What Districon does

Merz Lifecare is a multi-brand consumer healthcare and wellness company headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, operating as a 4th-generation family business within the Merz Group. The company runs a portfolio of 11 brands covering health, wellness, body care, and natural beauty products for consumers ranging from babies to seniors, including tetesept (bath and cold remedies), SOS (acute problem-solving), Zirkulin (digestive wellness), Merz Spezial (beauty), Brooklyn Soap Company (men's grooming), Burgit (foot care), Savoderm med (medical skincare), Depilan (hair removal), Daytox (clean skincare), Beautyglam (facial care), and sub-brands tetesept Baby and Femi Baby. The portfolio comprises more than 650 SKUs distributed across 25 countries from 5 locations in the German-speaking (DACH) region.

Revenue is generated through wholesale and direct sales of OTC and personal care products via retail pharmacies, drugstores, and brand-owned e-commerce storefronts (e.g., tetesept.de, sos.de, zirkulin.de, merz-spezial.de, bklynsoap.com). Pricing is at standard OTC retail levels; no enterprise or subscription pricing is disclosed. The go-to-market is sales-led, with multi-channel brand marketing across LinkedIn, the corporate website (merz-lifecare.com) and country-specific domains for Austria and Switzerland, plus sustainability communications.

On January 2, 2025, Merz Lifecare completed a merger with WindStar Medical, expanding the OTC portfolio and market position; the company subsequently refocused on the Merz Lifecare corporate identity and appointed Markus Armbruster as Chief Marketing Officer in July 2025. The company is privately held under family ownership with no disclosed funding rounds, no public revenue figures, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities; differentiation rests on brand equity, multi-brand scale, and distribution reach rather than proprietary technology.

Name

Districon

Legal name

Merz Lifecare

Website

https://districon.eu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Merz Lifecare is a German, family-owned multi-brand OTC consumer healthcare company operating 11 brands (tetesept, SOS, Zirkulin, Merz Spezial, Brooklyn Soap Company, Burgit, Savoderm med, Depilan, Daytox, Beautyglam) with 650+ products sold through retail pharmacies, drugstores, and e-commerce across 25 countries, serving DACH consumers in health, wellness, and personal care.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Healthcare & OTC

NAICS

Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (45611), Other Health and Personal Care Retailers (45619)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844), Wholesale-Drugs, Proprietaries & Druggists' Sundries (5122)

akta.pro primary industry

Cold, Flu, Cough & Allergy Remedies (Decongestants, Antihistamines, Cough Syrups, Lozenges) (CRADAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sleep, Stress & Mood OTC (Sleep Aids, Melatonin OTC, Calm/Stress Relief) (CRADAMAJ)

Keywords

• Consumer healthcare products
• OTC wellness solutions
• Personal care items
• Natural beauty products
• Dietary supplements

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Consumer Healthcare Products: Merz Lifecare generates revenue through the sale of OTC healthcare, wellness, and beauty products under multiple brands including tetesept, SOS, Zirkulin, Merz Spezial, Brooklyn Soap Company, and others. Products include bath additives, cold remedies, vitamins, minerals, foot care, and skin care products sold through retail and pharmacy channels.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Districon operates a portfolio of 11 consumer healthcare and wellness brands offering OTC health remedies, dietary supplements, personal care, baby care, and natural beauty products. The company distributes more than 650 products across 25 countries from five DACH-region locations (Frankfurt, Hausen, Berlin, Hamburg, Neuss), serving consumers through pharmacy, drugstore, and e-commerce channels. Its owned brand family spans tetesept, Zirkulin, Merz Spezial, SOS, Brooklyn Soap Company, Burgit, Savoderm med, Depilan, Daytox, and Beautyglam.

Product overview

Merz Lifecare operates as a multi-brand consumer healthcare and wellness company with a portfolio of 11 brands and 650+ products. The company offers a diverse range of health, wellness, personal care, and natural beauty products spanning from head to toe, covering ages from babies to seniors. Core brands include tetesept (health & wellness), SOS (acute problem-solving), Zirkulin (wellness supplements), Merz Spezial (beauty with substance), Brooklyn Soap Company (men's care), Burgit (foot care), Savoderm med (medical skincare), Depilan (hair removal), Daytox (clean skincare), and Beautyglam (facial care). Additional sub-brands include tetesept Baby and Femi Baby. The company distributes products across 25 countries from 5 locations in German-speaking markets (DACH region).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• tetesept: Health and wellness brand offering bath products, cold remedies, and more.
• SOS
• Zirkulin
• Merz Spezial
• Brooklyn Soap Company
• Burgit
• Savoderm med
• Depilan
• Daytox
• Beautyglam
• t by tetesept

