LOGONA

LOGONA is a German natural-cosmetics brand founded in 1978 and based in Salzhemmendorf, Lower Saxony [4]. It produces certified natural skincare, haircare and makeup, and is best known for its plant-based hair colorants. The company was originally founded as LORIEN GOODS Naturkosmetik and took the LOGONA name in 1985. The brand is one of three natural-cosmetics labels — alongside Sante and Heliotrop — held by the parent company LOGOCOS Naturkosmetik, which has been owned by the US investment firm CoBe Capital since 2023 [7].

The company traces its origins to the early German organic movement. It remains active, with a manufacturing site in Salzhemmendorf and continuing product launches under ownership that returned to independence after a period inside the L'Oréal group.

LOGONA grew out of a naturopath's misgivings about conventional cosmetics. Hans Hansel, trained as a Heilpraktiker (a German naturopathic practitioner), opened ALRAUNE in Hanover in 1975, described by the company as one of Germany's first organic stores [4]. There he sold imported natural cosmetics, but found gaps in what was available. In 1978 he founded a company with two friends to develop its own verifiable natural products, originally under the name LORIEN GOODS Naturkosmetik [5].

By the founder's own account the early years were precarious. Hansel recalled that finances were difficult and that banks were skeptical, though the company's carrot and avocado creams eventually won customers over. He has framed the venture as one driven by conviction rather than capital, describing the goal as cosmetics "free from environmentally harmful or dangerous chemicals."

In 1981 the operation moved to a restored water mill near Salzhemmendorf, which allowed it to expand production and cultivate its own herbs such as chamomile and calendula. Inspired by travels to Sri Lanka, India and France, Hansel introduced ingredients including henna powder, which became the basis for the brand's plant-based hair colors.

The company introduced its first signature line, PUR, in 1984, presenting it as natural cosmetics for people with allergies. The following year it launched fully plant-based hair colorants and was renamed from LORIEN GOODS to LOGONA Naturkosmetik GmbH after a trademark dispute [4]. A further relocation to Oldendorf followed in 1988, when the holding company LOGOCOS was established. In 1994 the company released plant-based shampoos without synthetic sulfates, which it has described as ahead of their time by more than fifteen years.

LOGONA was also involved in shaping industry standards. The brand says its leadership helped develop the BDIH certification for natural cosmetics in the late 1990s, and in 2008 — around its thirtieth anniversary, when the holding company became LOGOCOS Naturkosmetik AG — it co-initiated the international NATRUE standard.

For most of its history LOGONA was independent, but its ownership changed twice in quick succession. In August 2018 L'Oréal acquired LOGOCOS Naturkosmetik AG, gaining both the LOGONA and Sante brands; at the time the company employed around 340 people and reported 2017 revenue of 59 million euros [6]. L'Oréal's consumer-products head Alexis Perakis-Valat described the purchase as bringing "a unique expertise from a worldwide pioneer of the organic beauty market."

The arrangement was short-lived. In 2023 L'Oréal divested LOGOCOS to CoBe Capital, a US investment firm, and the business returned to independent operation [7]. Udo Springer — a former L'Oréal country manager for the Netherlands and Belgium — was appointed chief executive in March 2023. Reporting in the German organic-trade press noted that management welcomed the renewed autonomy, saying the company could now pursue its work "without corporate guidelines," while one retailer cautioned that financial investors often prepare acquired firms for resale [8]. Employment figures shifted across these changes: roughly 340 staff at the 2018 acquisition against 230 or more reported by CoBe Capital from 2023 [6][7].

LOGONA presents itself as a pioneer of certified natural cosmetics, operating under the tagline "Zertifizierte Naturkosmetik" and the guiding phrase "We Love Nature." Its formulations rely on plant-based actives from controlled organic cultivation (kbA) or wild-collected sources, and the company says its products contain no synthetic colorants, fragrances or preservatives. According to LOGONA, all of its cosmetics carry the NATRUE seal, and it states that production follows pharmaceutical-grade Good Manufacturing Practice standards.

The brand is positioned at the premium end of the natural-cosmetics market and has historically reached customers chiefly through organic stores, alongside international distribution. In the United Kingdom, for example, products are sold by a separate regional distributor rather than the German company itself. LOGOCOS also offers white-label product development for other clients.

LOGONA's range spans face care, hair products and makeup, with herbal raw materials at its center. Hero ingredients cited by the company include henna, chamomile, calendula, rose, apple-seed extract, nettle extract and bio-hemp, as well as mineral clays such as rhassoul. Its plant-based hair colorants remain the brand's defining product category; German natural-cosmetics media have cited LOGONA as one of the original pioneers of henna-based plant hair color [9]. More recent introductions include the Moisture Lift face-care series, built around rose and apple-seed extracts, and solid shampoo bars made with bio-hemp.

A distinctive element of the company's approach is its in-house extraction. The brand describes a proprietary, patented system used to produce herbal extracts on site, including a nettle extract used in its shampoos. CoBe Capital has said it intends to invest in research and development for facial care, decorative cosmetics and haircare.

LOGONA is an active brand. It is owned by LOGOCOS Naturkosmetik, part of CoBe Capital's portfolio since 2023, and operates a manufacturing facility in Salzhemmendorf, Germany [7]. The company has continued to expand its catalog and is distributed across German-speaking markets and through international resellers.

Sources differ on the location of the company's headquarters. The current brand site gives the address as Salzhemmendorf, where production has been based since the late 1980s, while L'Oréal's 2018 acquisition release listed the headquarters as Hanover — the city of the company's founding [4][6].