Hej Organic

Hej Organic is a German natural-cosmetics company based in Dortmund, in the Ruhr region. Founded in 2016, it makes certified natural skincare alongside body and hair care, pairing plant-based formulations with a deliberately contemporary design language. The company's Swedish-sounding name — "hej" means "hello" in Swedish, Danish and Norwegian — is a branding choice rather than a statement of origin; the firm is registered as HEJ ORGANIC GmbH in Dortmund.

The brand remains active, with a live online store, current product collections such as its Skin Longevity range, and ongoing distribution through German-speaking drugstore chains and international online retailers.

The company traces its beginnings to 2015, when co-founder Laura Rath travelled through California and Scandinavia and began questioning what went into everyday cosmetics. On the brand's mission page, the founders describe the discovery that many products contained silicones, parabens, mineral oil and, at the time, microplastics, framed as "the unpleasant truth" that prompted them to build an alternative. According to the company, the aim was to make certified natural cosmetics that reach a wide audience and show that nature and science together form a sound basis for healthy skin.

Sources differ on both the founding year and who was involved. Hej Organic's own mission page dates the founding to 2016 and credits Laura Rath and Bettina Schellin as founders [2]; several editorial profiles instead give 2015 and describe Laura Rath starting the company with her father-in-law, Norbert Rath, a cosmetics-industry veteran who has since stepped back [7][8]. The company's legal records list Laura Rath and Bettina Schellin as managing directors of HEJ ORGANIC GmbH [6]. The 2015 references appear to reflect the founders' early questioning and pre-launch ideation rather than the legal founding, which is consistent with the first products reaching the market in 2017.

Hej Organic launched its first range of 13 natural-cosmetics products in 2017 [10]. The line-up expanded over the following years: a Sensitive series for sensitive skin arrived in early 2021, and a Naked series aimed at oily, blemished and combination skin followed in May 2022. By the mid-2020s the company described a catalogue of more than 35 products spanning facial, body and hair care, run by a team of around 17 people.

A recurring theme in the company's own account is the wish to move natural cosmetics away from a plain, utilitarian image. In an interview, Laura Rath said the founders "wanted natural cosmetics out of the wool sock image and into a lifestyle product" [7]. That positioning is built around three stated pillars — "Inspired by Nature," "Made with Love" and "Attracted by Design" — with design treated as part of the brand's core identity rather than an afterthought. The German-language tagline translates as "natural skincare — simple, effective, genuinely sustainable."

More recently the brand has organised much of its messaging around what it calls "Skin Longevity," a focus on long-term skin health and barrier strength rather than short-term anti-ageing claims, using cell-active ingredients and consistent routines.

Hej Organic's products are grouped into named series. Its Cactus line is built around prickly pear seed oil, which the company highlights for its nourishing and protective properties; one editorial review describes the oil as fair-trade sourced from Morocco and notes that producing a single litre requires about a tonne of prickly pears [9]. Other ranges include the Sensitive and Naked series and the Skin Longevity series, which emphasises cellular-active ingredients and barrier strength. Among the products singled out in press coverage is The Perfect Trio Organic Multi-Mask, a set of three masks for different facial zones [9].

The brand lists a range of active ingredients across its formulas, including bakuchiol, ceramides, ectoin, hyaluronic acid, squalane and vitamin C. It states that its products contain a minimum of 95% natural ingredients, the threshold associated with its NATRUE certification, and are made without silicones, parabens, mineral oil or ethanol [4].

Sustainability features prominently in how Hej Organic presents itself. The company calls it "not a trend, but a deeply rooted promise," while also acknowledging that the production of consumer goods can never be fully sustainable [3]. Its stated measures include recycled packaging materials — paper, aluminium, glass and post-consumer recycled plastic — European sourcing of raw materials and packaging to limit transport emissions, and short supply chains with local suppliers. According to a clean-beauty marketplace profile, this extends to fully recycled paper cartons, bottles made from 87% recycled material, recycled aluminium tubes, refillable options for some products, and partnerships with ClimatePartner for carbon offsetting and with Plastic Bank [8].

The company says its products are certified vegan, citing the Vegan Society, and cruelty-free, citing PETA Approved status [4]. Its formulas are described as NATRUE-certified natural cosmetics. The brand also points to independent product testing by the German consumer organisation Ökotest, and lists a 2024 PETA Vegan Award in the beauty category among its recognitions [3]. No Wikipedia article existed for the company as of May 2026.

Hej Organic sells through its own online store in Germany and through retail and e-commerce partners across the German-speaking market. The company describes distribution in Germany, Austria and Switzerland over more than seven years, with availability at drugstore chains including dm, Müller and Budni, the perfumery retailer Douglas, and the online platform Zalando [7]. Douglas was an early retail partner, placing the brand around 2016.

Hej Organic is active. As of 2026 it operates a live e-commerce site with current collections, maintains social-media accounts across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook, and continues its retail presence in the German-speaking market and through international online channels.