# Styx Naturcosmetics ## Facts | | | |---|---| | Founded | 1965 | | Origin | Austria | | Headquarters | Ober-Grafendorf (Lower Austria) | | Status | Active | | Manufacturing | Ober-Grafendorf, Lower Austria, Austria | | Distribution | Multi-channel | | Website | https://www.styx.at/ | Styx Naturcosmetics (trading as STYX Naturcosmetic GmbH) is an Austrian manufacturer of natural cosmetics based in Ober-Grafendorf, in the Pielach valley of Lower Austria. The company dates its work in natural cosmetics to 1965 and describes itself as a family business now in its third generation [1]. Its range spans body care, facial care, hair care, baby care, massage oils and fragrance, built largely on herbal extracts, cold-pressed plant oils and essential oils. Its longest-running products include a Joghurt Shampoo first sold in returnable glass bottles and a potato-based hand balm. All production takes place at the company's single Austrian site, and alongside its own-name cosmetics it runs a professional spa line, a chocolate manufactory and a visitor complex around the factory. It remains a family business and is active as of 2026. ## Origin & founders STYX Naturcosmetic grew up in the Pielach valley of Lower Austria, a rural area of hills and meadows which the company presents as part of its identity. Its headquarters and production sit together at Am Kräutergarten ("at the herb garden") in Ober-Grafendorf. The company's own history begins in 1965 and frames the business as an Austrian family enterprise rather than a founder's story. Today the company is led by Wolfgang Stix, whom it names as its chief executive and managing director. A 2020 press release described him as a "visionary" whose path ran "from the garage to a world of its own" [12]. Michaela Stix is named by the company as the developer of its professional AROMA DERM line. Sources disagree on the size of the workforce. The German version of the company's "About" page refers to around 60 employees [2], while the English version of the same page says around 50 [3]. An Austrian news site also gave a figure of 50 staff in a feature on domestic natural-cosmetics brands [14]. ## History & milestones One of the clearest threads in the company's history is its Joghurt Shampoo. According to STYX, the shampoo was sold in glass bottles from the start, and customers could return empty bottles to be cleaned and refilled; ten returned bottles earned a free shampoo [11]. The company ended the return scheme in 2000, saying stricter hygiene rules would have required harsher cleaning methods that clashed with the original environmental idea. In 2026 the shampoo marked its 40th anniversary, and STYX issued a limited retro edition of 1,000 bottles modelled on the original design. In 2003 the company received the Austrian "Staatliche Auszeichnung", a state award granted by the Federal Minister of Economy to businesses recognised for exceptional contributions to the Austrian economy. Much of the following decade went into the factory's energy supply. A biomass heating plant fired with regionally sourced wood chips was installed in 2011, the same year STYX began working closely with the certification body ECOCERT. A 280-square-metre solar installation followed in August 2013. In 2014 the company received the Green Brands Austria seal for the first time, a label it has renewed in later years. On 14 July 2020 STYX held a press conference on expanding what it calls the "World of STYX", the visitor area around its production site. The plans included the STYX Remise events venue, the Bahnhofsbräu inn and a welcome centre then planned for 2021. The company marked its 60th anniversary in 2025. In 2026 it opened the STYX Gartenwelt, a garden attraction in Ober-Grafendorf, with an opening ceremony on 3 June and public access from 3 July. ## Philosophy & positioning The company's motto is "Hand in