Wiener Seife Gmbh

What Wiener Seife Gmbh does

Wiener Seife GmbH is a privately held, Vienna-based soap manufacturer founded in 2006 that produces approximately 70 varieties of handcrafted soaps using the traditional cold-stirred (Kaltgerührte) method and a secret base recipe inherited from Friedrich Weiss, the last soap maker (Seifensieder) of Vienna. Its core technology centers on coconut oil from controlled organic cultivation as the primary base, a cold-stirred process that preserves the nourishing properties of natural ingredients, and high overfatting (9-15%) formulations that deliver superior skin care, all yielding biodegradable soaps with a pH of approximately 8.5. The product portfolio spans body, facial, hair, shaving, baby, pet, and specialty soaps (including salt toothpaste soaps and healing-clay variants), complemented by bath additives, shaving accessories, liquid wash gels, and seasonal gift sets.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model, selling through its own Shopware-powered webshop (wienerseife.at) plus a Swiss storefront (wienerseife.ch), two Vienna retail locations (the Herrengasse boutique in the 1st district and the factory store/manufactory with museum in the 10th district at Favoritner Gewerbering), and a Swiss branch at Arth am See. International shipping reaches Germany, other EU member states, USA, and Canada. Pricing is per-unit with premium gift sets priced up to €29 and a 10% newsletter-subscriber first-order discount. The company is privately owned and managed by Geschäftsführende Gesellschafterin Sonja Baldauf, with no external investors or parent entity, serving health-conscious consumers seeking natural, plastic-free personal care and gift buyers seeking premium Austrian-made heritage products.

Name

Wiener Seife Gmbh

Legal name

Wiener Seife GmbH

Website

https://wienerseife.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Handcrafted Natural Soaps and Personal Care

NAICS

Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing (325611)

SIC

Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840)

akta.pro primary industry

Hand Soap & Hand Wash (CRABAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Intimate & Personal Hygiene Washes (CRABAEAF)

Keywords

• Handcrafted natural soaps
• Cold-stirred soap manufacturing
• Traditional Vienna soap making
• Natural personal care products
• Artisan soap products

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Soap Product Sales: Direct retail sales of handcrafted soaps through e-commerce platform and physical retail stores. Product range includes approximately 70 soap varieties across categories including facial soaps, body soaps, hair soaps, shaving soaps, baby/children soaps, and specialty soaps like salt toothpaste soaps.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Wiener Seife GmbH produces approximately 70 varieties of handcrafted soaps manufactured in Vienna using a traditional cold-stirred (Kaltgerührte) process following the secret recipes of Friedrich Weiss, the last Vienna soap maker. The product range spans body, facial, hair, shaving, baby, pet, and specialty soaps made with plant-based oils including coconut oil from controlled organic farming. Sales occur through the company's own Austrian and Swiss e-commerce platforms as well as physical retail stores in Vienna and Arth am See.

Product overview

Wiener Seife Gmbh operates as a traditional Viennese soap manufactory offering a diverse portfolio of handcrafted soaps. The core product is handcrafted soaps made in Vienna following secret Viennese recipes from the last Viennese soap maker Friedrich Weiss, using the cold-stirred method. The product range includes approximately 70 varieties of soaps spanning multiple categories: body care soaps (shower soaps, facial soaps, hair soaps, shaving soaps), specialty soaps (salt/tooth soaps, peeling soaps, pet soaps, baby/children's soaps), ingredient-focused soaps (healing clay soaps, olive oil soaps, highly re-fatting soaps, vegan soaps), and bath additives. Seasonal offerings include Christmas soaps, summer soaps, and Easter-themed products. Gift sets and sample sets are also available. The company operates three physical retail locations in Vienna and Switzerland, plus a comprehensive e-commerce online shop. The company emphasizes plastic-free packaging, natural ingredients from controlled organic cultivation, and cruelty-free production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% biodegradable ingredients with no synthetic additives, parabens, silicones, or microplastics
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Weleda: Swiss/German natural personal care company producing soaps, baby care, and skincare with natural and biodynamic ingredients. Comparable in DACH natural personal care leadership, but with much broader portfolio spanning skincare to pharmaceuticals.
• The Body Shop: Global natural-ethos personal care retailer with extensive bar soap and bath ranges. Comparable in ethical/sustainability positioning and direct retail model, though at significantly larger scale with global store footprint.
• Burt's Bees: Large US natural personal care brand with bar soaps and body care products. Comparable in natural ingredient positioning and sustainability messaging, but at much greater scale and broader product diversification.
• L'Occitane en Provence: Global premium natural personal care company with extensive bar soap and bath lines. Comparable in natural/heritage positioning and gift-oriented product strategy, though significantly larger and broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Speick Naturkosmetik: German heritage natural soap and personal care manufacturer using traditional recipes and plant-based ingredients. Highly comparable in DACH market positioning, handcrafted bar soap focus, and natural/biological certification emphasis.
• Dr. Bronner's: US-based maker of natural castile soaps and personal care using organic oils. Directly comparable to Wiener Seife in cold-process, plant-oil based soap manufacturing and natural/clean positioning, though at much larger scale and broader product range.
• Korres: Greek natural cosmetics brand using botanical and traditional ingredients. Comparable in European natural personal care positioning, plant-based formulations, and heritage-inspired product development.
• Tom's of Maine: US natural personal care brand focused on soap, toothpaste, and hygiene products. Comparable in natural ingredient positioning, sustainability messaging, and avoidance of synthetic additives like parabens and microplastics.
• Saponificio Varesino: Italian artisanal soap and shaving soap maker using traditional methods. Comparable in cold-process soap manufacturing, premium niche positioning, and specialty shaving soap offerings.
• Claus Porto: Portuguese heritage soap maker established in 1887, producing premium handcrafted bar soaps with distinctive packaging. Comparable in heritage-brand storytelling, premium gifting positioning, and traditional soap craftsmanship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wiener-seife

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Wiener Seife Gmbh