Gitti

Gitti is a German beauty company based in Berlin, trading as gitti GmbH, that makes plant-based nail polish, nail treatments and makeup. It was founded by Jennifer Baum-Minkus, who launched the first collection in April 2019. The company presents itself as a "conscious beauty" brand and works under the tagline "Clean. Active. Effective." Its central idea, repeated across its own materials, is that "your nails deserve the same care as your skin."

The brand remains active. It sells current 2026 collections, distributes through the German-language drugstore and perfumery trade, and opened a United States market in 2024.

Baum-Minkus came to the venture from corporate marketing roles at Coca-Cola and Henkel, leaving her job in December 2017 [6]. By the company's own telling, the idea began at a Berlin dinner party where she was asked, "What would you do, if you weren't afraid?" — a question she answered, in her own mind, with glitter nail polish. Looking into how conventional polish was made, she found ingredients she considered controversial, and spent roughly two years developing a plant- and water-based formula before selling anything. The brand is named after the founder's mother.

The date of founding is recorded slightly differently across sources. Editorial coverage places the launch in April 2019, when the first collection went on sale [6][5]; some business databases list 2018, which more likely reflects the company's incorporation or the start of its research phase [7].

The debut collection reportedly sold out quickly — within two hours by one account, within two weeks by another, against an inventory meant to last a year [6]. Bustle later described the brand as having been "named the future of nail polish" [5]. In its first year the company says it generated more than €300,000 in revenue while spending under 5% of that on marketing, having self-financed the initial run [6].

Gitti pitched on the German investment show Die Höhle der Löwen (the local version of Shark Tank / Dragons' Den). All five investors expressed interest, and a deal was struck with Dagmar Wöhrl and Judith Williams at a €3.75 million valuation, but it later fell through; the company subsequently raised a seed round of over €3 million from backers including Grazia Equity and Btov Partners [6]. It reported 600% revenue growth in the second half of 2020. In 2024 the brand entered the U.S. market with a campaign fronted by manicurist Kim Truong, known for her work with Kim Kardashian, as a paid partner [5].

The product line centres on nail care: plant-based nail polishes, the plantPRO gel system, and treatment products such as Nail Mylk, Nail Smoothie, Vita Restore Base Coat and Nail Recovery Treatment. The range extends into makeup for eyes, lips, cheeks and face.

The formulas are built on what the company describes as fermented biotechnological ingredients drawn from plants including cassava, sugarcane, corn and wheat, with fermented actives such as Lactobacillus Ferment appearing in the makeup. Early polishes were water-based, with up to around 55% water content; the brand has since shifted its emphasis toward plant-based formulation after the original water-based polish proved less durable than intended [5]. For its plantPRO gel line, the company says it leaves out the monomers HEMA and HPMA, which it describes as able to irritate skin and cause allergies in conventional gel polishes. Gitti also promotes a "free-from" standard for its nail polish, which its own site describes as a 23-item exclusion list; Bustle's coverage refers to a "30-Free" promise [5].

All products are described as vegan and PETA-approved, and the company states it has been carbon neutral since 2020 through carbon compensation [2]. Its stated sustainability approach, which it calls the "Conscious Circle," covers reducing, reusing and recycling, and it points to recycled and recyclable packaging in glass, aluminium and mono-material plastic together with FSC-certified cardboard.

Gitti received a Natural Beauty Awards 2024 recognition [3]. It lists editorial appearances in publications including Vogue, Glamour, Elle and Harper's Bazaar. Its stated values are grouped as Consciousness, Confidence and Community, and its mission, in its own words, is to "ring in a new era for the beauty industry with product innovations that are better for both people and the planet."

The company is an active independent brand. It markets 2026 collections, sells through Douglas across Germany, Austria and Switzerland and through dm alongside its own e-commerce, and operates a separate U.S. storefront opened after its 2024 launch there.