ slightly in who is named. The company's own history and team pages credit both Martin and Karin Evers, while a profile on the German website Utopia.de summarises the brand as founded in 2001 by Martin Evers alone [12]. Karin Evers has been part of the business from its first steps; according to the company, she had already backed her husband during the Martin Evers Naturkost years. The year itself is not in dispute. The company's homepage speaks of 25 years and its history page of "more than 25 years", but both date the start to 2001.

The first three products appeared in 2002: Hautschutz-Salbe Nr.1, a protective skin ointment, followed by Hydrolotion Nr.2 and Lipidlotion Nr.3. All three combined the whey complex with urea, a moisture-binding ingredient often used on very dry skin. Bioturm says the products quickly found an audience among people with skin irritation, and all three remain in the range.

Certification came early. The company joined BDIH, which runs a German standard for certified natural cosmetics, in 2005, and had its first products certified under BDIH rules in 2007. BDIH later helped form COSMOS, a shared standard developed with natural-cosmetics certifiers from France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Belgium.

Urea soon became a sticking point. Because cosmetic urea has to be produced synthetically and cannot be taken from natural sources, BDIH does not accept it, which left Bioturm's founding products outside the standard it had joined. The company says it "fought" for the ingredient on the strength of customer feedback, and in 2014 its urea products were certified as natural cosmetics by the Italian certifier ICEA [2]. In 2018 they were additionally certified under NatureThanx, a then-new standard for natural care products used alongside medical therapy.

The next generation joined in 2015, when the founders' daughter Jasmin entered the management after completing her pharmacy degree. The same year, Martin Evers and Felix Langer, Jasmin's husband, who had been with the company since 2013, started a small apiary as a shared hobby. The company's farmland was certified organic in 2016. The honey is sold locally and also goes into several Bioturm products, and the company has experimented on its grounds with growing sunflowers and medicinal herbs as its own raw materials.

In 2018 Bioturm also began working with ClimatePartner. Two years later it launched its first plastic-free solid products and its first products carrying a financial climate contribution. The company celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2021.

A new timber-built headquarters was completed in 2023, allowing Bioturm to return to its founding location in Marienrachdorf. According to the company, the building holds about 930 square metres of office space and more than 1,000 square metres of storage. A flagship store at the site lets visitors try the products and get advice in person.

Bioturm is owned and run by the family company BIOTURM GmbH; no outside parent company or investor is named. The founders handed over gradually rather than in a single step. Today the company is led by Karin Evers together with her daughter Jasmin Langer and son-in-law Felix Langer [4].

Karin Evers is managing director and oversees accounting, invoicing and order processing. Jasmin Langer, also a managing director, is responsible for product development and quality management and draws on her experience as a pharmacist. Felix Langer heads day-to-day operations. Martin Evers is described by the company as a founder now in retirement, though still a source of ideas.

Bioturm presents itself as a specialist in skin health, particularly for irritated and demanding skin. Its tagline is "BIOTURM hilft der Haut", meaning "Bioturm helps the skin". The company names three guiding values: quality, a sense of connection with the organic sector and its customers, and what it calls "Hautkompetenz", or skin expertise. It describes its mission as listening to people's many different "skin stories" and helping those with sensitive and irritated skin in daily life.

That positioning places the brand between natural cosmetics and medical skin care. Much of the range is described by the company as medical cleansing and care products, intended as accompanying care for atopic dermatitis (eczema), psoriasis and very dry skin. Bioturm says these products have proved themselves in that role over the years. A separate vegan line covers everyday care for normal skin.

The company sells through wholesale and retail partners as well as directly, through its own online shop and its store in Marienrachdorf. A small sales team looks after international partners and trade fairs. Utopia.de describes Bioturm as a small natural-cosmetics manufacturer with care products for face, body, skin and hair.

At the centre of most formulas is the Lacto-Intensiv Wirkkomplex. According to Bioturm, it is made from organic sour whey sourced from certified Demeter farms in southern Germany and fermented under controlled conditions with lactic acid bacteria [8]. The company says the whey's natural lactic acid, amino acids and trace elements are readily taken up by the skin and help normalise its bacterial balance and protective acid layer [5]. These effects are the company's own description.

The whey complex is paired with active ingredients the company singles out: urea, micro-silver, hyaluronic acid, oat and panthenol. Plant oils and extracts used across the range include aloe vera, calendula, chamomile, evening primrose oil, St John's wort, lavender, lotus flower and schisandra. A second base, which Bioturm calls the Hydro Care formula, appears in newer cleansing products. One example is the vegan Seelen-Schmeichler Relaxdusche Lavendel, a lavender shower gel with organic almond milk, which the company presented as new in 2026.

Several products show the range's practical leaning. The Silber-Deo INTENSIV is a roll-on deodorant that combines micro-silver, which Bioturm says works against odour-causing bacteria, with alum minerals to reduce sweating. A moistening foam for toilet paper, made with the whey complex plus witch hazel and chamomile, is offered as an alternative to fleece-based moist toilet tissue; the company says it also spares sewage plants from improperly flushed wipes.

Beyond these, the catalogue covers basic cleansing and care for different skin types, preventive care for sensitive skin, niche products for specific uses and a large section for scalp care, hair care and styling. Many of the vegan products come as solid bars, among them shower bars and shampoos.

On certification, the company states that all of its products are certified as natural cosmetics, with the relevant standard listed on each product page [7]. Most of the early products still meet BDIH guidelines, while the urea-based skin care carries ICEA and NatureThanx certification; COSMOS Natural is also among the standards Bioturm lists. It further states that every product is made in Germany and contains no synthetic fragrances or colourants, silicones, paraffin oil, PEGs or parabens, and that it avoids genetically engineered ingredients [6]. The company says it has not tested its products on animals since its founding in 2001, years before the European Union banned animal testing for cosmetics in 2009. No third-party cruelty-free certification is documented.

Bioturm says it chooses packaging with an eye to recyclability and low resource use. According to the company, its plastic packaging is made from recyclable polyethylene and polypropylene, without PVC, and its shampoo bottles contain 92 percent recycled material [9]. The solid bars are sold without plastic packaging.

Through ClimatePartner, the company has made financial contributions to climate-protection projects since 2018, and its solid bars have carried such a contribution since 2020 [10]. Parcels are shipped using DHL's GoGreen Plus service. The company also keeps seven organic bee colonies on its land and has left part of its grounds in a near-natural state, which it presents as support for pollinators and biodiversity.

Bioturm's face cream was rated "sehr gut" (very good) in an Öko-Test face cream test, according to a March 2026 roundup on familie.de that listed it among three Öko-Test winners [11]. The article described the cream as certified natural cosmetics meant to reduce and prevent skin tightness and redness while protecting the skin from external influences. Utopia.de places Bioturm 16th of 31 in its list of natural-cosmetics manufacturers [12].

Bioturm is active. In 2026 the company is marking its 25th anniversary, operates its own online shop and flagship store, and continues to introduce new products. It reports a range of more than 160 items and sales in around 30 countries outside Germany, with the founding family still in charge.