KLAPP

KLAPP is a German professional skincare company founded in 1980 by the naturopath Gerhard Klapp [2]. It develops active-ingredient cosmetics made in Germany and sells them mainly through a network of beauty institutes and trained partners, alongside a more recent direct online shop. The brand describes itself as science-led skincare "made in Germany," built around high-strength actives and treatments intended for professional use.

The company remains active. Its most recent product news, the launch of a line called Exo|Gen, was published in April 2026 [4], and it has released new collections and collected industry awards steadily through the 2020s.

KLAPP grew out of the work of Gerhard Klapp, who trained as a naturopath and drew on ideas from Paul Niehans' live cell therapy and from Chinese medicine before beginning to add active ingredients to skin creams [5]. According to a trade-fair account of his career, first product distribution began in 1980, and the business was later expanded into a group of associated companies.

Sources differ slightly on the starting date. The company itself dates its founding to 1980 [2], while a separate corporate account gives 1981 [6]. The "KLAPP Cosmetics" name was adopted in 1990, when the company relocated and renamed itself [5].

The brand's timeline centres on a series of ingredient-led launches. In 1984 it introduced A CLASSIC, which the company describes as a pioneer in the cosmetic use of retinol [2]. In 1990 it brought out ASA PEEL, a fruit-acid treatment that became one of its signature systems.

More recent milestones cluster in the 2020s. The company launched what it calls KAP Technology in 2022, added a RESIST AGING retinol line and a Munich research and bulk-production facility in 2023, and rolled out its CELL PRO range in 2024. In 2025 KLAPP marked its 45-year anniversary and was listed among what it reports as Germany's most innovative medium-sized companies. The Exo|Gen line, positioned around what the brand calls skin longevity, followed in 2026.

KLAPP positions itself as high-performance, science-based skincare, and states that its aim is to "activate the skin's own regenerative abilities" and unlock its natural potential. Its tagline, "Your skin has many talents. We activate them," reflects that framing. The company stresses German manufacturing, clinical or professional formulation, and decades of experience as its core selling points, and presents its products as clean beauty that is 100% vegan and made without animal testing.

The range is organised into collections such as Purify, Balance, Resist Aging, Calm, Recharge and Protect, with sub-lines built around individual actives including hyaluronic acid, retinol, vitamin C, niacinamide and its ASA Peel fruit acids. Alongside creams and serums, KLAPP markets professional treatment systems for use in institutes, among them SKINSHOOTER FX, described as a needle-free mesotherapy device, and HYDRA Revival [3].

Its formulation approach is branded as KAP Technology, an acronym the company explains as "Keep, Activate, Prevent," which it says is designed to protect the skin's existing substances while stimulating its natural functions. The company also reports that it achieved IFS HPC certification, a manufacturing standard for household and personal-care products, in 2024 [2], and says it saved 7.12 tons of CO2 in 2024 as part of its environmental efforts [4].

In 2019 the trade fair Messe Düsseldorf gave founder Gerhard Klapp its "Life of Beauty" Award, presented for contributions to professional cosmetics [5]. In the years that followed the brand's products drew further industry recognition: a Beauty Forum Stars Award in 2024 for its CELL PRO cream, and a placing in the 2025 GLORIA Award, the German Cosmetics Award organised by Beauty Forum [4]. These are professional-industry honours rather than consumer press features, in keeping with the brand's institute-facing focus.

KLAPP is an active company. It describes a presence in more than 60 countries and a partner base of around 35,000 skincare institutes and professionals worldwide [3], figures stated by the company itself. Its distribution has historically run through an exclusive professional partner network rather than open retail, though it now also operates a direct online shop, making it effectively multi-channel. Regular product launches and awards through 2026 indicate continuing operation.