# Dr. Storz ## Facts | | | |---|---| | Origin | Germany | | Headquarters | Berlin | | Status | Active | | Manufacturing | Germany (production of the gel), Mexico (cultivation of Aloe barbadensis and production of the concentrate) | | Distribution | Pharmacy | | Website | https://aloe-vera-gepflegt.de/ | Dr. Storz is a German skincare brand built around a single product: Dr. Storz ALOE VERA 97,5% GEL, an aloe vera gel sold only through pharmacies. The gel is certified as a medical device rather than sold as a plain cosmetic, and it is made in Germany from aloe grown in Mexico. The brand belongs to Esteve Pharmaceuticals GmbH, the Berlin-based German subsidiary of the Spanish pharmaceutical group ESTEVE [2]. German pharmacy trade press has described the gel as probably the best-known aloe vera pharmacy product [9]. That same coverage, however, centred on two critical verdicts from the consumer magazine Öko-Test, which objected to some of the formula's additives. When the Dr. Storz name was introduced, and who it refers to, is not publicly documented. ## History & milestones The early history of Dr. Storz is not on public record. The brand comes into clearer view in the late 2010s, when it was marketed by Riemser, a Berlin-based pharmaceutical company. Trade reports from 2018 and 2020 both name Riemser as the company behind the gel. In the summer of 2018, Öko-Test included the gel in a comparison of 18 aloe care products drawn from pharmacies and drugstores. It was rated "befriedigend" (satisfactory), a middling result in a test where eleven products, among them drugstore own-label products, received the top grade [8]. Two years later the magazine returned to the category, and the gel scored lower still. The year 2020 also brought a change of ownership. In January, ESTEVE announced an agreement to buy all shares of Riemser from the investment firm Ardian, with completion expected in the first quarter of that year [7]. In July 2020, ESTEVE announced from Berlin that the gel was now available in pharmacies in a new design [5]. In November 2021 the German company completed its absorption into the group's identity. RIEMSER Pharma GmbH, part of ESTEVE since the previous year, was officially renamed ESTEVE Pharmaceuticals GmbH [6]. The group said the change was meant to strengthen brand consistency across its international markets while keeping a local focus. Klaus Schwarz had taken over as managing director of the German business in September 2021. The range was once broader than it is today. An aloe vera day cream in a 50 ml size was sold under the Dr. Storz name during the Riemser years [11]. A 200 ml aloe vera skin lotion, with Esteve named as manufacturer, has since been taken off the market [13]. The 500 g dispenser of the gel was earlier sold as an "Intens-Hautkur", or intensive skin treatment. Today the brand consists of the gel alone. ## Ownership Dr. Storz is owned by Esteve Pharmaceuticals GmbH, headquartered at Hohenzollerndamm in Berlin. The brand's website states that its product names are trademarks of Esteve Pharmaceuticals GmbH, its subsidiaries and affiliated companies [2]. Sources from different years name different owners, though this reflects a change over time rather than a dispute. Trade press reports from 2018 and 2020 credit the gel to Riemser. The current owner named on the brand's website is Esteve Pharmaceuticals GmbH. Both names describe the same German company, which was Riemser until ESTEVE acquired it in 2020 and renamed it in 2021. The parent group, ESTEVE, is a specialty pharmaceutical company headquartered in Barcelona. It was founded in 1929 and has its own production sites in Spain, Germany, Mexico and China. ESTEVE has described Germany as its largest subsidiary outside Spain. Its German portfolio consists largely of prescription medicines in fields such as oncology, neurology and dermatology. ## Philosophy & positioning Dr. Storz positions its gel at the meeting point of a traditional plant remedy and pharmaceutical quality control. The company describes the product as combining the natural properties of aloe vera with the demanding standards required of a medical device. The tagline on its website is "Urlaub für die Haut", or "a holiday for the skin", and the gel is presented above all as after-sun care. The pharmacy-only distribution is central to this