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Ahava (company)
Encyclopedia
Ahava is an Israel
i cosmetics company that manufactures skin care products made of mud and mineral-based compounds from the Dead Sea
. The company's administrative headquarters are located in Holon but the main manufacturing plant and showroom are in Mitzpe Shalem
,See map an Israeli settlement
located on the Dead Sea in the West Bank
of the Palestinian Territories
. The company has flagship stores in Israel, Germany, Hungary, the Philippines and Singapore. , Ahava income is more than US$150 million a year.
technician, came up with the idea of marketing Dead Sea
mud after watching women tourists scooping up the mud to take home. Ahava was founded in 1988 as a single stand selling bottles of body scrub to tourists, generating $1 million that year.
Ahava's shareholders include Hamashbir Holdings, Gaon Holdings, Kibbutz Ein Gedi
, Kibbutz Mitzpe Shalem
and Kibbutz Kalya.
Kibbutz Mitzpe Shalem
and Kibbutz Kalya are located north of the Green Line, in the West Bank.
In 2009 Ahava took on new shareholder Shamrock Holdings
, the Walt Disney
Family's investment arm, which purchased 20% of Ahava Dead Sea Laboratories from its existing shareholders The company has 200 employees, 180 of them in Israel.
In 2009, the company reported sales of nearly $150 million a year. In the United States, the largest overseas market for Ahava products, the company signed distribution deals with Lord & Taylor
, Nordstrom
and the beauty-supply chain Ulta
.
Ahava is the only cosmetics company licensed by the Israeli government to mine raw materials at the Dead Sea. On the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea, there are approximately fifty small companies producing cosmetics, but only 15 have a global presence. Israel has imported raw materials for its Dead Sea mud cosmetics from Jordan since 1994.
In 2011, Elana Drell Szyfer, former Senior Vice President of Global Marketing for Estee Lauder
, was appointed general manager of Ahava North America.
Dead Sea mud, alone or in combination with other ingredients, is believed to have benefits for deep cleansing and stimulation of the skin. Minerals extracted from Dead Sea water such as calcium, magnesium and potassium, are said to improve the metabolism, stimulate circulation and aid in the natural repair of cells. In 2009, Ahava Dermud range of skincare products has been shown to have protective, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory
properties that can antagonize biological effects of UVB radiation on skin, reducing skin photodamage and photoaging, and reducing oxidative stress and inflammation
in skin pathologies.
Therapy with mud packs for conditions such as osteoarthritis is relatively expensive and requires the assistance of a therapist and a treatment room. In the wake of these limitations, Ahava developed mud compresses used in the home which are heated in a microwave
oven or a pot of hot water and placed over painful joints. A clinical research by the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, supported in part by a grant from “Ahava”, has concluded that the group treated with natural mud compresses had a reduction of 20% or more in Knee Osteoarthritis
pain scores at treatment completion, at one month, and at three months, compared to the control group.
Embracing the trend toward more natural ingredients in cosmetics, Ahava purifies its own water and, according to the company, employs minimally invasive techniques to harvest mud and minerals. Ingredients are not tested on animals and Ahava products are packaged in recyclable containers.
applications. The company has established an R&D program to research nanoemulsion and nanosuspension with mud nanoparticles.
Ahava operates its own laboratory for cell and organ culture. It is the coordinator of SkinTreat (FP-7) and a partner in nanoReTox (FP-7) founded by Cellage, a European research consortium the specializes in skin cellular Ageing (FP-5). Ahava developed a laboratory model for in-vitro NP screening that is employed for studying inflammatory processes using UV- irradiated human skin organ cultures.
, several Israeli commercial ventures in the West Bank, including Ahava, breach the Hague Convention on the Law and Customs
of War on Land, which prohibits exploitation of resources in occupied territory.
Boycott campaigns have been organized by organizations such as Code Pink
, which says that Ahava's products come from "stolen Palestinian natural resources in the occupied territory of the Palestinian West Bank", and are produced in Mitzpe Shalem. In response, the company stated that the Mitzpe Shalem kibbutz where the products are produced is not an illegal settlement, and that the mud and materials used in Ahava cosmetics products are mined in the Israeli part of the Dead Sea.
In September, 2011, South African Industry Minister Rob Davies agreed in principle that goods manufactured in the Occupied Palestinian Territories should not be labelled as product of Israel since that is misleading. Davies said: "We're persuaded it's in the interest of South African consumers to know whether their products are coming from Israel or from the occupied territories."
The new rules will ensure that such products such as Ahava are labeled "product of illegal settlement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories" before they can be sold in South Africa.
Prior to this, South African activists had submitted an affidavit to the South African Police Service accusing retailer, Wellness Warehouse, and local Ahava importer, SDV Pharmaceuticals, of violating South African trade law for selling Ahava products carrying false labels of origin.
