# Rugard ## Facts | | | |---|---| | Origin | Germany | | Headquarters | Bergisch Gladbach (seat of the owner, Dr. B. Scheffler Nachfolger GmbH & Co. KG) | | Owner | Dr. B. Scheffler Nachfolger GmbH & Co. KG | | Status | Active | | Manufacturing | Germany | | Distribution | Pharmacy | | Website | https://www.dr-scheffler.com/de/rugard/ | Rugard, styled RUGARD Cosmetics by its owner, is a German range of skincare sold exclusively through pharmacies. It belongs to Dr. B. Scheffler Nachfolger GmbH & Co. KG, a maker of food supplements and pharmacy cosmetics based in Bergisch Gladbach [4]. The line is built around a small number of clearly separated series: vitamin-based face and body care, a hyaluronic acid series for the face and eyes, a foot-care duo and a lip balm. The brand's best-known product is its Vitamin-Creme, a rich face cream that has anchored the range for decades. In 2026 the owner marked what it described as 65 years of Rugard with a jubilee edition of that cream in a retro 1960s design [5]. No source gives an exact founding year, and the two available datings differ slightly, as set out below. ## Origin & founders The start of the brand is dated only loosely. Dr. Scheffler's 2026 anniversary announcement says Rugard has stood for pharmacy skincare "for 65 years", which, counted back from the campaign, points to the early 1960s [5]. A 2015 portrait in the German pharmacy trade magazine DIE PTA IN DER APOTHEKE instead described the Vitamin-Creme as a pharmacy classic since the mid-1960s [14]. The two statements are broadly compatible, but neither names a specific year, so the brand's founding year remains unknown. The same 2015 article reported that all Rugard products were developed and produced at the company's site in Bergisch Gladbach [14]. The owner today summarises this more briefly with the label "Made in Germany", which appears on the brand page alongside its other core claims. ## History & milestones For most of its life Rugard has been a quiet, steady presence on pharmacy shelves rather than a brand driven by launches. Its public history is correspondingly sparse, and most of the recent milestones come from the owner and from pharmacy trade media. In October 2019 the brand stepped briefly outside topical skincare. The trade news service APOTHEKE ADHOC reported the launch of Rugard Beauty Liquid, drinkable collagen ampoules sold only in pharmacies and declared as a food supplement [15]. Each ampoule, flavoured with blackcurrant, combined 2.5 g of collagen hydrolysate based on the branded collagen peptide Verisol with vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc and biotin. Unlike other products of its kind, it also contained hyaluronic acid. The publication placed the launch in a crowded market that already included Elasten, Orthomol Beauty, Doppelherz and Fulminan, and noted that the drink came in packs of 7 and 28 ampoules. Whether the drink is still part of the range is unclear. The English version of the owner's Rugard page still mentions a collagen beauty complex for drinking among its complementary products, while the current German page lists only the lip balm in that group. In September 2023 Dr. Scheffler presented five new products from its Rugard and ADDITIVA brands at Expopharm 2023 in Düsseldorf [7]. The largest recent event is the 65th anniversary campaign. Running from 1 February 2026 to 30 June 2027, it pairs the retro-design Vitamin-Creme with a prize draw, and the owner says the promotion is available only in local pharmacies [5]. The brand's own domain, rugard-cosmetics.de, currently leads to a dedicated anniversary site. ## Ownership Rugard is not an independent company but one range within the portfolio of Dr. B. Scheffler Nachfolger GmbH & Co. KG, registered in Bergisch Gladbach. The company describes its business as resting on two pillars. Under the motto "Alles was mir hilft" ("everything that helps me") it produces the ADDITIVA supplements and medicines; under "Alles was mich pflegt" ("everything that cares for me") it groups its cosmetics, namely Rugard and the natural-cosmetics line green team. Dr. Scheffler states that it is part of the KRÜGER GROUP, and it also runs an export and private-label business offering made-to-order products to other companies [2]. The company's own account of its age varies between pages: its "About us" page speaks of more than 40 years in supplements and pharmacy cosmetics, while