Und Gretel

Und Gretel is a Berlin-based natural cosmetics company that makes certified colour cosmetics and skincare. It was founded by the makeup artist Christina Roth and the marketing specialist Stephanie Dettmann, who set out to close what they saw as a long-standing gap between natural formulation and professional makeup performance. The range is certified to natural-cosmetics standards and is positioned at the high end of the market.

The company dates its market launch to 17 January 2015 [2]; some retailer listings record 2014 [8], a year that corresponds to the pre-launch development period and to an award the line won before it went on sale. The brand remains independently run and active, with promotional campaigns and refill launches through 2025 and into 2026 [1].

Christina Roth had worked as a makeup artist in fashion, film and advertising, and found that the natural products then on the market did not meet the demands of her work. "I didn't find on the market what I needed for my work," she told Der Tagesspiegel [7]. She began developing a line in Berlin, at first with a former partner, and later joined with her neighbour Stephanie Dettmann, whose background was in marketing. The two spent roughly five years developing the products before bringing them to market.

The name draws on the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. According to Dettmann, it is meant to evoke "intuitively making the right decision for yourself" [5]. Several of the products carry Middle High German names — TAGAROT, for instance, means "dawn."

In 2014, before sales had begun, the line won first prize for best makeup at the Beauty Challenger Awards, held at the "Beyond Beauty" cosmetics fair in Paris [7]. The brand launched the following January at the Andreas Murkudis concept store in Berlin, starting with 11 products in 48 shades. In 2022, it added a skincare line aimed at mature skin.

Und Gretel frames its founding around a single idea: that natural ingredients and high makeup performance need not be a trade-off. "Natural cosmetics and makeup — for a long time, the two weren't ideally compatible," the company's site states. "It was either natural ingredients or performance" [1]. Its stated values centre on healthy skin, strong expression and selected ingredients, under the tagline "100% certified natural cosmetics. Without compromises."

The brand summarises its formulation approach as "NO BAD STUFF," saying it avoids synthetic ingredients, microplastics, parabens, silicones, mineral oils and aluminium, and that its pigments come from natural rather than synthetic sources. Editorial coverage has placed the brand within "G-beauty," a term for German-made skincare using natural, clean ingredients, and within the broader clean-beauty movement [6].

The line spans makeup and skincare, including lipsticks (TAGAROT), eyeshadows (IMBE), mascara (WINT), highlighter (VLITTER) and a CC cream (BESTE). In place of synthetics and mineral oils, the products use ingredients such as carnauba and candelilla wax, jojoba oil and shea butter. The packaging is described as drawing on the Bauhaus tradition and Constructivist design.

Its products are certified to natural-cosmetics standards including BDIH, COSMOS Natural and COSMOS Organic, and the range is cruelty-free and PETA-approved [2]. The company and some editorial coverage describe the line as completely vegan [6], though at least one retailer profile notes that many, but not all, products are vegan [9]. Manufacturing takes place in Germany and Italy. Under a "Made to Stay" initiative, the brand has converted several lines — among them its face palettes, IMBE shadows and colour pots — to refillable formats.

Und Gretel remains an active, independently run company based in Berlin, with campaigns and editorial content dated through 2025 and 2026 and continuing refill launches [1]. It sells directly through its own webshop and through third-party retailers across Europe.