MURNAUERS

MURNAUERS is a German personal-care name best known today for Murnauers Kristall Deo, a small range of deodorants built around alum, a naturally occurring mineral salt that forms clear crystals. The name belongs to Murnauer Markenvertrieb GmbH, a health and cosmetics company based in Egelsbach, a town near Frankfurt am Main, which runs MURNAUERS alongside several other brands for drugstore and pharmacy shelves [1].

The deodorant line comes in stick and spray form and covers both the underarms and the feet. It is sold through drugstores, pharmacies and grocery retail, and the brand remains active, with current product pages and a quality-management certificate dated 2024 published by its owner.

The roots of MURNAUERS cannot be dated precisely, and the two available accounts start the story at different points. The owner company says in undated text on its website that it has worked in the health and cosmetics sector for more than 30 years [2]. German pharmacy trade press goes further back: it traces the manufacturer's lineage to the 1970s, when a merchant brought the first salt from the Dead Sea to Germany and founded a predecessor firm called Fette [11].

The two statements do not strictly contradict each other, since they describe different stages of the same business. Neither gives a founding year for Murnauer Markenvertrieb itself or for the MURNAUERS name, and that date remains unknown. What the trade-press account does explain is a thread that still runs through the company's portfolio: an interest in minerals, from Dead Sea salt to the alum crystals of the deodorant line.

The company's legal notice names Alexander Kolb and Tilo Beerbaum as its managing directors and lists its registered address on Hans-Fleißner-Straße in Egelsbach [6]. The firm describes its headquarters as sitting in the Rhine-Main region, close to Frankfurt's international airport and directly beside the smaller Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport.

MURNAUERS is not a free-standing company but one of the brands managed by Murnauer Markenvertrieb GmbH. The firm's corporate website presents the MURNAUERS deodorants next to its other labels: SALTHOUSE, a skincare range based on Dead Sea minerals; SALTHOUSE Natural Minerals; PERLWEISS, a tooth-whitening brand; and Butcher's Son, a men's grooming line [1].

The company itself has a majority shareholder. In 2019 the pharmacy trade publication Apotheke Adhoc reported that 75 percent of the shares in Murnauer Markenvertrieb belonged to the Brenninkmeijer family, the heirs behind C&A, with the stake held through the investment vehicle Bregal [11]. When that holding was first acquired is not documented. The MURNAUERS brand has stayed with its operating company throughout; the investor holds the business, not the brand on its own.

Each of the house's other labels reflects a slightly different side of the company. SALTHOUSE describes its products as combining Dead Sea minerals with modern cosmetic ingredients, and its Totes Meer Therapie range is presented as basic care for dry, problem skin, including skin affected by atopic dermatitis or psoriasis [7]. PERLWEISS calls itself a pioneer of tooth whitening and says it has spent 50 years developing products for whiter teeth [8]. Butcher's Son, inspired by the barbershops of New York, offers shower products, deodorants and beard care in three scent directions called Rare Sensitive, Medium and Well Done [9].

Against that backdrop, MURNAUERS occupies a narrow niche. On the owner's site today, the only products carrying the name are the Kristall Deo deodorants.

Murnauer Markenvertrieb presents itself as a specialist in cosmetic and health products that pair long-established principles with modern know-how. In its own words, its formulas draw on naturopathy, traditional therapies and complementary medicine as well as current research, and its active ingredients are tested for biological purity and quality [4]. These statements are made at company level; there is no separate MURNAUERS manifesto.

The firm says customer satisfaction is its first concern and that customer feedback flows directly into product development. Its house tagline, used across the corporate site, reads "Starke Marken denen Verbraucher vertrauen" — "strong brands that consumers trust".

For the deodorants specifically, the positioning leans on history. The Kristall Deo page notes that the ancient Romans already used alum crystals as a shaving stone and for body care, valuing them for their astringent effect, meaning their ability to tighten the skin [5]. The current line is introduced under the headline "Wirksamer Deo-Schutz im neuen Design" — effective deodorant protection in a new design.

The range consists of three products, each aimed at a different problem.

Murnauers Kristall Deo Stick. The best-known item is a solid crystal stick, sold in "extra stark" and "extra sensitiv" variants. The stick is moistened with water and rubbed onto clean underarms. Its single listed ingredient is ammonium alum. The company points out that the Romans typically used potassium alum, whereas it uses what it calls an especially pure ammonium-aluminium alum crystal. According to the brand, the crystal works in three ways: it tightens the skin slightly, curbs the bacteria that break down sweat and cause odour, and supports the skin's natural acid protective layer. MURNAUERS says this prevents body odour without blocking pores or stopping perspiration. The firm also stresses what the stick leaves out: it contains no colourants, fragrance, alcohol or preservatives [5]. The "3-fach wirksam und extra stark" (triple-action and extra strong) wording on the packaging is the company's own description and is not backed by a cited study.

Murnauers Achsel Spray Geruch Stopp. The underarm spray works differently from the stick. Its ingredient list includes aluminium chlorohydrate alongside ammonium alum, so it is designed to reduce sweating as well as odour. The company explains that aluminium salts have an astringent, tanning effect that holds back perspiration. The spray also contains camphor, which the brand describes as antiseptic, and allantoin, an ingredient it says helps calm minor skin irritation. Unlike the stick, this spray is perfumed and contains alcohol, and it is marketed with a 24-hour formula.

Murnauers Kristall Deo Fuss Geruch Spray Stopp. The foot spray combines the same mineral salts with menthol, eucalyptus and lemon-peel oils for a cooling, fresh feel. MURNAUERS describes it as disinfecting and claims that, used regularly, it helps prevent athlete's foot, which makes it suited to activities in closed shoes [5]. That health claim is the company's own and is not supported by a cited study. The brand also suggests spraying the inside of shoes and socks when odour is persistent, naming sneakers and sports shoes as typical uses.

Taken together, the line follows a single idea: using mineral crystals, with or without conventional antiperspirant salts, to control sweat and smell on different parts of the body.

No third-party product certifications are documented for MURNAUERS. At company level, Murnauer Markenvertrieb states that its quality-management system is certified to the DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 standard by the testing organisation TÜV SÜD [3]. That certificate covers how the company manages its processes; it is not a product label.

MURNAUERS is an active brand. Its owner's website is live, with current pages for all three Kristall Deo products, and a TÜV SÜD quality-management certificate dated 2024 was posted there in November 2024 [3]. The company describes the deodorants as available in stick and spray form through drugstores, pharmacies and grocery retail. No official social media channels are linked from the company's website.