Hand mit der Natur" ("hand in hand with nature"). STYX describes its formulas as combining traditional knowledge with modern production methods, and it lists sustainability, regionality and social responsibility as its core values. According to the company, it sources raw materials mainly from Austria, or from a plant's native region where that makes more sense, and uses herbs from organic farming or wild collection alongside cold-pressed plant oils and pure essential oils. STYX also leans on folk tradition. The German sustainability site Utopia.de pointed to the potato hand balm, which is made to a farmers' recipe from Lower Austria. The Viennese news site Vienna.at, writing about Austrian natural-cosmetics brands, highlighted the company's colourful packaging and its stated credo, "Die Kunst der Körperpflege" ("the art of body care"). How far the whole range meets natural-cosmetics standards is a point where the company's own wording varies. Its homepage states that STYX Naturcosmetic is vegan and organic-certified [1]. Its natural-cosmetics page is more measured, referring to "many vegan and certified products", with vegan items marked by a logo [6]. Utopia.de drew the same distinction, noting that not every STYX product is certified natural cosmetics and describing the certification across the range as inconsistent [15]. ## Products & innovation The company's products run from body and hand creams to facial care, shampoos, baby care, massage oils and perfume. Products the company itself highlights include Chin Min Balsam, the Kartoffel Handbalsam (potato hand balm), an Aloe Vera body cream, the Joghurt Shampoo and a calendula (Ringelblume) body cream. Vienna.at's editors named the pomegranate (Granatapfel) series as their favourite. According to STYX, its products are free of synthetic fragrances, silicones, microplastics and paraffin oil. The company says products that are fully free of animal ingredients carry a vegan logo, and Utopia.de reported that, according to the manufacturer, all of its cosmetics are made without animal testing. Certified products carry the seals of the bodies that inspected them. STYX says it has worked closely with ECOCERT since 2011, and that its certified organic cosmetics are checked against the standards of organisations such as ECOCERT, Austria Bio Garantie and Icada [5]. The same page states that all production takes place at the company's Austrian site. Beyond its own-name cosmetics, the company runs several related businesses. AROMA DERM is a professional line developed for use in beauty salons and spas. STYX also operates a chocolate manufactory and offers private-label production for other brands. ## Sustainability Energy use at the factory is a large part of how STYX presents itself. The company says it buys only green electricity, generates part of its own power through the solar installation it commissioned in 2013, and heats the site with its wood-chip biomass plant [4]. According to the company, both its products and its shipping parcels are packed plastic-free or in materials made from renewable or recycled raw materials. STYX is a member of the Climate Alliance (Klimabündnis), a European partnership for climate protection that links more than 1,700 municipalities, and lists itself as a Klimabündnis company in Austria. The year it joined is given differently across its own website: the German "About" page lists 2018 [2], while the English version says the company has been a member since 2014 [3]. Outside commentary has picked up the same theme: Utopia.de headed its entry on the company "climate-neutral cosmetics from Austria". ## Recognition Most of the company's awards are reported on its own website. Besides the 2003 state award and the Green Brands Austria seal, STYX lists a TRIGOS Regional award in 2019 for a regional value-creation project called "Schatzsuche im