Lavera

Lavera is a German natural-cosmetics brand made by Laverana GmbH & Co. KG, a family-owned manufacturer based in Wennigsen, near Hannover. The company was founded by Thomas Haase on 23 November 1987 [4], originally in Rethen, and Haase was joined in 1990 by his business partner Klara Ahlers [3]. The name combines "Na", from the German Naturkosmetik (natural cosmetics), with the Latin verum, meaning true.

The brand makes certified natural cosmetics across skincare, makeup and body care, and remains independently owned despite several buyout offers [3]. As of 2026 it employs around 500 people and its products are sold internationally.

Thomas Haase set out with what NATRUE describes as a vision of organic and natural beauty care available to all consumers worldwide [4]. The manufacturing company, Laverana, and the lavera brand were established together in 1987. Klara Ahlers came on board as a business partner three years later, and the company has stayed in private ownership through its growth.

Laverana began in Rethen, near Hannover. The company rebuilt after fire damage in 1992 and relocated to Wennigsen, at the foot of the Deister hills, in 1996. A warehouse followed in Empelde in 2005, and in 2009 the company opened its first international office, in France. In 2021 a works council was established with around 80% participation [2]. After almost 40 years, Lavera continues to operate from the Wennigsen area.

Lavera is the brand; Laverana GmbH & Co. KG is the manufacturer and parent company. The business is structured as a GmbH & Co. KG, a German limited partnership. It has remained independently and family-owned, and according to Cosmetics Business has turned down several offers to buy it out [3].

Lavera presents itself around the conviction that, in the company's words, "true effectiveness arises where nature, science, and responsibility go hand in hand." The brand frames nature as its central resource, describing its aim as beauty that is "not artificial, but real." Its stated mission is to support natural beauty, a goal the company says it has followed for almost 40 years. The brand uses the tagline "Purely Natural. Truly Beautiful."

The range spans skincare, makeup, body and sun care, extending to shower gels and fragrances. According to NATRUE, Lavera was the first natural-cosmetics manufacturer to develop a natural sunscreen, the first to make a mousse make-up, and the first to launch a certified natural sleeping cream [4]. Cosmetics Business reports that the company considers itself the first manufacturer worldwide to produce a 100% mineral sunscreen [3]. A premium organic anti-ageing line is sold under the Laveré name.

Much of the company's identity rests on in-house production. According to Cosmetics Business, every Lavera and Laveré item is manufactured at Wennigsen, and the company states that it produces more than 300 organic ingredients and more than 300 natural active substances itself, with most of its products being vegan [4].

Laverana is a founding member of NATRUE, the natural-cosmetics certification association, and its products are certified by NATRUE where possible. The company has been certified cruelty-free to PETA's standard since 2020 [2].

Lavera has received several awards. In 2019 it was named "Brand of the Century" (Marke des Jahrhunderts) in the natural-cosmetics category. German Wikipedia records it as a winner of the German Sustainability Prize (Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis) in 2023–2024 and a finalist in 2026, and lists a 2025 Sustainable Beauty Award Europe in the Pioneer category [2]. The brand has also been profiled by trade press, including a Cosmetics Business feature on its history and certified-natural positioning.

Sources differ on the brand's scale. German Wikipedia, the more current source, states that around 250 products are sold in more than 40 countries [2], while an older Cosmetics Business profile cited 330 products sold in 30 countries [3].

Lavera is active. It remains a family-owned, independently run manufacturer with about 500 employees, and its most recent recognition dates to 2025–2026, including the 2025 Sustainable Beauty Award Europe and a 2026 German Sustainability Prize finalist listing [2].