Olival

Olival is a Croatian natural-cosmetics company based in Zagreb, founded in 1994 by pharmacist Vlasta Pojatina [2]. It grew from small-batch, pharmacy-style production into a range of more than 190 skincare, haircare and body-care products, and in 2014 became the first NATRUE-certified natural cosmetics producer in Croatia and the surrounding region [3]. The brand remains operationally active, with regular product launches and export sales across more than a dozen European markets.

In 2022 Olival was acquired by the Croatian company Cosmetics International, though it continues to trade under its own name as an independent operating brand [13].

⚑ Thinner sourcing. The article relies largely on the brand's own statements (T2–T3). Glowpedia is seeking independent sources.

The company traces its start to 1994, when Vlasta Pojatina, a pharmacist, began a small galenic production — the pharmacy practice of preparing remedies in small batches — on the ground floor of the family home [2]. According to the company, the early formulas drew on "old pharmaceutical recipes and natural ingredients," an approach it says still shapes its work today [2]. From that domestic beginning the operation moved into a modern production facility in the western part of Zagreb, where Olival says its product concepts, formulation and manufacturing take place.

Olival's own founding date of 1994 is consistently recorded across the brand's site and third-party profiles; the company's court registration number (Tt-95/2886-2) points to a formal filing in the year after that start.

For most of its history Olival was a founder-led, independent company, and its About and imprint pages make no mention of a parent [2]. In early 2022 that changed: the Croatian firm Cosmetics International acquired the business, with the change of ownership entered in Croatia's commercial court register on 26 January 2022 and the acquisition taking effect on 9 February 2022 [13]. Third-party reporting is the source for the parent relationship — the brand's own pages do not describe it — and no rebrand followed; Olival has continued under its existing name.

Founder Vlasta Pojatina is reported to have remained with the company in a procurement role after the sale [13]. The legal entity, Olival Ltd., lists Mihaela Rojnić, Igor Novak and Emira Jakupović as its registered board members following the acquisition [5], distinct from Pojatina's status as the original 1994 founder.

Olival positions itself around a blend of pharmaceutical heritage and modern cosmetic science, combining what it calls traditional recipes and natural ingredients with contemporary formulation. The company frames daily skincare as a personal habit rather than a chore; its tagline describes care as "a small intimate ritual to which we return every day." Products are sold at drugstore price positioning, reaching consumers through the brand's own webshop, the retailer Notino, and Croatian chains including dm drogerie markt and BIPA.

The company states that more than 95% of its products are vegan in composition, and that it has maintained a cruelty-free stance since its founding in 1994 [9].

The range spans face care, body care, haircare and sun protection, organised into themed collections built around specific active ingredients — among them Immortelle (helichrysum), Centella asiatica, magnesium and green coffee. Formulations also draw on widely used skincare actives such as niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and retinol. The Immortelle Collection is the brand's flagship line and the focus of its NATRUE certification, which as documented covers 14 face and body products plus three deodorant sticks [3]. Frequently listed products include a cleansing microemulsion, the Hydro Toner βG, a Peeling Toner AHA PHA, and the Amino Cream B5, a hydrating cream formulated with amino acids and ceramides.

Alongside its consumer range, Olival operates a contract-manufacturing (private-label) business and says it maintains ongoing cooperation with the Croatian Institute of Public Health for the registration of cosmetic products [6]. The company has also taken part in European Union programmes covering the "Digital and Green Transition" in the cosmetics industry, along with projects promoting female entrepreneurship and gender equality.

Olival was the subject of a 2024 "True Story" feature by NATRUE profiling its brand manager and its certification history [8]. A 2023 roundup of Croatian cosmetics companies by the blog magicandbeauty listed Olival first among the producers it covered [11]. No major international beauty-press coverage was identified.

Olival is active. The company marked its 30-year anniversary in 2024 and has continued to introduce products, including its Centella and SUPER Cacao lines. It has appeared at international trade fairs, exhibiting at Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna in March 2025, and its most recent documented activity is an announced appearance at the BEAUTYISTANBUL exhibition in May 2026 [9]. Its products are exported to markets including Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, the Baltic states and Canada.