Following to ongoing protests, which have led to complaints by adjacent businesses, landlords of the London store did not renew the lease of Ahava's Covent Garden store and in September 2011 the flagship London outlet was closed.
As part of an economic agreement between Israel and the European Union, Israel must label products made in the West Bank, which are subject to higher tariffs. In November 2009, Dutch MP Van Bommel (Socialist Party) asked Dutch FM Verhagen (CDA) whether or not Ahava products that were marketed at the time in The Netherlands, originated from the Palestinian Territories. If so, Ahava would not be entitled to a tax-exemption at Dutch customs. Verhagen promised to launch an investigation through the Dutch customs authority. In February 2010, the state-secretary of Economic Affairs Heemskerk responded to Van Bommel through a letter to the Dutch Parliament, saying that after checking for the years 2007-2009 the Dutch customs did not give tax-exemption to Ahava products.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i cosmetics company that manufactures skin care products made of mud and mineral-based compounds from the Dead Sea
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
. The company's administrative headquarters are located in Holon but the main manufacturing plant and showroom are in Mitzpe Shalem
Mitzpe Shalem
Mitzpe Shalem is an Israeli settlement and kibbutz located about 1 km from the western shores of the Dead Sea in the eastern West Bank. It is the southernmost community in the Megilot Regional Council and is located near Highway 90 about north of Ein Gedi and north of the Green Line.The...
,See map an Israeli settlement
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
located on the Dead Sea in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
of the Palestinian Territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
. The company has flagship stores in Israel, Germany, Hungary, the Philippines and Singapore. , Ahava income is more than US$150 million a year.
History
Ziva Gilad, a spaSpa
The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are...
technician, came up with the idea of marketing Dead Sea
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
mud after watching women tourists scooping up the mud to take home. Ahava was founded in 1988 as a single stand selling bottles of body scrub to tourists, generating $1 million that year.
Ahava's shareholders include Hamashbir Holdings, Gaon Holdings, Kibbutz Ein Gedi
Ein Gedi (kibbutz)
Ein Gedi is a kibbutz on the western shore of the Dead Sea in Israel. Located on the edge of the Judean desert at the site of historic Ein Gedi, its municipal services are provided by Tamar Regional Council. In 2011, the kibbutz had 213 members.-History:...
, Kibbutz Mitzpe Shalem
Mitzpe Shalem
Mitzpe Shalem is an Israeli settlement and kibbutz located about 1 km from the western shores of the Dead Sea in the eastern West Bank. It is the southernmost community in the Megilot Regional Council and is located near Highway 90 about north of Ein Gedi and north of the Green Line.The...
and Kibbutz Kalya.
Kibbutz Mitzpe Shalem
Mitzpe Shalem
Mitzpe Shalem is an Israeli settlement and kibbutz located about 1 km from the western shores of the Dead Sea in the eastern West Bank. It is the southernmost community in the Megilot Regional Council and is located near Highway 90 about north of Ein Gedi and north of the Green Line.The...
and Kibbutz Kalya are located north of the Green Line, in the West Bank.
In 2009 Ahava took on new shareholder Shamrock Holdings
Shamrock Holdings
Shamrock Holdings is the firm founded as the Roy E. Disney family investment firm and the Disney family remains a key investor. Roy was its chairman, and Stanley Gold its President/CEO. Shamrock owns a number of assets including hotels and radio and television stations. Shamrock often takes an...
, the Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
Family's investment arm, which purchased 20% of Ahava Dead Sea Laboratories from its existing shareholders The company has 200 employees, 180 of them in Israel.
Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor, colloquially known as L&T, or LT, based in New York City, is the oldest upscale, specialty-retail department store chain in the United States. Concentrated in the eastern U.S., the retailer operated independently for nearly a century prior to joining American Dry Goods...
, Nordstrom
Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. is an upscale department store chain in the United States, founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings...
and the beauty-supply chain Ulta
Ulta
Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc is a chain of beauty superstores in the United States. Each store is outfitted with a full-service salon as well. Ulta carries a variety of cosmetics and skincare brands, men's and women's fragrances, and professionally licensed haircare products...
.
Ahava is the only cosmetics company licensed by the Israeli government to mine raw materials at the Dead Sea. On the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea, there are approximately fifty small companies producing cosmetics, but only 15 have a global presence. Israel has imported raw materials for its Dead Sea mud cosmetics from Jordan since 1994.
In 2011, Elana Drell Szyfer, former Senior Vice President of Global Marketing for Estee Lauder
Estée Lauder
Estée Lauder may refer to:* Estée Lauder * Estée Lauder Companies...
, was appointed general manager of Ahava North America.
