Sudrow’s extensive 700-page study commissioned by the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site reveals that despite being intended for soldiers, the cream was used by SS Doctor Sigmund Rascher on prisoners between 1942 and 1943, with 80-90 out of 280-300 recipients believed to have died from exposure to freezing conditions.
The Dachau camp, located near Munich, was opened in 1933 and initially incarcerated political prisoners before becoming a death camp where over 41,000 Jews lost their lives before liberation by US troops on April 29, 1945.
Swiss-based Weleda, known for its Skin Food moisturizers and other natural products, responded to the report by promising to investigate its history thoroughly.
Founded in 1921 by Rudolf Steiner and others, Weleda adheres to the principles of anthroposophy, a holistic spiritual and scientific philosophy. The company states it views the interconnectedness of humans, society, and nature.
Sudrow’s research indicates that Weleda had strong ties with the SS-controlled German Research Institute for Nutrition and Food (DVA) from at least 1941 until the end of World War II.
Weleda allegedly supplied the cream to the Nazi leadership from 1940, promoting its benefits for the eastern front and the potential to reduce frostbite-related amputations.
Despite Nazi officials’ view of anthroposophy as an ideological threat, there were close personal connections between Weleda and the SS at Dachau. The former head of Weleda’s medicinal plant garden, Frank Lippert, joined the SS in 1941 and continued his research after the war, using insights from his Dachau experiments until his death in 1949.
Sudrow’s findings have shaken her belief in biodynamic products. She argues for consumers to be aware of her research, especially considering the Origins of Weleda’s practices.
Weleda has condemned the atrocities of the Nazi regime and is committed to examining its past, granting historians access to their archives and publishing a historical report in 2024.
Weleda insists that there is no connection between the cream’s delivery to the SS and its previous work and denies any intentional involvement in Rascher’s experiments.
Weleda asserts its values of tolerance, diversity, and humanity and aims for a complete clarification of its history.
