Dr. Hauschka

Our ingredients

Each and every one of the ingredients in our products contributes to their overall effect. Careful thought goes into the selection and sourcing of the raw materials as well as the way in which the individual ingredients are combined to form complete Dr. Hauschka products. We also adhere to the highest quality standards.

This page tells you more about the individual ingredients: where they come from, why we use them and what functions they perform in our products.

Melissa

Melissa

Raw material profile

Run your hands through a bunch of strong, green melissa leaves (Melissa officinalis) and you will be treated to a fresh, lemony fragrance. This gentle touch test differentiates the peppermint-shaped leaves from those of mint plants.More

Melissa Day Cream ingredients

Melissa Day Cream balances areas of dry and oily skin to restore sensitive combination skin’s natural equilibrium. Melissa has a harmonising effect and stimulates the skin’s natural activities. Anthyllis and witch hazel help to standardise the skin’s rhythm. Carrot extract soothes the skin and helps it discover its own centre. A balanced complexion free from shine is the result.

Why is melissa used as an ingredient in Dr. Hauschka products?

Melisse berührt uns im Herzen. Sie entwickelt im Wachstum eine kugelige Form und schafft so einen geschützten Innenraum, in dem die zarten Blüten gedeihen und strahlt etwas Umhüllendes, Wärme gebendes aus. Wir nehmen hauptsächlich ihre Blätter wahr, ihre Blüten bleiben im Hintergrund.More

Melissa extract
Melissa extract
Anthyllis extract
Anthyllis extract
Witch hazel extract
Witch hazel extract
Carrot extract
Carrot
extract
Melissa Day Cream

Melissa Day Cream

To the Product


Full list of Melissa Day Cream ingredients
Water (Aqua), Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Alcohol, Glycerin, Manihot Utilissima (Tapioca) Starch, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Melissa Officinalis Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Arachis Hypogaea (Peanut) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Anthyllis Vulneraria Extract, Bellis Perennis (Daisy) Flower Extract, Tropaeolum Majus Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Bark/Leaf Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Bran Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Fragrance (Parfum)*, Citral*, Limonene*, Geraniol*, Citronellol*, Linalool*, Hectorite, Lysolecithin, Xanthan Gum, Coco-Glucoside, Zinc Oxide (CI 77947).

*from natural essential oils

In spring, melissa looks youthfully light while still powerful with its light green leaves and fresh fragrance. In summer, it starts to change its inner being and develop more tannins. We harvest melissa from spring to autumn, just before it starts to blossom. This is when it has the greatest vitality and expresses its powerful lightness most strongly.

Monika Ganter
Employee in the Skin Care Development department at WALA

Origin, cultivation and processing

Most of the melissa used in Dr. Hauschka Skin Care products is only grown a kilometre away from WALA. Staff at the Sonnenhof, the company’s own Demeter farm, cultivate the melissa plants using careful manual procedures and in line with biodynamic farming methods. They monitor the plants closely and harvest the melissa leaves just before they start to blossom.More

Melisse - Dr.Hauschka

“This remedy makes the heart joyful.” These were the words used by the Benedictine nun Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) to describe melissa.

Melisse - Dr.Hauschka

Used internally, melissa can soothe an array of problems, including heart palpitations, insomnia and gastrointestinal disorders. It alleviates cramps, counters flatulence and is antiviral.

Melisse - Dr.Hauschka

The Carmelites of the French abbey St Juste added melissa to their Carmelite water, which they manufactured under the name ‘Eau de Carnes’ for Charles V. of France (1338-1380) as a remedy for threatening colds and gastrointestinal problems.

Melisse - Dr.Hauschka

Bees love the fragrance of melissa and associate it with ample sources of food. They produce a gland secretion that smells similar to melissa and use this to mark the feeding areas that are rich in nectar or pollen. The plant’s name reflects this close relationship: in Greek, melissa = honey bee.

Melissa

Raw material profile

Run your hands through a bunch of strong, green melissa leaves (Melissa officinalis) and you will be treated to a fresh, lemony fragrance. This gentle touch test differentiates the peppermint-shaped leaves from those of mint plants. Lemon balm, as melissa is also known, has a truly unmistakeable fragrance. Freshly plucked from the plant, however, the leaves taste surprisingly harsh and slightly bitter – quite unlike you would expect based on their aroma. The fresh fragrance is created by certain constituents of the plant’s complex essential oil, primarily citronellal, geranial and neral, whereas the taste comes from the natural bitters and tannins. Melissa only contains about 0.3% essential oil, which is therefore classed as one of the most valuable and expensive oils. The area of cultivation, climate and time of harvest all have a strong influence on the overall composition. The tannins, such as rosemary, chlorogenic and caffeic acid, as well as flavonoids, supplement the leaves’ essential oils.

The white petals concealed in the leaf axils open up from July to August. If you take a closer look inside the petals, you will spot the lip which is typical of labiates, the family to which melissa belongs. The petals smell honey sweet, especially in contrast to the lemony leaves

Melissa

Origin, cultivation and processing

Most of the melissa used in Dr. Hauschka Skin Care products is only grown a kilometre away from WALA. Staff at the Sonnenhof, the company’s own Demeter farm, cultivate the melissa plants using careful manual procedures and in line with biodynamic farming methods. They monitor the plants closely and harvest the melissa leaves just before they start to blossom. They then use warmed external air to carefully dry the fresh leaves at the farm itself at temperatures that are always kept below 40°C. This preserves most of the essential oil. WALA mixes the dried melissa leaves with pure, organic peanut oil. The melissa and the oil are then left to mature for a week in line with a proprietary, rhythmic procedure. During this phase, the compound is heated to 37°C – human body temperature. It is carefully mixed every morning and evening to enable the melissa to transfer all its strength to the oil.

Die Melisse stammt ursprünglich aus dem östlichen Mittelmeergebiet und Westasien. Sie bevorzugt weder ganz trockene, noch sehr feuchte Standorte, sondern ein warmes, aber nicht zu heißes Klima. Bereits in der Antike war sie als Heil- und Gewürzpflanze bekannt. Ein speziell von WALA entwickelter Auszug aus dem Blättern wirkt beruhigend und ausgleichMelissa originally comes from the Eastern Mediterranean region and Western Asia. Rather than extremely arid or extremely damp conditions, it prefers a climate that is warm but not too hot. It has been known as a medicinal plant and spice since back in antiquity. WALA has specially developed an extract from the leaves, which is soothing and balancingend.

Melissa
Melissa

Why is melissa used as an ingredient in Dr. Hauschka products?

Melissa touches our hearts. When growing, it forms a spherical shape to create a protected inner area in which the delicate petals can flourish. It radiates a sense of protection and warmth. We primarily focus on its leaves; its petals remain in the background. Each leaf is heart-shaped and forms a mediating centre between the two polar plant elements of the roots and the petals. With its pronounced centre, melissa is a master of balance and transfers this strength to our bodies. It helps imbalanced skin to rediscover its inner harmony.

Melissa