Urtekram

Urtekram is a Danish natural and organic personal-care brand, marketed as Urtekram Beauty, that traces its origins to 1972 in Copenhagen [1]. It began as a small shop selling organic spices and care products from a basement in the centre of the city, and grew over the following decades into a specialist in affordable, plant-based cosmetics. Since 2015 the brand has been owned by the Swedish health-and-wellness group Midsona AB, under which it continues to trade as Midsona's beauty line across the Nordics and wider Europe [9].

The company positions itself around natural, simple and pure living, with products that it describes as vegan and made from 99–100% naturally derived ingredients. Its hair care, skin care, face care and body products are manufactured in Denmark and certified to organic and vegan standards.

Urtekram's story began in 1972, when its founders sold organic spices and care products from a small basement location in central Copenhagen [1]. The brand-owned account frames the launch within an era of "pioneer spirit, community feeling and environmental awareness," offering goods aligned with a natural, simple and pure lifestyle. The business expanded through the 1970s and 1980s, gradually gaining recognition beyond its early circle of eco-enthusiasts. The individual founders are not named in the available sources.

In 1989 the company relocated its headquarters and production to Mariager, in Jutland, Denmark, where its beauty products are still manufactured today.

Beyond its beauty line, Urtekram grew into one of Scandinavia's larger organic-foods wholesalers, and this wider business shaped its corporate history. According to a Wikipedia account of Gaia Trust founder J.T. Ross Jackson, the company was "continually in financial difficulties and close to bankruptcy" despite its early start. In 1995, Ross Jackson personally, together with Gaia Trust, took over two-thirds of the company, installed a professional management team and turned it around over the following two decades, reaching a net turnover of almost DKK 400 million [8].

The company was sold to Midsona AB in 2015 [8][9]. In 2017 the brand was named Denmark's most sustainable brand by the Sustainable Brand Index [1].

Urtekram International A/S was acquired by the Swedish group Midsona AB on 1 July 2015 [9]. The deal established Midsona in Denmark; trade press at the time described Urtekram as a provider of organic food in the Nordic region, with the brand represented in some 40 countries [11]. Financial terms were not disclosed in the available records, which report sales of around US$52 million and roughly 150 employees at the time of the acquisition [9]. The brand has since operated as part of Midsona Group.

Urtekram frames sustainability and ecological responsibility as, in the company's words, "not just business practices but a way of life." Its stated values centre on natural, simple and pure living, and it markets itself as an affordable entry point into organic and vegan cosmetics. A green-beauty review described it as a Danish organic beauty specialist "affectionately known as 'herbal-hug'," and noted prices starting at less than £2 [10].

The range spans hair care, skin care, face care, body care and dental care, all built around the brand's natural and organic principles. Frequently highlighted ingredients include aloe vera, shea butter, jojoba oil, hyaluronic acid, coconut oil and lavender.

Urtekram says its products are vegan and made from 99–100% naturally derived ingredients, with formulations it describes as 100% biodegradable and free of synthetic perfumes, parabens and silicones. The brand holds certification from Ecocert to the COSMOS Organic standard, and from the Vegan Society; it also references AllergyCertified, an international allergy label. An independent review noted that the products contain no silicones, mineral oils, GMO or nanomaterials [10].

Sustainability is central to the brand's positioning. Its Danish manufacturing facility runs on renewable energy, including wind-powered electricity and biogas heating, with rooftop solar panels on the warehouse and LED lighting that the company says cut consumption by 40%. Unavoidable production waste is sent to a local biogas facility for energy conversion, and suppliers are required to sign a code of conduct based on UN guiding principles.

On packaging, the company had used plant-based material derived from sugarcane in place of conventional plastic. It announced a transition to recyclable rPET bottles made from recycled plastic, taking effect from January 2024, describing the move as a way to avoid producing new plastic. Urtekram also notes that its parent company, Midsona, participates in the Science Based Targets initiative.

In 2017 Urtekram was named Denmark's most sustainable brand by the Sustainable Brand Index [1]. Midsona's 2015 acquisition of the company was reported by trade outlets including Just Food [11].

Urtekram is an active, trading brand rather than an independent company: it has been owned by Midsona AB since 2015 and operates as the group's beauty and personal-care line [9]. It remains commercially active, with live e-commerce across Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Germany and a packaging change dated to January 2024; its products are distributed through retail and online channels in Europe and beyond.