positioning. The brand's website directs readers to buy the gel "in your pharmacy" and states plainly that it is not sold elsewhere. Alongside the product pages, the site runs a blog with general skincare content, covering topics such as winter skin care, dry hands from frequent washing, what to pack in a travel first-aid kit and how to respond to sunburn. The brand has no social media account of its own; its website links to ESTEVE's corporate Instagram profile. ## Products & innovation The gel is made only from the inner gel of the aloe leaf, from the plant species *Aloe barbadensis*, and aloe accounts for 97.5 percent of the formula. According to the company, the gel is colourless and fat-free, spreads easily, absorbs quickly and has a light, fresh scent. It is sold in a 100 g tube, a 200 g tube and a 500 g pump dispenser. The brand lists several uses for the gel throughout the year: - as after-sun care and for mild, first-degree sunburn - as a moisturiser for dry skin - to soothe irritated skin - to relieve itching from insect bites It is described as suitable for the face, hands and body, for all skin types, and for children from the age of three. The company also suggests storing the gel in a refrigerator or cool bag, saying this strengthens its cooling effect when used after sun exposure. It attributes the gel's cooling sensation to its high water content, which evaporates on contact with the skin. The brand also cites a figure of 160 natural compounds in aloe juice, including vitamins, amino acids and minerals. The gel's status as a certified medical device is the brand's main point of difference. Dr. Storz says this subjects the product to special quality monitoring, and that its safety and effectiveness have been demonstrated in clinical studies [1]. ESTEVE repeated the claim in its 2020 relaunch announcement, describing the gel as clinically tested with effectiveness shown in several studies. The brand states that it does not use parabens or colourants in the gel. It does not claim to be fragrance-free, and the gel's scent later became a point of criticism in independent testing. ## Sustainability The supply chain behind the gel stretches across two continents. According to the brand, the *Aloe barbadensis* used in the gel is grown in Mexico without pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals [1]. The aloe is turned into a concentrate before shipping, which the company says reduces its volume and so makes transport to the German production site less harmful to the environment. In Germany the gel is then made under the quality rules that apply to medical devices and other pharmaceutical product groups. No third-party environmental certifications are documented for the brand. ## Recognition & reception The most substantial independent coverage of Dr. Storz comes from two Öko-Test reviews of aloe products, both reported by the German pharmacy trade publication APOTHEKE ADHOC. In the 2018 test, Öko-Test screened the products for substances including formaldehyde releasers, parabens, PEG derivatives and fragrance components, and also assessed their packaging. It rated the gel "befriedigend". The magazine faulted it for containing polyethylene glycols (PEG) and PEG derivatives, ingredients it said can make the skin more permeable to foreign substances [8]. Pro Natures, a rival pharmacy gel from Imopharm, received the same grade for the same reason. The 2020 test covered aloe vera gels from 19 manufacturers. Here APOTHEKE ADHOC called Dr. Storz probably the best-known aloe vera pharmacy product, yet the gel received only an overall rating of "ausreichend" (adequate) [9]. Laboratory analysis found PEG and further PEG derivatives, other synthetic polymers and added perfume. The report noted that fragrance-free products are preferable for skin that is already irritated. Its headline summed up the result for the category: pharmacy brands had fared poorly, while most products in the test scored well. No awards for the brand are documented. ## Current status Dr. Storz is active. Esteve Pharmaceuticals GmbH maintains the brand's website, which still offers the gel in all three pack sizes and was being updated as recently as September 2026. The most recent blog post on the site, a guide to treating sunburn, was published in February 2025 [4]. The gel continues to be sold through