L’Erbolario was founded in Lodi in 1978 as a small artisan herbalist’s, but much earlier in the dreams of its founders: Franco Bergamaschi and his wife Daniela Villa, have, ever since their childhood, always shared their passion for the world of medicinal plants, and spent days on end in the country fields of Lodi searching for wild herbs.

Daniela Villa

Franco Bergamaschi

The first phytocosmetics came to life by initially retracing family recipes handed down by Franco’s father. This was then combined with knowledge acquired during herbalist, phytocosmetics and phytopreparation courses. Step by step L’Erbolario products went beyond the doors of the Lodi shop to become widespread on the shelves of herbalists all over Italy.

Without neglecting its vocation as a family business, it embarked on a path of constant growth that lead L’Erbolario to become a renowned and affirmed international company, a leader in the Italian market of plant-based cosmetics and an increasingly appreciated brand also overseas.

With 5.500 sales points throughout Italy and 185 single-brand shops, 14 of which overseas, L’Erbolario has entered the homes of over 10 million Italian families. Successfully exported to 42 countries around the world, L’Erbolario is the name of an unmistakeable style that represents natural beauty.

Botanical garden

The house of plants, where plants are at home!
Marsh Mallow, Absinthium, Marigold, Tarragon, Echinacea purpurea, Iris, Hyssop, Lavender, Mallow, Lemon Balm, Mint, Rosemary, Sage: here are just a few medicinal plants from our marvellous botanical garden!

The Garden is loved and “nursed” by 3 passionate gardeners and is located in the natural South Adda River Park, which extends over 200,000 m2.

Organic? Obviously!
All medicinal herbs, ornamental species, fruit and vegetables, in the large plot of land surrounding the L’Erbolario production site, are grown according to the strict standards of organic farming, using only natural fertilisers and remedies without using any pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilisers, with a sustainable agriculture approach.

Since 2005, all farming activities have been certified by ICEA(Istituto per la Certificazione Etica Ambientale – Institute for Ethical Environmental Certification) for AIAB (Associazione Italiana per l’Agricoltura Biologica – Italian Association for Organic Agriculture).

The extracts Laboratory
Here we produce the plant extracts that make our cosmetics unique and special.
The Extracts Production and Research Laboratory has been the pride and joy of L’Erbolario since 2006. This is where a team of technicians with high professionalism and extensive expertise, both rare these days, makes the most of the ability to concentrate “the quintessence of the soul” of plants and, from the inert matrix, extract the active principles that make our cosmetics unique and special.

We make all extracts in our Laboratory, without outsourcing any production phase.

We only select the best plants, which are ideally organic and strictly not GMO, preferring those from our botanical garden and from the organic cultivations of Erbamea, our sister company in Alta Valtiberina, in Umbria.
All raw materials undergo strict analyses to verify the absence of over 300 pesticides.

To produce our extracts, we only use environmentally safe solvents, such as water, glycerine and organic vegetable oils.
We often use fresh fruit, such as cucumbers, tangerines, lemons, and mango: all strictly cut by hand.

Research & development

All our products come to life in this laboratory, where quality control is carried out..
A select pool of experts and qualified professionals in chemistry, biology, biotechnology, microbiology and toxicology puts its professionalism at the service of continuous research of cosmetic forms and highly innovative and functional plant ingredients.

After developing the formula, it undergoes strict quality control:
microbiological tests and chemical-physical analyses are carried out to monitor the presence of heavy metals in order to guarantee product stability and safety.
The same care and meticulous attention is also found in the production department, reflected on much larger volumes.

The extraordinary machinery having capacities of 3000, 5000 or 12000 kg assist us in repeating, on a larger scale, the operations carried out by our researchers on the lab table with 1 kg of product.

Technology thus becomes an essential partner in guaranteeing high quality standards that are always the same and repeatable.

Short production chain

Packaging
After strict controls, the loose product goes to Packaging.
Here modern technology merges with the exquisitely on-going focus on craftsmanship: large machinery is not used to replace, but to assist and optimise the indispensable human labour.

All our packages, which are distinguished by their unique taste, are eco-compatible, preferably made of a single material or easily separated into their recyclable components.

The new Logistic Hub

Our products are ready to be shipped to each of the 5,500 shops throughout Italy and in the 42 countries we proudly export to!
We also personally take care of shipping, keeping a very short chain in order to guarantee impeccable quality as well as excellent value for money.

Also, the Logistic Hub launched in 2012 is a gem of environmental sustainability. A rare example of an energy class B industrial building is 27,000 m2 of energy saving thanks to:
• Heating and air conditioning via geothermal energy
• Floor cooling system using groundwater
• Electrical energy from our photovoltaic array

The Logistic hub is energetically self-sufficient during the summer months.
In the same way that we have followed the entire life cycle of our product in-house, we want to do likewise when the product reaches the homes of our customers: for this reason, we have decided not to outsource Customer Service, but instead use a team of internal collaborators that work in close collaboration with our Laboratories, who are always available to meet the most diverse requests with skill and courtesy.