Mostviertel", and a European Green Award in 2021. Several products have won the consumer-voted titles "Bestes Bio" and "Bestes Öko". The company says its organic hemp hand cream won "Bestes Bio 2021", making STYX, by its own account, the first Austrian cosmetics company to receive it. Two products from its organic poppy (Mohn) series followed in 2022, and in 2024 its Hyaluron+ serum with organic aloe vera and its Chin Min CBD balm won "Bestes Bio" and "Bestes Öko" respectively. The calendula body cream was named "Bestes Öko 2026". In the professional beauty sector, STYX placed two products in the BEAUTY FORUM Stars Award in 2021 and took second place in the sustainability category of the same award in 2025. In 2026 its herb garden received the "Goldener Igel" (golden hedgehog) from the "Natur im Garten" scheme as a show garden. ## Current status STYX Naturcosmetic is active. Its news page carried a steady flow of items through 2026, including the opening of the STYX Gartenwelt, new body creams in tubes and a seasonal prize draw. The company sells through its own online shop and through specialist natural-cosmetics retailers, and it lists distribution partners in around two dozen countries, among them the United States, Canada and China, as well as a Swedish affiliate, STYX Scandinavia AB [7]. It continues to produce its full range at its single site in Ober-Grafendorf. ## Timeline {#belagg-timeline} | Year | Event | Source | |---|---|---| | 1965 | Company founded as an Austrian family business making natural cosmetics | https://www.styx.at/ | | 2000 | Glass-bottle return system for Joghurt Shampoo discontinued due to stricter hygiene requirements | https://www.styx.at/de/Neuigkeiten-Detail?b2id=1387 | | 2003 | Received the Austrian 'Staatliche Auszeichnung' (state award) from the Federal Minister of Economy | https://www.styx.at/de/ueber-Styx | | 2011 | Wood-chip biomass heating plant installed; close cooperation with ECOCERT began | https://www.styx.at/de/Nachhaltigkeit-Philosophie | | 2013 | 280 m2 photovoltaic plant commissioned (August 2013) | https://www.styx.at/de/Nachhaltigkeit-Philosophie | | 2014 | First awarded the Green Brands Austria seal (renewed 2025) | https://www.styx.at/de/Zertifizierungen | | 2020 | Press conference (14 July 2020) on 'World of STYX' visitor-site expansion: STYX Remise event venue, Bahnhofsbräu, planned 2021 welcome center | https://www.styx.at/de/Neuigkeiten-Detail?b2id=441 | | 2025 | 60th company anniversary | https://www.styx.at/de/Neuigkeiten-Detail?b2id=1291 | | 2026 | STYX Gartenwelt (garden visitor attraction) opened in Ober-Grafendorf (ceremony 3 June, public from 3 July 2026) | https://www.styx.at/de/Neuigkeiten | | — | Joghurt Shampoo launched in returnable glass bottles with a bottle-return scheme (ten returned bottles = one free shampoo); 40th anniversary marked in 2026 with a 1,000-unit retro edition | https://www.styx.at/de/Neuigkeiten-Detail?b2id=1387 | ## Certifications {#belagg-certifications} - **Ecocert** — Independent certification of natural and organic cosmetics — “STYX Naturcosmetic arbeitet seit 2011 eng mit ECOCERT zusammen, um höchste Qualitätsstandards zu garantieren. Bereits zertifizierte Produkte sind anhand des ECOCERT Logos auf unseren Produkten zu erkennen.” — https://www.styx.at/de/Zertifizierungen - **Austria BIO Garantie** — “Viele unserer handgemachten Schokoladen, sowie DIY Pflegeprodukte tragen diese BIO-Kennzeichnung.” — https://www.styx.at/de/Zertifizierungen - **Icada** — “Die zertifizierte Biokosmetik ist nach den Standards von etablierten, internationalen Zertifizierungsstellen wie Austria Bio Garantie, Icada oder Ecocert geprüft.” — https://www.styx.at/ ## Awards {#belagg-awards} | Year | Awards | Category | Source | |---|---|---|---| | 2003 | Staatliche Auszeichnung (Austrian state award) | exceptional contribution to the Austrian economy | https://www.styx.at/de/ueber-Styx | | 2014 | Green Brands Austria seal | environmental and climate protection (renewed 2025/2026; also listed 2022/2023) | https://www.styx.at/de/Zertifizierungen | | 2019 | TRIGOS Regional | Regionale Wertschaffung (project 'Schatzsuche im Mostviertel') | https://www.styx.at/de/Zertifizierungen | | 2021 | European Green Award | sustainability (year per logo alt text) | https://www.styx.at/de/Zertifizierungen | | 2021 | Bestes Bio 2021 | BIO Hanf Handcreme; brand states first Austrian cosmetics company to receive it | https://www.styx.at/de/Neuigkeiten | | 2021 | BEAUTY FORUM Stars Award 2021 | two products placed | https://www.styx.at/de/Neuigkeiten | | 2022 | Bestes Bio 2022 | two products from the BIO Mohn series | https://www.styx.at/de/Neuigkeiten | | 2024 | Bestes BIO 2024 | Hyaluron+ Serum mit BIO Aloe Vera | https://www.styx.at/de/Neuigkeiten | | 2024 | Bestes ÖKO 2024 | Chin Min CBD Balsam | https://www.styx.at/de/Neuigkeiten | | 2025 | BEAUTY FORUM Stars Award 2025 | 2nd place, Nachhaltigkeit (sustainability) | https://www.styx.at/de/Neuigkeiten-Detail?b2id=1291 | | 2026 | Bestes ÖKO 2026 | Ringelblume Körpercreme 50 ml (consumer-voted) | https://www.styx.at/de/Neuigkeiten-Detail?b2id=1291 | | 2026 | Goldener Igel ('Natur im Garten') | STYX herb garden as show garden | https://www.styx.at/de/Neuigkeiten | ## Signature products {#belagg-products} - **Chin Min Balsam** — sei es Chin Min Balsam, Kartoffel Handcreme oder Aloe Vera Körpercreme — https://www.styx.at/ - **Kartoffel Handbalsam (potato hand balm)** — etwa mit dem „Kartoffel Handbalsam“ nach einem niederösterreichischen Bauernrezept — https://utopia.de/ratgeber/kleine-naturkosmetik-labels-die-du-kennen-solltest/ - **Aloe Vera Körpercreme** — sei es Chin Min Balsam, Kartoffel Handcreme oder Aloe Vera Körpercreme — https://www.styx.at/ - **Joghurt Shampoo** — Ein echter Klassiker aus dem Hause STYX Naturcosmetic feiert heuer seinen 40. Geburtstag: das STYX Joghurt Shampoo. — https://www.styx.at/de/Neuigkeiten-Detail?b2id=1387 - **Ringelblume Körpercreme (calendula body cream)** — Unsere Ringelblume Körpercreme 50 ml wurde als „BESTES ÖKO 2026“ prämiert — https://www.styx.at/de/Neuigkeiten-Detail?b2id=1291 ## Key ingredients {#belagg-ingredients} herbs from organic cultivation or wild collection (herbal essences) · cold-pressed plant oils · pure essential oils Source: https://www.styx.at/ ## Mentioned in {#belagg-press} - **Utopia.de** — Listed #4 in 'kleine Naturkosmetik-Labels, die du kennen solltest' as 'klimaneutrale Kosmetik aus Österreich'; notes that not all products are certified natural cosmetics ('inkonsequente Zertifizierung') — https://utopia.de/ratgeber/kleine-naturkosmetik-labels-die-du-kennen-solltest/ - **Vienna.at** — Featured in roundup 'Naturkosmetik aus Österreich: Diese Marken sollte man kennen'; editors name the Granatapfel (pomegranate) series as favourite — https://www.vienna.at/naturkosmetik-aus-oesterreich-diese-marken-sollte-man-kennen/4654982 - **Krone NÖ Karriere** (2021) — 'STYX in Ober-Grafendorf vergrößert sein Team' (14.11.2021), listed on brand press page — https://www.styx.at/de/Download-Presse ## Sources 1. (T1) https://www.styx.at/ 2. (T1) https://www.styx.at/de/ueber-Styx 3. (T2) https://www.styx.at/en/About-Styx 4. (T2) https://www.styx.at/de/Nachhaltigkeit-Philosophie 5. (T2) https://www.styx.at/de/Zertifizierungen 6. (T2) https://www.styx.at/de/Naturkosmetik 7. (T2) https://www.styx.at/de/Styx-Worldwide 11. (T2) https://www.styx.at/de/Neuigkeiten-Detail?b2id=1387 12. (T2) https://www.styx.at/de/Neuigkeiten-Detail?b2id=441 14. (T3) https://www.vienna.at/naturkosmetik-aus-oesterreich-diese-marken-sollte-man-kennen/4654982 15. (T3) https://utopia.de/ratgeber/kleine-naturkosmetik-labels-die-du-kennen-solltest/ --- Glowpedia · · Published 2026-10-13 Please cite with a link to the article URL.