Fenjal

Hans Grether of Doetsch Grether AG introduced the Fenjal crème bath oil in Basel in 1962, solving a problem that bathrooms of the era had not yet recognised: the combination of cleansing and skin conditioning in a single step. The formula, built on plant oils in an emulsified bath concentrate, was new enough to establish a product category, and Fenjal's warm, vanilla-and-rose signature became one of the most recognisable scent identities in European mass bathing products across the following decades. The brand expanded into body washes, lotions, and a light fragrance line without departing far from its creamy, comforting core aesthetic. In 2016 ownership transferred from the Swiss family company to Germany's fit GmbH, which moved production to Saxony while maintaining distribution across the European Union and beyond. Fenjal remains a sentimental fixture in the bathroom routines of several generations of European consumers.