# Goldnerz Cosmetic ## Facts | | | |---|---| | Founded | 1976 | | Origin | Germany | | Headquarters | Eschweiler | | Owner | Goldnerz Cosmetic GmbH i.L. | | Status | Active | | Distribution | Multi-channel | | Website | https://goldnerz-cosmetic.de/ | Goldnerz Cosmetic is a German skincare brand from Eschweiler that makes care products for dry and problem skin, with a particular focus on neurodermatitis (atopic eczema) and psoriasis. The company dates its founding to 1976, when a founder who had lived with eczema for years turned the creams he had developed for himself into a business [2]. For most of its history it has been run as a family company, today by the Reiff family in its third generation. The brand is still trading, but the company behind it is being wound up. The legal notice on its website names the operator as Goldnerz Cosmetic GmbH i.L. — the German suffix for a company "in liquidation" — represented by the liquidators Ursula Reiff and Matthias Reiff [3]. The liquidation coincides with the brand's 50th year. ## Origin & founders The company's own account of its beginnings is a personal one. According to Goldnerz, its founder suffered from skin irritation for many years and was eventually diagnosed with neurodermatitis. He was prescribed a long series of creams and ointments, which brought, at most, short-lived relief. Looking for alternatives, he began developing care products on his own and tested them on himself over several years. The company says the results were striking enough that he founded Goldnerz Cosmetic in 1976 on the strength of them. The founder is not named on the company's website, which refers to him only as "the founder". The brand's origins shaped its direction from the start. Goldnerz says it specialised from the outset in care that accompanies medical treatment of dry and troubled skin, up to and including neurodermatitis and psoriasis. Over time the range was expanded step by step into complete care lines for sensitive skin. ## History & milestones Two dates compete for the start of the business. The company itself gives 1976 as its founding year and describes itself as a pure family business since then [2]. Company-register listings, however, show the current legal entity, Goldnerz-Cosmetic GmbH, as registered in Eschweiler in February 2004 [9]. The two dates describe different things: 1976 is when the firm was founded, while 2004 appears to mark the registration of the limited company that now operates it. This article follows the company's founding year of 1976. Management has stayed within one family. The Reiff family now leads the company in its third generation, and Goldnerz says it has done so without changing the original philosophy. The company adds that it has been strengthening its online service to give customers more ways to get in touch. Direct sales online have been part of the business for several years. The brand's online shop has collected customer reviews on the review platform Trusted Shops since 7 December 2018, and by September 2026 the profile listed 1,288 reviews with an average of 4.89 out of 5 [8]. In 2026, fifty years after its founding, the operating company entered liquidation. According to North Data, a company-register aggregator, the liquidation proceedings began in February 2026, with Matthias Reiff and Ursula Reiff appointed as liquidators [9]. ## Ownership Goldnerz Cosmetic is owned and operated by Goldnerz Cosmetic GmbH i.L., based at Königsbenden in Eschweiler and registered at the district court in Aachen. The company describes itself as family-run, and members of the Reiff family act as its liquidators. No acquisitions, sister brands or outside owners are documented. ## Philosophy & positioning Goldnerz positions its products as care that runs alongside medical treatment rather than as a replacement for it. Its best-known product line is marketed with the line "Ohne Cortison" ("without cortisone"), and the company states in its FAQ that it advises against long-term use of cortisone-based care products and guarantees that none of its own products contain cortisone [4]. The brand does not present itself only as a specialist for problem skin, however. Its FAQ says the range also covers everyday care for every skin type, alongside the products aimed at eczema-prone skin. Personal advice is a large part of how the company describes itself. Goldnerz calls its approach to consultation unusual for the industry: staff ask customers about their skin type and any irritation, then suggest a product and explain how to use it. According to the company, this advice is free and non-binding and is offered by phone, in person, by email and through Facebook Messenger. The stated aim is simple — the company says it wants customers to feel comfortable in their own skin. On its "About us" page, Goldnerz lists five values: vegan, sustainable, service-oriented, experienced and family-run. ## Products & innovation The range is organised around problem skin, facial care, body care, and shower and bath. Its central product is the Duales Pflegesystem ("dual care