its export page says more than 25 years. Both figures refer to the company, not to the Rugard brand. ## Philosophy & positioning The owner presents Rugard as "hauttypgerechte Kosmetik aus der Apotheke", cosmetics matched to skin type and sold through pharmacies. According to the company, whether a formula relies on skin vitamins or other selected ingredients, each is carefully adjusted to the needs of the skin it is meant for. The tagline used on the brand pages is "RUGARD Cosmetics – Fühle den Unterschied" ("Feel the difference"). Dr. Scheffler lists five qualities that it says apply to every Rugard formula: dermatologically tested, very well tolerated by the skin, free from dyes and microplastics, available only in pharmacies, and made in Germany [1]. The company also states that the facial cream, like all Rugard products, is dermatologically tested and well tolerated by the skin. Distribution follows the pharmacy model closely. Customers are directed to local pharmacies, and the owner notes that its Rugard, ADDITIVA and green team products can also be ordered from online mail-order pharmacies. ## Products & innovation ### Vitamin series The Vitamin series is the oldest part of the range and aimed mainly at dry skin. The company says it combines selected vitamins with plant oils and other skin-friendly ingredients such as bisabolol and collagen. It includes a face cream, a body lotion and a hand cream. The Vitamin-Creme contains vitamins A, B6 and E, and the owner says it is designed for the higher care needs of demanding, dry skin. The Vitamin Bodylotion uses four vitamins and is described as having a light citrus scent. Dr. Scheffler states that the Vitamin series is free from parabens, dyes, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and microplastics [8]; the paraben-free claim is made for this series and the lip balm, not for the range as a whole. Descriptions of fragrance in the range have changed over time. The 2015 trade portrait described Rugard products as free from perfume, classic preservatives and parabens [14]. The owner's current product page, by contrast, describes the Vitamin Bodylotion as lightly scented with citrus fruits, and only the lip balm is now stated to be free from fragrances [8]. ### Hyaluron series The Hyaluron series consists of a moisturiser and an eye cream for normal to dry skin. The company explains that hyaluronic acid binds moisture in the skin and, according to the brand, plumps it enough to visibly reduce fine expression lines. The Hyaluron Feuchtigkeitspflege (moisturiser) pairs hyaluronic acid with sweet almond protein, shea butter and thistle oil, as well as vitamins A, B6 and E. It uses liposomes, very small bubbles that can carry water-soluble substances, which the company says help the active ingredients reach deeper layers of the skin. It comes in 50 ml and 100 ml jars. The Hyaluron Augenpflege (eye care) was developed for the sensitive skin around the eyes. Besides hyaluronic acid it contains two trademarked active complexes, Eyeliss, a peptide complex aimed at puffiness and bags under the eyes, and Haloxyl, aimed at dark circles. Argan oil, avocado oil and vitamin E complete the formula, and the owner says the cream is suitable for contact lens wearers. ### Schöne Füße foot care Under the name Schöne Füße ("Beautiful Feet"), Rugard offers two products described as dermatological foot care for use at home. The Hornhautlöser (callus remover) is a cream with 20 percent urea, which loosens and softens thickened skin, together with glycerin, lactic acid, panthenol and shea butter. It is intended for very rough, dry and heavily used feet. The Fußbalsam (foot balm) combines avocado oil, panthenol and shea butter with horse chestnut extract, cooling ingredients and antibacterial components that the company says help limit odour. ### Complementary products The range is completed by a lip balm, which the owner says gives the delicate skin of the lips extra moisture. The drinkable Beauty Liquid collagen ampoules, launched in 2019, belonged to the same complementary group. ## Current status Rugard is active. Its product pages are live, and the 65th anniversary edition and prize campaign began on 1 February 2026 and are scheduled to run until 30 June 2027 [5]. The brand continues to be marketed by Dr. B. Scheffler Nachfolger GmbH & Co. KG as a pharmacy-only skincare line, with the Vitamin, Hyaluron and foot-care