Products and services

• tetesept tetesept is Districon's flagship herbal and science-based consumer healthcare brand offering bath additives, cold remedies, sleep aids, women's health products, joint and bone care, and dietary supplements positioned in the pharmacy and drugstore channel.
• SOS SOS is Districon's skincare and minor-wound specialty brand offering targeted remedies for everyday skin issues, sold through pharmacy and drugstore channels.
• Zirkulin Zirkulin is a long-established German herbal and natural-remedy brand offering herbal teas, capsules, and natural health products for digestive wellness and general vitality.
• Merz Spezial Merz Spezial is Districon's foot-care specialty brand offering foot creams, deodorants, and foot-bath products targeting consumers needing dedicated foot care.
• Brooklyn Soap Company Brooklyn Soap Company is Districon's natural and premium men's personal-care brand offering body care, beard care, hair care, and shower products for a contemporary, naturals-oriented male consumer.
• Burgit Burgit is a traditional herbal-remedy brand within Districon's portfolio, offering herbal specialties positioned for pharmacy and health-food store channels.
• Savoderm med Savoderm med is Districon's dermatological skincare line offering medically oriented skin cleansers and care products distributed primarily through the pharmacy channel.
• Depilan Depilan is Districon's depilatory and hair-removal specialty brand offering creams and associated products in the drugstore channel.
• Daytox Daytox is Districon's modern skincare and lifestyle supplements brand offering beauty-from-within products such as drinkable ampoules and supplement sachets targeted at urban consumers.
• Beautyglam Beautyglam is Districon's premium natural cosmetics brand offering skincare, colour cosmetics, and beauty products for consumers seeking naturals-positioned premium beauty.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MIYA forest e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMerz Lifecare partnered with MIYA forest e.V. for the Miniwälder (mini-forests) initiative to create healthier cities. This sustainability collaboration focuses on planting mini-forests for environmental and health benefits.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dr. Wolff Group: German family-owned consumer health company (Alpecin, Plantur, Linola, Biorepair). Competes in adjacent OTC and personal care categories (hair care, skin care) sold through German pharmacies with similar science-based brand positioning.
• STADA Arzneimittel: German-based generics and OTC healthcare company with a broad multi-brand consumer health portfolio distributed across European pharmacies. Operates a similar multi-brand, pharmacy-led model in overlapping categories (cold/flu, vitamins, skin care).
• Kneipp: German manufacturer of bath products, herbal remedies, and wellness SKUs. Closely comparable to tetesept's bath additives, cold remedies, and natural wellness range, sold through the same German pharmacy and drugstore retail channels.
• Weleda: Swiss-German natural cosmetics and anthroposophic medicine brand operating in DACH markets. Comparable in natural beauty, baby care, and wellness positioning, with overlap against Merz Spezial, Beautyglam, Daytox, and tetesept Baby sub-brands.

Broad incumbents

• Haleon: Spun off from GSK in 2022, Haleon is a global consumer health powerhouse (Voltaren, Sensodyne, Centrum, Fenistil). Competes directly with Merz Lifecare in DACH OTC categories, including topical pain relief and wellness, with materially greater marketing scale.
• Beiersdorf: Hamburg-based FMCG company behind Nivea, Eucerin, and La Prairie. Overlaps with Merz Lifecare's skincare brands (Savoderm med, Merz Spezial, Daytox, Beautyglam) in German drugstore and pharmacy distribution.
• Bayer Consumer Health: Global OTC and consumer health division of Bayer, headquartered in Germany. Markets brands like Aspirin, Bepanthen, and Elevit through the same German pharmacy and drugstore channels as Merz Lifecare, with significantly larger scale and R&D budget.
• Kenvue: Former Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health spin-off behind brands like Zyrtec, Neutrogena, and o.b. Operates a multi-brand consumer health portfolio that overlaps with Merz Lifecare's wellness, personal care, and OTC categories in European pharmacy and drugstore channels.
• P&G Health: Procter & Gamble's consumer health division behind brands like Vicks, Metamucil, and Pepto-Bismol. Competes in DACH OTC cold/cough, wellness, and personal care categories with global scale advantages in marketing and distribution.
• Sanofi Consumer Healthcare: Sanofi's consumer health unit (Doliprane, Dulcolax, Enterogermina, Mucosolvan). Competes with Merz Lifecare in European OTC cold/flu and self-care categories, leveraging larger global scale and brand recognition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/districon-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Districon