system"), a two-part set the company recommends for neurodermatitis and psoriasis and also for very dry skin. It is sold in versions with and without fragrance, and Goldnerz says it contains neither cortisone nor preservatives [1]. The Pflegecreme, a care cream likewise offered with and without fragrance, sits alongside it, together with a more intensive variant. The wider catalogue includes an anti-blemish cream, a foot cream, a skin cream called Hautcreme Extra, a body emulsion, a cleansing milk, a cream soap, a shower gel and a hair shampoo. A vanilla lip balm is also sold. Goldnerz has published several statements about its formulas. The company says its products are based exclusively on plant oils and contain no animal fats. Where alcohols appear in ingredient lists, it says these are only fatty alcohols, which it describes as harmless to the skin. The company also states that its products can be used on babies and children and during pregnancy, including the dual care system. On vegan status, the brand's two main statements differ slightly. Its "About us" page says the company relies exclusively on vegan formulas [2]. Its FAQ is more specific and names one exception: the Lippenbalsam Vanille (vanilla lip balm), which contains beeswax [4]. The company also says that no animal testing takes place at any production stage of the ingredients it uses. No third-party certifications, patents or clinical studies are documented for the brand. ## Distribution Goldnerz sells directly through its own online shop and by phone. The company also says its products are available in pharmacies and, where a pharmacy does not stock them, can be ordered through pharmacy wholesalers [5]. It invites pharmacies, retailers and other resellers to work with it, offering them separate prices and delivery terms [6]. ## Sustainability Sustainability forms a substantial part of the brand's self-description. Goldnerz says it packs its creams exclusively in coated aluminium tubes rather than plastic, arguing that aluminium can be recycled better and more often, and that the tubes can be squeezed empty. The company states that its products contain no microplastics. The claims extend to the company's own operations. According to Goldnerz, its electricity comes entirely from hydropower, and it heats its premises with an eco-gas that includes a share of biogas [2]. The company is also open about a gap in its own standards. It acknowledges that its cream soap does not yet meet its sustainability goals because it is still made from palm oil, and says it is working on an alternative. ## Current status Goldnerz Cosmetic continues to trade: its website lists the full product range, takes orders and directs customers to pharmacies. At the same time, the operating company, Goldnerz Cosmetic GmbH, is in liquidation, with Ursula Reiff and Matthias Reiff named as liquidators [3]. The company has not said publicly on its website what the liquidation means for the brand — whether it will close, pass to new owners or continue under another company. ## Timeline {#belagg-timeline} | Year | Event | Source | |---|---|---| | 1976 | The founder, who had neurodermatitis, founds Goldnerz Cosmetic after years of developing and testing care products on himself. | https://goldnerz-cosmetic.de/Ueber-uns:_:14.html | | 2018 | The online shop has collected Trusted Shops reviews since 7 December 2018 ('1.288 Bewertungen seit 07.12.2018'). | https://www.trustedshops.de/bewertung/info_X6CBD6540F54E7F5863076264C80EE22A.html | | — | The Reiff family runs the company in its third generation and describes it as a pure family business since 1976 (no year given for the handover). | https://goldnerz-cosmetic.de/Ueber-uns:_:14.html | | — | The Impressum names the operating company 'Goldnerz Cosmetic GmbH i.L.' (in liquidation), represented by liquidators Ursula Reiff and Matthias Reiff. The site gives no date. A North Data summary that is not verbatim and unverified says 5 February 2026. | https://goldnerz-cosmetic.de/shop_content.php?coID=4 | ## Signature products {#belagg-products} - **Duales Pflegesystem (mit / ohne Duftstoff)** — Unser bewährtes Pflege-Duo bei Neurodermitis und Schuppenflechte. Mit und ohne Duftstoff erhältlich. Pflegt und schont die Haut ganz ohne Cortison und Konservierungsstoffe. — https://goldnerz-cosmetic.de/ - **Pflegecreme** — Pflegecreme (ohne Duftstoff) ab 39,12 € — https://goldnerz-cosmetic.de/ ## Sources 1. (T1) https://goldnerz-cosmetic.de/ 2. (T1) https://goldnerz-cosmetic.de/Ueber-uns:_:14.html 3. (T2) https://goldnerz-cosmetic.de/shop_content.php?coID=4 4. (T2) https://goldnerz-cosmetic.de/shop_content.php?coID=16 5. (T2) https://goldnerz-cosmetic.de/Goldnerz-Produkte-kaufen:_:20.html 6. (T2) https://goldnerz-cosmetic.de/Partner-fuer-den-gemeinsamen-Erfolg:_:18.html 8. (T4) https://www.trustedshops.de/bewertung/info_X6CBD6540F54E7F5863076264C80EE22A.html 9. (T4) https://www.northdata.com/Goldnerz-Cosmetic%20GmbH,%20Eschweiler/Amtsgericht%20Aachen%20HRB%2012314 --- Glowpedia · · Published 2026-09-30 Please cite with a link to the article URL.