Products
Ahava product lines include a basic product for all skin types; other products for dry, sensitive skin and for men’s skin; and anti-aging products for face and body. Product lines include hand cream, foot cream, facial cleanser, body milk, facial nourishing cream, facial moisturizer, moisturizing shower cream and body cream. Some products claim to use citrus and citrus products as a source of vitamins and minerals.Dead Sea mud, alone or in combination with other ingredients, is believed to have benefits for deep cleansing and stimulation of the skin. Minerals extracted from Dead Sea water such as calcium, magnesium and potassium, are said to improve the metabolism, stimulate circulation and aid in the natural repair of cells. In 2009, Ahava Dermud range of skincare products has been shown to have protective, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory
Anti-inflammatory
Anti-inflammatory refers to the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation. Anti-inflammatory drugs make up about half of analgesics, remedying pain by reducing inflammation as opposed to opioids, which affect the central nervous system....
properties that can antagonize biological effects of UVB radiation on skin, reducing skin photodamage and photoaging, and reducing oxidative stress and inflammation
Inflammation
Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...
in skin pathologies.
Therapy with mud packs for conditions such as osteoarthritis is relatively expensive and requires the assistance of a therapist and a treatment room. In the wake of these limitations, Ahava developed mud compresses used in the home which are heated in a microwave
oven or a pot of hot water and placed over painful joints. A clinical research by the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, supported in part by a grant from “Ahava”, has concluded that the group treated with natural mud compresses had a reduction of 20% or more in Knee Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis also known as degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease, is a group of mechanical abnormalities involving degradation of joints, including articular cartilage and subchondral bone. Symptoms may include joint pain, tenderness, stiffness, locking, and sometimes an effusion...
pain scores at treatment completion, at one month, and at three months, compared to the control group.
Embracing the trend toward more natural ingredients in cosmetics, Ahava purifies its own water and, according to the company, employs minimally invasive techniques to harvest mud and minerals. Ingredients are not tested on animals and Ahava products are packaged in recyclable containers.
Scientific research
Ahava is one of several Israeli cosmetics companies researching nanotechnologyNanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
applications. The company has established an R&D program to research nanoemulsion and nanosuspension with mud nanoparticles.
Ahava operates its own laboratory for cell and organ culture. It is the coordinator of SkinTreat (FP-7) and a partner in nanoReTox (FP-7) founded by Cellage, a European research consortium the specializes in skin cellular Ageing (FP-5). Ahava developed a laboratory model for in-vitro NP screening that is employed for studying inflammatory processes using UV- irradiated human skin organ cultures.
Controversy
According to human rights organization B'TselemB'Tselem
B'Tselem is an Israeli non-governmental organization . It calls itself "The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories"...
, several Israeli commercial ventures in the West Bank, including Ahava, breach the Hague Convention on the Law and Customs
of War on Land, which prohibits exploitation of resources in occupied territory.
Boycott campaigns have been organized by organizations such as Code Pink
Code Pink
Code Pink: Women for Peace is an anti-war group that is mainly composed of women. It has regional offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Washington, D.C., and many more chapters in the U.S. as well as several in other countries...
, which says that Ahava's products come from "stolen Palestinian natural resources in the occupied territory of the Palestinian West Bank", and are produced in Mitzpe Shalem. In response, the company stated that the Mitzpe Shalem kibbutz where the products are produced is not an illegal settlement, and that the mud and materials used in Ahava cosmetics products are mined in the Israeli part of the Dead Sea.
In September, 2011, South African Industry Minister Rob Davies agreed in principle that goods manufactured in the Occupied Palestinian Territories should not be labelled as product of Israel since that is misleading. Davies said: "We're persuaded it's in the interest of South African consumers to know whether their products are coming from Israel or from the occupied territories."
The new rules will ensure that such products such as Ahava are labeled "product of illegal settlement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories" before they can be sold in South Africa.
Prior to this, South African activists had submitted an affidavit to the South African Police Service accusing retailer, Wellness Warehouse, and local Ahava importer, SDV Pharmaceuticals, of violating South African trade law for selling Ahava products carrying false labels of origin.
Following to ongoing protests, which have led to complaints by adjacent businesses, landlords of the London store did not renew the lease of Ahava's Covent Garden store and in September 2011 the flagship London outlet was closed.
As part of an economic agreement between Israel and the European Union, Israel must label products made in the West Bank, which are subject to higher tariffs. In November 2009, Dutch MP Van Bommel (Socialist Party) asked Dutch FM Verhagen (CDA) whether or not Ahava products that were marketed at the time in The Netherlands, originated from the Palestinian Territories. If so, Ahava would not be entitled to a tax-exemption at Dutch customs. Verhagen promised to launch an investigation through the Dutch customs authority. In February 2010, the state-secretary of Economic Affairs Heemskerk responded to Van Bommel through a letter to the Dutch Parliament, saying that after checking for the years 2007-2009 the Dutch customs did not give tax-exemption to Ahava products.