series and the lip balm making up the current range. ## Timeline {#belagg-timeline} | Year | Event | Source | |---|---|---| | 1991 | Rugard has belonged to Dr. B. Scheffler Nachfolger GmbH & Co KG since 1991 (per 2015 trade-press article). | https://www.diepta.de/news/rugard | | 1991 | Rugard has belonged to Dr. B. Scheffler Nachfolger GmbH & Co KG since 1991 (transaction details not stated). | https://www.diepta.de/news/rugard | | 2012 | Alexander Welsch joined Dr. Scheffler in Bergisch Gladbach and took over management after a generational change; he continued the brand with a new design without changing the known products (redesign not dated). | https://www.diepta.de/news/rugard | | 2015 | Rugard products sold in Germany, many other European countries and the United Arab Emirates; Algeria and Morocco to be added that year (per May 2015 article). | https://www.diepta.de/news/rugard | | 2019 | Launch of Rugard Beauty Liquid, pharmacy-exclusive collagen drinking ampoules (food supplement) with hyaluronic acid, from October 2019. | https://www.apotheke-adhoc.de/nachrichten/detail/markt/rugard-zum-trinken-kollagen-trinkampulle/ | | 2023 | Dr. Scheffler presented five new products of its RUGARD and ADDITIVA brands at Expopharm 2023 in Düsseldorf (27-30 Sept). | https://www.dr-scheffler.com/de/news/dr-scheffler-expopharm-2023/ | | 2026 | 65th anniversary: jubilee edition of the Vitamin-Creme in retro 1960s design plus prize campaign, running 1 February 2026 to 30 June 2027, only in local pharmacies. | https://www.dr-scheffler.com/de/news/65-jahre-rugard-jubilaeum-gewinnspiel-apotheke/ | | — | 1960s: Rudolf Kemperdiek and his wife Hildegard launched Rugard in Germany; the first products were the Vitamin-Creme and a vitamin body oil (the oil is no longer sold in that form). Exact year not stated. | https://www.diepta.de/news/rugard | ## Signature products {#belagg-products} - **RUGARD Vitamin-Creme (Gesichtspflege)** — Die RUGARD Vitamin-Creme mit den Vitaminen A, B6 und E deckt vor allem den erhöhten Pflegebedarf von anspruchsvoller, trockener Haut. — https://www.dr-scheffler.com/de/news/65-jahre-rugard-jubilaeum-gewinnspiel-apotheke/ - **RUGARD Hyaluron Feuchtigkeitspflege** — Die RUGARD Hyaluron Feuchtigkeitspflege belebt normale bis trockene Haut, spendet langanhaltend Feuchtigkeit und verhilft so zu einem frischen und strahlenden Teint. — https://www.dr-scheffler.com/de/rugard/hyaluron-serie/ - **RUGARD Hyaluron Augenpflege** — Die RUGARD Hyaluron Augenpflege enthält neben Hyaluronsäure zwei innovative Wirkstoffkomplexe. — https://www.dr-scheffler.com/de/rugard/hyaluron-serie/ - **RUGARD Vitamin Bodylotion** — Mit vier ausgewählten Vitaminen pflegt die zart nach Zitrusfrüchten duftende Bodylotion langanhaltend und intensiv. — https://www.dr-scheffler.com/de/rugard/vitamin-serie/ - **RUGARD Schöne Füße Hornhautlöser** — Die Spezialcreme mit 20 % Urea reduziert Hornhaut sanft und spendet intensiv Feuchtigkeit. — https://www.dr-scheffler.com/de/rugard/fusspflege-serie/ ## Key ingredients {#belagg-ingredients} Hyaluronsäure (hyaluronic acid) · Süßmandelprotein (sweet almond protein) · Vitamine (vitamins) · pflanzliche Öle (plant oils) Source: https://www.dr-scheffler.com/de/rugard/ ## Mentioned in {#belagg-press} - **DIE PTA IN DER APOTHEKE (diepta.de, pharmacy trade magazine)** (2015) — Brand portrait 'Wer steckt eigentlich hinter RUGARD' (01 May 2015): founders, name origin, ownership since 1991, distribution, production in Bergisch Gladbach. — https://www.diepta.de/news/rugard - **APOTHEKE ADHOC (pharmacy trade news)** (2019) — 'Rugard zum Trinken' (04.10.2019, Nadine Tröbitscher): launch of Rugard Beauty Liquid collagen drinking ampoules. — https://www.apotheke-adhoc.de/nachrichten/detail/markt/rugard-zum-trinken-kollagen-trinkampulle/ ## Sources 1. (T1) https://www.dr-scheffler.com/de/rugard/ 2. (T1) https://www.dr-scheffler.com/de/ueber-uns/export-private-label/ 4. (T2) https://www.dr-scheffler.com/de/impressum/ 5. (T2) https://www.dr-scheffler.com/de/news/65-jahre-rugard-jubilaeum-gewinnspiel-apotheke/ 7. (T2) https://www.dr-scheffler.com/de/news/dr-scheffler-expopharm-2023/ 8. (T2) https://www.dr-scheffler.com/de/rugard/vitamin-serie/ 14. (T4) https://www.diepta.de/news/rugard 15. (T4) https://www.apotheke-adhoc.de/nachrichten/detail/markt/rugard-zum-trinken-kollagen-trinkampulle/ --- Glowpedia · · Published 2026-09-30 Please cite with a link to the article URL.