pharmacies. ## Timeline {#belagg-timeline} | Year | Event | Source | |---|---|---| | 2018 | Öko-Test rated Dr. Storz Aloe Vera 97,5 Prozent Gel (then marketed by Riemser) 'befriedigend', criticising PEG/PEG derivatives (reported by APOTHEKE ADHOC, 3 July 2018). | https://www.apotheke-adhoc.de/nachrichten/detail/markt/aloe-vera-storz-nur-befriedigend-oeko-test/ | | 2020 | Esteve press release (Berlin, 22 July 2020) announced the gel was now available in pharmacies in a new design. | https://www.esteve.com/de/medien/news/kuhlende-pflege-und-feuchtigkeit-fur-strapazierte-haut | | 2020 | Öko-Test rated Dr. Storz Aloe vera Gel 97,5 Prozent (Riemser) 'ausreichend' (reported by APOTHEKE ADHOC, 28 Aug 2020). | https://www.apotheke-adhoc.de/nachrichten/detail/panorama/oeko-test-untersucht-aloe-vera-gele-apothekenmarken-fallen-durch/ | | 2020 | ESTEVE announced (8 Jan 2020) an agreement to acquire all shares of Berlin-based Riemser from Ardian, with completion expected in Q1 2020. Riemser is the company named as marketer of Dr. Storz Aloe Vera gel in 2018 and 2020 trade press. | https://www.esteve.com/global/media/news/esteve-acquires-german-proprietary-specialty-hospital-focused-company-riemser-and-expands-its-presence-in-europe | | 2021 | RIEMSER Pharma GmbH, part of ESTEVE since 2020, was officially renamed ESTEVE Pharmaceuticals GmbH (Esteve release dated 17 Nov 2021). | https://www.esteve.com/de/medien/news/riemser-wird-zu-esteve-deutschland-mit-einem-neuen-geschaftsfuhrer-klaus-schwarz | | 2021 | RIEMSER Pharma GmbH officially renamed ESTEVE Pharmaceuticals GmbH, the company now named as brand owner on the Dr. Storz website. | https://www.esteve.com/de/medien/news/riemser-wird-zu-esteve-deutschland-mit-einem-neuen-geschaftsfuhrer-klaus-schwarz | ## Signature products {#belagg-products} - **Dr. Storz® ALOE VERA 97,5% GEL (100 g tube, 200 g tube, 500 g dispenser)** — Dr. Storz® ALOE VERA 97,5% GEL* wird in drei verschiedenen Packungsgrößen angeboten — https://aloe-vera-gepflegt.de/ - Cult status: **Dr. Storz Aloe vera Gel 97,5 Prozent** — German pharmacy trade press called it 'das wohl bekannteste Aloe-vera-Apothekenprodukt' (probably the best-known aloe vera pharmacy product) in its 2020 Öko-Test report, which rated it only 'ausreichend'. — https://www.apotheke-adhoc.de/nachrichten/detail/panorama/oeko-test-untersucht-aloe-vera-gele-apothekenmarken-fallen-durch/ ## Key ingredients {#belagg-ingredients} Aloe barbadensis (Aloe vera) inner leaf gel, 97.5%, made from an aloe vera concentrate Source: https://aloe-vera-gepflegt.de/ ## Mentioned in {#belagg-press} - **APOTHEKE ADHOC (reporting Öko-Test)** (2018) — Öko-Test test of 18 aloe care products: 'Dr. Storz Aloe Vera 97,5 Prozent Gel (Riemser)' rated 'befriedigend'; PEG/PEG derivatives criticised. — https://www.apotheke-adhoc.de/nachrichten/detail/markt/aloe-vera-storz-nur-befriedigend-oeko-test/ - **APOTHEKE ADHOC (reporting Öko-Test)** (2020) — Öko-Test test of 19 aloe vera gels: described as 'das wohl bekannteste Aloe-vera-Apothekenprodukt'; rated only 'ausreichend' because of PEG/PEG derivatives, other synthetic polymers and added perfume. — https://www.apotheke-adhoc.de/nachrichten/detail/panorama/oeko-test-untersucht-aloe-vera-gele-apothekenmarken-fallen-durch/ ## Sources 1. (T1) https://aloe-vera-gepflegt.de/ 2. (T2) https://aloe-vera-gepflegt.de/impressum/ 4. (T2) https://aloe-vera-gepflegt.de/2025/02/11/die-reue-nach-dem-sonnenbad-was-ist-jetzt-zu-tun/ 5. (T2) https://www.esteve.com/de/medien/news/kuhlende-pflege-und-feuchtigkeit-fur-strapazierte-haut 6. (T2) https://www.esteve.com/de/medien/news/riemser-wird-zu-esteve-deutschland-mit-einem-neuen-geschaftsfuhrer-klaus-schwarz 7. (T2) https://www.esteve.com/global/media/news/esteve-acquires-german-proprietary-specialty-hospital-focused-company-riemser-and-expands-its-presence-in-europe 8. (T3) https://www.apotheke-adhoc.de/nachrichten/detail/markt/aloe-vera-storz-nur-befriedigend-oeko-test/ 9. (T3) https://www.apotheke-adhoc.de/nachrichten/detail/panorama/oeko-test-untersucht-aloe-vera-gele-apothekenmarken-fallen-durch/ 11. (T4) https://www.medvergleich.de/aloe-vera-tagescreme-dr-storz-50-ml-riemser-pharma-gmbh-pzn-03396932.html 13. (T4) https://www.shop-apotheke.com/beauty/7589993/dr-storz-aloe-vera-hautlotion.htm --- Glowpedia · · Published 2026-10-05 Please cite with a link to the article URL.