VELAN

VELAN is a German skincare brand built around plant bitter compounds, chiefly from yellow gentian, and a patented idea that the skin itself carries bitter taste receptors. The brand grew out of dermatology research at the University Hospital Freiburg and is marketed by EB Medical GmbH of Cologne, which describes VELAN as "evidence-based natural cosmetics with a patented active principle." Its two lines address dry, eczema-prone skin and acne-prone skin, and are sold through pharmacies.

The brand's current level of activity is unclear. Its website remains online with a current company imprint, but the newest dated item it carries is a press article from September 2021, and no more recent brand news has surfaced. VELAN's launch year is not documented.

VELAN traces its origins to a research team at the University Hospital Freiburg led by Christoph Schempp, a biologist and professor of dermatology, and the biologist Ute Wölfle. According to the brand, the pair discovered bitter taste receptors in human skin, worked out how they function and were the first to make them usable in skincare. The brand's website names Schempp as the founder of VELAN [2]. Wölfle, whom the brand site calls "Dr.", is now listed by the university hospital as a professor and as head of the laboratory.

The university hospital's own page confirms that Schempp and Wölfle are the inventors of European patent EP 2 865 421 B1, on bitter taste receptor agonists for topical use [9]. VELAN cites the same patent, under the German title "Bitterstoffe für die topische Verabreichung" (bitter compounds for topical application), as the basis of its formulas [3]. A quotation attributed to Schempp on the brand site says the range combines 25 years of plant research with current dermatological knowledge.

The two sources name the research group differently. VELAN's website attributes the discovery to scientists of the "skinitial" research centre at the University of Freiburg [3]. The university hospital describes a research area called "skintegral™" within its Department of Dermatology and Venereology, led by Schempp with Wölfle running the laboratory, which studies the effects of plant extracts, minerals and sunlight on the skin [9].

Few dated milestones are on record. The brand's website states that the range has appeared in a new design "since mid-2020" while keeping its existing formulas [1]. The study summaries the company publishes online were uploaded in November 2020. In 2021, two articles about the CALM & REPAIR line appeared in the member magazine of a patient association for atopic dermatitis, which the brand lists as its most recent press coverage.

The brand's page on yellow gentian also refers to a LIFT EFFECT+ range, comprising a day cream, night cream, face serum and care lotion. That range does not appear in the brand's current product overview, and whether it is still produced is unclear.

VELAN is operated by EB Medical GmbH, a company based in Cologne and registered at the Cologne local court, whose managing director is Manfred Matzel [7]. EB Medical is the brand's owner and marketer rather than part of a larger beauty group. No acquisitions or changes of ownership are documented.

A related product, Bitterstern® VELAN Creme Schnelle Hilfe, is sold under a co-branded name. Its listed manufacturer is Dr. C. Soldan GmbH, and it is described as made in Germany and carries the "patented active principle of the University of Freiburg" [10]. The commercial relationship between Soldan and EB Medical has not been made public.

VELAN describes its approach as "evidence-based": the company says science is the starting point for product development and that it combines research on natural substances with dermatological research. Its stated values are that the effectiveness and tolerability of its products must be scientifically demonstrated, that the skin's needs guide product design, and that quality should come at a fair price.

The central idea is the brand's patented mechanism. According to VELAN, plant bitter compounds from gentian can bind to bitter taste receptors in skin cells and trigger an influx of calcium. This, the company says, prompts the skin to produce fats and proteins that build and maintain its protective barrier [3]. Among the studies the brand summarises is one suggesting that aged skin cells carry more bitter receptors than young ones, which VELAN presents as a basis for anti-ageing use.

The brand positions itself as natural cosmetics for sensitive and problem skin. All products are vegan, and the company says they contain no synthetic preservatives or fragrances, no mineral oil and no PEG emulsifiers, which are common synthetic binding agents in creams.

The range is organised by skin need into two lines.

CALM & REPAIR is aimed at dry, sensitive skin and skin prone to atopic dermatitis (eczema). It includes a body balm and a face cream, and the brand recommends it as supportive care alongside medical treatment. It pairs gentian bitter compounds with licorice extract, which the company describes as anti-inflammatory. VELAN says an unscented version is suitable for children from nine months and a scented version from two years. The brand's own frequently asked questions describe CALM & REPAIR as hypoallergenic and free of essential oils. The company explains that it left out fragrance because scents can trigger allergies when applied to inflamed skin. It also says the licorice and a low alcohol content hold back excessive bacterial growth without harming the skin's microbiome, and that whether a product helps can only be judged after seven to 28 days of use.

PURE & CLEAR targets oily, blemish-prone and acne-prone skin, and the company says it also suits skin prone to rosacea. It consists of a cleansing lotion and a spot gel called Akut Gel, intended to be used morning and evening. Its formulas combine a concentrated bitter extract from gentian with hops and manuka oil.

Yellow gentian is the signature ingredient. VELAN's page on the plant notes that its root contains amarogentin, one of the most bitter natural substances known, still detectable at a dilution of one in 58 million. The same page traces the plant's medicinal use to antiquity and to Leonhart Fuchs's herbal of 1543, which already recommended gentian juice for blemished skin. Because wild yellow gentian is now rare and protected, the brand notes, commercial supplies are cultivated [8]. The website also features licorice, hops, manuka, St John's wort, schisandra, field mint, pomegranate and the plant compound luteolin.

The company publishes summaries of seven studies. The most striking claim concerns the CALM & REPAIR body balm: according to VELAN, a randomised, placebo-controlled study with 42 participants found it as anti-inflammatory as 1% hydrocortisone acetate, a mild steroid cream [4]. Other summaries report a rise in skin fat content in a 34-person comparison of gentian extract against a plain base cream, and a drop in skin oiliness in a 21-person trial of the PURE & CLEAR cleansing lotion. A laboratory test reported that the Akut Gel inhibited the growth of acne-related and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, measured against a product containing the antibiotic clindamycin.

All VELAN products carry the NATRUE seal, an international certification for natural and organic cosmetics [5]. The company states that skin tolerability has been dermatologically confirmed.

In 2018, Schempp and Wölfle received the Innovation Award of the Society for Phytotherapy, a society for herbal medicine, for their work on the skin's bitter receptors and for developing a medical skincare product based on it [9]. The award citation does not name the product.

The brand lists two articles on CALM & REPAIR first published in Umwelt • Haut • Allergie, the member magazine of the atopic dermatitis association BV Neurodermitis e.V. One, in issue 90 (June 2021), dealt with inflammatory skin conditions in the intimate area; the other, in issue 91 (September 2021), discussed medicinal herbs as part of conventional medicine [1].

VELAN's status cannot be confirmed as either active or dormant. The brand website remains online with a current imprint naming EB Medical GmbH, and the products are distributed through pharmacies and online pharmacies, each with its own German pharmacy product code (PZN) [5]. Distribution is focused on Germany. However, the most recent dated activity on the brand's site is the September 2021 magazine article, and no newer announcements, launches or press coverage have been found.